Lời Thú Nhận Của Tay Lừa Đảo Felix Krull

by Thomas Mann, Nguyễn Hồng Vân (Translator), Trần Đàm Thành (Translator)

Lời thú nhận của tay lừa đảo Felix Krull là cuốn tiểu thuyết cuối cùng của Thomas Mann, nhà văn Đức đoạt giải Nobel năm 1929.

Câu chuyện dẫn dắt người đọc đi cùng Felix Krull, một cậu bé sinh ra trong một gia đình trung lưu sung túc miền Rhine nước Đức. Sau khi người cha tán gia bại sản và tự sát, cậu sống trong cảnh nghèo khó với mẹ, những vẫn luôn nuôi mộng về một cuộc sống xa hoa. Felix đã lừa các bác sĩ quân y để trốn đi nghĩa vụ quân sự. Rồi, với công việc chạy buồng thang máy và bồi bàn ở một khách sạn sang trọng ở Paris, nhờ vẻ bề ngoài đẹp như nam thần Hy Lạp, cậu kiếm được bộn tiền từ những quý bà khát tình. Sau đó, Felix có bước ngoặc cuộc đời, cú lừa đảo lớn nhất, khi cậu giả danh một hầu tước trẻ Luxembourg làm chuyến du lịch vòng quanh thế giới, trong khi vị hầu tước ở lại Paris với người tình. Felix tới Lisbon trong lộ trình đi tới Nam Mỹ, và ở đây, cậu có những khám phá kiến thức và lạc thú xa hoa.

Nhân vật Felix Krull được giới thiệu lần đầu trong một truyện ngắn của Thomas Mann năm 1901 nhưng mãi đến năm 1936 mới được xuất bản trong tập "Truyện ba thập kỷ", tập hợp các truyện ông viết từ năm 1896 đến 1929. Sau này Thomas Mann viết tiếp và mở rộng câu chuyện, nhưng ông mất năm 1955 khi bản thảo còn dang dở. Dù chưa hoàn thành, Lời thú nhận của tay lừa đảo Felix Krull là bức tranh chi tiết về châu Âu cuối thế kỷ 19, một câu chuyện hài hước với văn phong mượt mà uyển chuyển, mang nhiều suy tư triết lý đậm chất Thomas Mann.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, German Literature, Germany, Literature, 20th Century, Novels

604 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

See also:
Serbian: Tomas Man

Thomas Mann was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and Nobel Prize laureate in 1929, known for his series of highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual. His analysis and critique of the European and German soul used modernized German and Biblical stories, as well as the ideas of Goethe, Nietzsche, and Schopenhauer. His older brother was the radical writer Heinrich Mann, and three of his six children, Erika Mann, Klaus Mann and Golo Mann, also became important German writers. When Hitler came to power in 1933, Mann fled to Switzerland. When World War II broke out in 1939, he emigrated to the United States, from where he returned to Switzerland in 1952. Thomas Mann is one of the best-known exponents of the so-called Exilliteratur.

Reviews

[Luís · Rating 5 out of 5]

The confessions of the knight of industry, Félix Krull, stand out in the romantic work of the 1929 Nobel Prize winner. Forget the Teutonic and invigorating prose of the masterpieces that preceded him. Instead, you enter a world of masks and fantasy.
The novel is part of the tradition of the Bildungsroman or training novel. Félix Krull is the son of a bankrupt who produced poor-quality champagne. His godfather, who, when our hero was little, adorned him with costumes and disguises that suited him wonderfully, as he was a handsome boy. Testifying to the latter's precocious disposition to take on all the roles, he sends him to a friend who runs a high-class Parisian hotel. First, you have to go through military service to get reformed. Here he is in Paris, where everything seems to smile at him and where he will begin with the humble position of elevator boy.
Félix Krull presents well; he expresses himself easily and shows himself in turn with extreme politeness, irresistible charm, and a loose spirit depending on his audience. However, despite the promising opportunities offered to him, he only seizes. The victims seem ahead of him in his projects, stunned by his brilliance, seduction, and wit. Hardly a crook does steal anything from them. Instead, he sells them dreams.
What a delightful novel; it is a story that is funny and irresistibly stuns you. One would believe in reading a French book. Sometimes, it turns into vaudeville; that Thomas Mann could write such a work leaves you speechless. With the greatest regret that we discover that the text is unfinished, the Eternal Father has recalled it very annoyingly to the pantheon of writers.

[AiK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Незаконченные романы всегда сложно оценивать, поскольку замысел автор не успел полностью воплотить.
Я сомневаюсь, что замыслом Манна было написать обычный плутовской роман, каким "Признания авантюриста Феликса Круля" кажется поначалу. Известно, что автор собирался написать пародию на роман взросления и на плутовской роман. И в самом деле забавных моментов в романе предостаточно. Есть и размышления, которые присущи прозе этого писателя, на темы аристократизма, равенства, любви, впрочем небесспорные, есть критика и сатира социума, особенно, вырождающейся аристократии.
К сожалению, незаконченность романа оставляет финал открытым, позволяющим читателю догадываться о намерениях автора.

[MJ Nicholls · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Great German Picaresque that never was, interrupted by Mann’s passing at the tender age of 80. Apparently a parody of Goethe’s pompous autobio, the antihero of Felix Krull is a self-regarding poseur in the likeable mould, and the comic antics in the novel are sparse, making the novel more a bildungsroman than a Fieldingesque romp. As the novel was part of a proposed epic, there are longueurs galore, most of which are riveting exchanges on the nature of beauty, morality, and shiny things aristocrats own. The Robin Askwith adaptation, filmed in 1978 as Confessions of a Saucy Marquis, was one of the finer British sex comedies, and no discerning cineaste of softcore will forget the romping scene with Felix and Zouzou (played by a young Jane Leeves) in the asters of the rear garden without throbs of nostalgia.

[Jan-Maat]

I had a sudden thought about this book which I had read some time ago which was how curious it was that a writer's last work was focused on a confidence trickster and his trickery when what is writing but a confidence trick created with the collusion of the reader. As a result this is a book about fantasy and invention, in which we might be best advised to trust nothing and to believe less.

I wondered how far the subject of the book was a confession on the part of the author - the Patriarch with bad relations with many of his children, the husband with a taste for same sex relationships,the non-political man who ended up in exile for political reasons all the same, we can see the author as one who played at different identities as much as his fictional hero.

such anyway were my idle thoughts on my way to a hospital out patient appointment as I wondered if my shirt and underwear would pass muster as Felix's did before the conscription board.

[Ricardo Carrión Pavez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reseña en mi canal: https://youtu.be/hdOaNna2gbY?si=l0qpz...

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

In writing Felix Krull, I wonder if Thomas Mann was trying to prove that after all his heavy-duty works he could still turn out a romantic comedy, although not the ordinary kind. He's still Thomas Mann. Magic Mountain is overshadowed by the inevitable coming of World War I, Doktor Faustus directly confronts the evils of World War II. Felix Krull takes place in 1895, a time when no one (well, no one but people like Bertha von Suttner), had any inkling of the imminent tragedies of the 20th century. Mann exercises his usual tricks but with a twist and a light touch. He loves assuming the voice of an eccentric narrator. This time it's a first person account by a no-account fake marquis, but a highly amusing fake who blithely tells his story for the refined and sensitive reader. Krull assures us he only writes for a cultivated audience, people cut from finer wood as he is himself. Like Mann's other novels, this one employs lots of teases, to hook the reader. On page nine Krull ever so briefly mentions that he has served time in jail, as well as lived in grand hotels. And he likes grand hotels better. But then he moves on and doesn't explain how he landed in jail, though one could easily imagine. Krull starts with his childhood and his close relationship to his godfather, the painter with the improbable name Schimmelpreester, who likes to paint his godson in the nude as well as in outrageous costumes, such as a matador outfit (a costume that plays a key roll at the end of the novel). The refined reader can ignore the implications of this or he can fill in the part of the story that occurs off stage. Like Tolstoy, whom Mann worshiped, the most important scenes are left behind a curtain. Felix works his way up, starting as an elevator boy in a grand hotel, then a busboy, and hits his stride as a waiter who serves a wealthy and frivolous clientele. The main drift of the story is that Felix's schemes work because people want to be fooled. So Felix steals a wealthy woman's jewels only to learn that she, something of a sadist who loves humiliation, would gladly give him more in erotic play. His charm and physical attractiveness becomes clear as people of both sexes offer him propositions. Mann has a lot of fun with aristocratic pretensions as Krull easily assumes the identity of an aristocrat, gets an audience with the king of Portugal and is awarded a medal, so he can dress properly decorated for formal occasions. One of the jewels of the book is Krull's "letter home" to the woman who is supposed to be his mother after he switched identities with a real aristocrat who wanted to continue slumming in Paris with a show girl. Mother is delighted to receive such a polished and gracious, and very long, letter. The fact that her real son could not possibly have written it just doesn't matter to her. And she particularly likes his defense of the natural order of society, because without beggars how could the upper classes show their sense of charity. Aristocrats, the wealthy, mothers and even academics get skewered. Mann himself came across, especially to Americans, as a professorial type, even though he actually failed repeatedly in school, and never went to college. So I think there is a certain authorial empathy going on here. Felix is a fake, but he is genuinely interested in hearing the technical details of evolution from a distinguished paleontologist, with the wonderful name of Professor Kuckuck...They thoroughly enjoy each other's pretentions. Well it goes on like this. Supposedly an unfinished fragment, the novel ends on a high note, and really doesn't need any further elaboration. Enough said.

[Emilio Berra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Estetismo e inganno
Testo pubblicato incompiuto nel 1954, un anno prima della morte dello scrittore, dopo una 'gestazione' lunghissima e, pare, controversa.
Iniziato nel 1910, ripetutamente lasciato per la stesura di altre opere, quasi che il protagonista del romanzo non fosse così importante per l'autore, e neppure tanto evanescente da essere lasciato cadere nell'oblio.
Se ne intuisce l'incompiutezza dai vari rimandi a situazioni previste successivamente. C'è comunque una conclusione che m'è parsa posticcia e affrettata, sicuramente una soluzione tutt'altro che grandiosa.

Chi ha ammirato T. Mann in opere di alto livello e grande fascino, è probabile che qui rimanga parzialmente deluso. Non tanto per lo stile comunque ragguardevole, quanto per la vicenda narrata che ho trovato non all'altezza.
Pare che lo scrittore abbia tratto ispirazione da un libro di memorie di un avventuriero il quale, simulando un'identità aristocratica, frequentava alberghi di lusso e rinomati stabilimenti termali europei, praticando la truffa e il furto di gioielli.

T. Mann segue il suo personaggio dall'infanzia alla giovinezza, facendone un individuo di elegante bellezza e desideroso di scalate la società anche a costo di rischiosi compromessi.
Ritengo questo romanzo collocabile, per impronta culturale, non nel periodo di pubblicazione, bensì nell'epoca che ne vide l'abbozzo progettuale, quindi tra i cascami del Decadentismo al tramonto della Belle Epoque.
Il protagonista infatti può essere colto come potenziale esteta che esercita l'inganno con gusto elegante e raffinato, capace di captare stimoli culturali ovunque gli capiti. Un tipo di viaggiatore che, all'epoca, si poteva inconsapevolmente incontrare nei grandi alberghi fra i tanti ospiti incapaci di percepire il pericolo dell'incombente Guerra Mondiale.

[Kingofmusic · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 *. Reread war etwas kritischer als die Erstlektüre, da mich doch einiges etwas gestört hat. Trotzdem stark. Und er wird auch noch ein drittes Mal gelesen werden 😄😎.

[Long Phan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chẳng biết bao lâu rồi mới đọc một cuốn tiểu thuyết hay như vậy. Nó kéo ta về với thói quen đọc xuyên đêm khi còn trẻ. Nó khiến ta phải có một con mắt nhìn khác khi đánh giá về những gì định hình Tiểu thuyết trong văn học phương Tây.
Một cuốn sách vừa lôi cuốn về tình tiết, vừa đảm bảo các yếu tính của một tác phẩm văn chương đích thực. Nó thỏa mãn thú vui giải trí khi đọc Tiểu thuyết lại vẫn cung cấp cho người đọc nhiều kiến thức, thông tin cả về văn hóa, khoa học và lịch sử. Thật tiếc nó chẳng bao giờ được hoàn thiện vì cha đẻ của nó đã ra đi không đúng lúc. Nhưng phải chăng chính những điều dang dở mới luôn trở thành bất tử.

[Ronald Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are few authors whose works bring me as much pleasure as Thomas Mann. This continues to be the case with this all too short (and all too incomplete) book.

Mann was working on this when he died in 1955 – I’m sure this information is out there (Mann is significant enough of a literary figure, that – like Joyce and Eliot and other titans of 20th century literature – he is documented almost to the point of exhaustion) though I’ve yet to run across it: I can’t help but wondering what Mann intended for this book. “The Early Years” designation would seem to suggest that this was the first entry of some sort of larger series; even with this book – clocking in at 384 pages – it’s not clear how long the work was intended to be. I mean, 384 pages is not necessarily a short book, but it feels like Mann is just starting to hit his stride in the last 100 or so pages of the book – his prose begins to become much more philosophical and poetic as Krull begins to travel – and from a narrative perspective it feels like he’s barely begun to document Krull’s life as a “confidence man”; Krull is barely two months into his travels; and just around a year into having left home. The potential for expansion and continuation is fairly staggering. The book itself ends abruptly – though it manages to end on both a humorous beat, as well as a nice cliff hanger for the avid reader – and all I wanted there at the end was for it to continue, to go on; and as a reader I am sad that it will never be complete.

It was only after I read this that I realized it was a continuation of a short story Mann had written – once I recognized that I remembered that of all the stories in the Death in Venice collection (that Vintage put out) the story this is based on was the true standout of the collection. In fact, it would be a number of years after I read that collection that I would return to Mann, as I found myself a bit underwhelmed by most of the stories. It goes absolutely without saying – but I’ll say it anyways – that I am overjoyed that I returned to Mann eventually, as his oeuvre is simply stunning; I cannot imagine my literary life without him.

I was worried starting this book that I would not like it as much without Woods as the translator, but Mann’s writing is as wonderful as ever here; Mann himself was too talented of a writer to overly suffer a lesser translation; so while this was not as good as the Woods’ stuff, it is an accomplished enough work that it shines through. But the real jewel of the book is the character of Krull himself; his narrative voice is a joy to read; he is funny, witty, and observant in a way that manages to disclose an overwhelming amount of details (as Mann loves to do) while always flowing at a brisk clip. This book retains the compulsive readability and feeling of being over much too quickly that Mann’s other later works (Joseph and His Brothers, Doctor Faustus) also had; and though it never rises to the heights of those later books, it should still be considered an essential read for lovers of Mann.

"Sleep soundly. Dream of Being and of Life. Dream of the whirling galaxies which, since they are there, bear with joy the labour of their existence. Dream of the shapely arm with its ancient armature of bones, and of the flowers of the field that are able, aided by the sun, to break up lifeless matter and incorporate it into their living bodies. And don’t forget to dream of stone, of a mossy stone in a mountain brook that has lain for thousands upon thousands of years cooled, bathed, and scoured by foam and flood. Look upon its existence with sympathy, Being at its most alert gazing upon Being in its profoundest sleep, and salute it in the name of Creation! All’s well when Being and Well-Being are in some measure reconciled. A very good night!"

[Amabilis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"da živjeti znači slagati varku na varku” napisao je Ivo Andrić na samom kraju svog prvog djela ”Ex Ponto”. Često sam u Bosni čuo od ljudi koje sam zatekao da se bave nekim umjetničkim radom za koji i nisu bili svjesni da je umjetnost, (bar je oni nisu tako vidjeli ) kako kažu da "se varakaju". Znači nisu rekli da "se varaju", jer je to brutalno priznanje čina običnog varanja, međutim "varakati se" je sasvim nešto drugo. To ima jednu magičnu notu. Uostalom kao i cijela Bosna. Uostalom kao i ovo djelo. Koje je posvećeno maštanju koje je Prvotno, Prapočelo iz čega sve nastaje.
Ima jedan opis kada glavni junak Felix mašta ispred izloga bonbona i čokolada (budući da je radnja na prijelazu na 20.stoljeće, očaranje je veće, jer je to iznimno nova i posebna roba) koji me podsjeća na opis mladog dječaka Andrića kako siromašan ispred jedne sarajevske knjižare gleda obasjane knjige,koje su mu u to vrijeme bile nemoguće za imati. Od tog trenutka počelo se događati sve, uz gorku konstataciju gorčine siromaštva. Ali imao je maštu, maštao je o njima pa ih je na kraju i imao, a bome ih je i sam namaštao kao malo tko. Dosta je poveznica između Manna i Andrića, pa same dolaze i preko ovog djela, za nekoga tko voli oba ova pisca.
U djelu "Prevarant" španjolski pisac Cercas piše o doslovnom prevarantu Enricu Marcu, koji je u dva navrata prevario javnost "ulaskom" u uloge koje u realnosti nije doživio, uzimanjem novog identiteta i samim time bijegom od svog starog života. Pisac je probao ”ući u cipele” (jednom novinarskom metodom) tog čovjeka (koji je doživio ogromnu osudu društva) kako bi pokušao razumijeti zašto je on to napravio. Početna zgroženost, opiranje osudi do na kraju potpunog razumijevanja čovjeka zaključkom kako je i on posve sličan njemu, jer uzimanjem novih uloga, bijegom od starog , dosadne realnosti dolazi se samo nečim novim, nečim zamišljenim. Maštom. Maštom protiv realnosti života.
Međutim "varalica " Felix nije takva vrsta varalice. On je "plemić od rođenja", "pristalica prirodnog poretka", čovjek koji je preko mašte i riječi kroz situacije postao plemenitiji od samih plemića čija odijela ih nisu mogla učiniti unutra plemenitim. Neki su plemići poput Tolstoja, kad je potrgao grofovsko odijelo, a zaodjenuo seljačku košulju pa preko plemenitih djela riječi i jezika postigao još veću plemenitost. Kao što je i Andrić bio jedan "grof bez titule".
U jednom dijalogu jedan od Murakamijevih likova pita djevojku parafraziram :"s kim bi voljela ići na dugačko putovanje? Vozite na smjenu. S nekim tko je dobar vozač ali nepažljiv čovjek ili s vozačem koji nije tako dobar, ali je jako pažljiv? Ona odgovara : s ovim drugim. On kaže: I ja isto. Biti pažljiv-to je najvažnije. Biti smiren i osluškivati stvari oko sebe”
Biti pažljiv. Kako? Preko riječi. U djelu je jedna zanimljiva rasprava između Felixa i djevojke koja mu se sviđa pa ju obasipa riječima poput "ljupka", "dražesna" i sl., a ona poriče ljubav kao djetinju maštariju muškaraca koji nisu realna. A ona je brutalno realna i racionalna dok joj on pokušava "sredit glavu" kako sam kaže. Pomalo komična situacija. Ali i na tragu one Hesseove misli,parafraziram ”da je ljubav čudo, čisti incident, a ne pravilo. ” Na tom tragu je i Mann koji kroz lik Felixa priča o Velikom Uživanju, tj ljubavi kao nečemu čemu je težilo svo njegov biće. Netko je rekao da su muškarci namaštavali riječi i obogaćivali jezik da bi zavodili žene. Felix bi se složio, sigurno i Mann. Kad nas žene pročitaju, šta li ćemo morati izmislit dalje. Vidjet ćemo :)
Dosta je sličnosti samog života pisca i Felixa (propast obiteljskog posla, gubitak oca u mladoj dobi) pa Mann kao da je ovim svojim kako neki kažu "nedovršenim djelom" (ono uistinu je nedovršeno) htio ispričati što je on to uistinu bio. Ali veliki pisci i trebaju ostati "nedovršeni" pa je u tom velika simbolika ovog djela, pa se to također preklapa sa Andrićem čiji "Omer paša Latas" je također ostao nedovršen, tj. tako je trebalo biti.
To je prava potvrda onog što su bili, nepročitani, i nedovršeni tj.savršeni.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't expect to enjoy this classic as much as I did. Borrowed it on a whim from my library, mainly because it was a classic I hadn't read. Glad to be surprised though

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here’s the copy of a letter I have sent to Felix Krull connected with the excuse that it is written in German. I wanted to make sure that Mr. Krull understands what I was trying to say. Although he claims in his memoir that he also speaks English, one can never be sure with a so called confidence man.

Unfortunately, I have not received any reply to date.


Mein hochgeschätzter, verehrter Felix Krull,

ich schreibe Ihnen diese Zeilen unter dem Eindruck Ihrer Memoiren, die ich vor kurzem die Freude und das Vergnügen hatte zu lesen und die Sie in, wie ich finde, schelmischer Weise als „Bekenntnisse“ betitelt haben. Die Tatsache, dass Sie außerdem mit dem Wort „Hochstapler“ in Verbindung gebracht werden, will sich mir allerdings nicht unmittelbar erschließen, sehe ich doch in Ihren Ausführungen eine franke und unverhohlene Darstellung Ihres bisherigen Lebens, das nur in einigen wenigen und meiner Einschätzung nach marginalen Ereignissen etwas von Hochstapelei erahnen ließen. Ich vermute daher, dass nicht Sie es waren, die den Titel ihrer Biographie wählten, sondern vielmehr ein gewisser Thomas Mann, denn dieser Name taucht auf dem Titelblatt des Buches an der Stelle auf, an der ich eigentlich den Ihren erwartet hätte. Ich kann leider nur mutmaßen, in welcher Beziehung Sie mit dem besagten Gentleman in Verbindung standen, denn Herr Mann ist in der Zwischenzeit leider verstorben. Über das sogenannte „Internet“, welches Sie womöglich als eine Art Ausfunkt-Buerau bezeichnen würden, ist es mir gelungen, einige nähere Informationen über Herrn Mann zusammenzutragen.

Es scheint, dass er ein berühmter deutscher Schriftsteller gewesen ist, dessen Werke bis heute in literarischen Kreisen einiges an Beachtung finden und ihm dafür sogar der mit so hohem Prestige verbundene Nobelpreis für Literatur zuerkannt wurde. All dies führt mich zu der Annahme, dass Herr Mann vielleicht auch nicht ganz ohne Einfluss auf die von Ihnen verfassten Memoiren gewesen ist, sehe ich doch an der ein oder anderen Stelle Formulierungen und Gedanken, wie sie durchaus auch von Herrn Mann hätten stammen können, soweit ich das, aufgrund meiner bescheidenen Kenntnisse seines Œuvres beurteilen kann. Bitte verzeihen Sie mir, wenn ich sogar soweit gehe und hier meine, zugegebenermaßen recht vage, Vermutung äußere, dass am Ende Thomas Mann selbst es war, der den endgültigen Text verfasst hat, und sich dabei lediglich auf ein von Ihnen vorgegebenes Exposé gestützt hat. Die Gründe aufzuzählen, welche mich zu diesem Schluss geführt haben, würde zum einen den hier vorgesehenen Rahmen sprengen, und zum anderen zu viel Ihrer wertgeschätzten Zeit in Anspruch nehmen. Ich bin dessen ungeachtet aber gerne bereit, diese meine Gründe in einem separaten Schreiben an Sie offen zu legen, sofern dies von Ihnen gewünscht wird.

Wie ich bereits zu Beginn ausführte hat mich die Schilderung ihrer Erlebnisse auf das Außerordentlichste entzückt, angefangen mit Ihrer Kindheit im Rheingau, die sie ja offenkundig sehr genossen haben. Ich wünschte, mein eigenes Elternhaus hätte einen ebensolchen Rahmen abgegeben, wie das Ihre, denn es muss für ein Kind außerordentlich inspirierend und belebend gewesen sein, und für sein weiteres Leben wegweisend, zu erleben, wie sich die Eltern und Gäste beiderlei Geschlechts bei üppigem Essen, Trinken, Tanz und anderen körperlichen Ertüchtigungen miteinander verlustiert haben. Und auch die Unternehmungen Ihres verehrten Paten Professor Schimmelpreester, Sie in die unterschiedlichsten Kostüme zu stecken, worunter ja auch – ich bitte diese scherzhaften Ausdruck zu entschuldigen – das Adamskostüm gezählt werden muss, um sie dann auf Leinwand zu verewigen, haben sicherlich viel dazu beigetragen, Ihren nachfolgenden Lebensweg in groben Zügen vorzuzeichnen.

Ich bin mir nach den obigen Ausführungen nicht mehr ganz sicher, ob Sie selbst es waren, oder eben Thomas Mann, der Ihr äußeres Erscheinungsbild als so überaus anregend beschrieben hat. Die besagte Recherche zu Herrn Mann hat mir gezeigt, dass dieser durchaus nicht abgeneigt war, das Schöne in einem jungen Menschen männlichen Geschlechtes zu erkennen und zu schätzen. Ob er dabei auch an Sie dachte, vermag ich aus naheliegenden Gründen nicht zu sagen. Eines erscheint mir jedoch gewiss und ich denke, ich gehe nicht fehl, wenn ich annehme, dass Ihre Erscheinung als „Beau“ sich nicht unbedingt nachteilig auf Ihre späteren Beziehungen zu Mitgliedern des schönen Geschlechts aller Altersstufen ausgewirkt hat. Habe ich recht? Ihre Ausführungen hierzu bleiben an den entscheidenden Stellen – verständlicherweise – etwas vage und lassen Details aus, die den heutigen Leser vielleicht interessieren könnten, wenn man einmal von Zusammenkommen mit Madame Houpflé absieht. Sie erinnern sich sicherlich an diese Dame, Autorin und Gattin eines Klosettschüsselfabrikanten aus dem Hotel St.James und Albany in Paris? Dieser Abschnitt, wie überhaupt der ganze Aufenthalt von Ihnen in diesem Hotel, zählt sicherlich den Höhepunkten Ihrer „Bekenntnisse“.

Damit will ich aber in keine Weise die gleichfalls erhellenden Schilderungen schmälern, die Sie Ihren Lesern von Ihrer Zeit im schönen Lissabon geben. Nach den Kostümierungen durch Ihren Paten, und den unterschiedlichsten Verkleidungen, die sich im Laufe der Zeit selbst angelegt haben, haben Sie hier nun offenbar die Möglichkeit gefunden, die ultimative Larve anzulegen, nämlich die eines anderen Menschen und ich muss gestehen, dass diese Ihnen zur vollen Ehre gereicht. Wer hätte gedacht, dass ein junger Mann aus bourgeoisen Verhältnissen, dem an der Schule und der damit verbundenen Bildung nie viel gelegen war, es einmal zu einem Marquis, einem Edelmann, und noch dazu dekoriert mit einem Ordern durch den portugiesischen König bringen würde, und der darüber hinaus auch noch auf die Zuneigung zweier Edelfrauen, Tochter und Mutter, zählen kann?

Zu dieser Ihrer letzten Eroberung kann ich nur gratulieren und ziehe in Demut, und, ich bekenne es freimütig, auch ein wenig Neid, meinen Hut vor Ihnen. Was für eine Karriere! Schade nur, dass Ihre Ausführungen an dieser Stelle so unvermittelt enden. Ich hoffe inständigst, dass Sie sich entschließen, Ihre Memoiren irgendwann einmal zu Ende zu schreiben. Es wäre doch sehr bedauerlich, wenn die Welt nichts mehr von Ihrem weiteren Schicksal hören würde. Für die Ausformulierung Ihrer Gedanken steht Thomas Mann ja nun unglücklicherweise nicht mehr zur Verfügung, aber vielleicht finden sich ja andere Schriftsteller, die sich dieser reizvollen Aufgabe gewachsen fühlen.

In der Hoffnung recht bald von Ihnen zu hören verbleibe ich
mit vorzüglicher Hochachtung und den besten Wünschen
&c. &c.



This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

[Justin Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend's review of this is: great first half, dull second half. My review is the exact opposite, which suggests that this is just about taste. The first half, for me, was a little too cutesy with the symbolism, as Krull discovers how much he enjoys acting, impersonating, and being praised for his beauty. Well done, but also (for me) hampered by the impossibility of doing anything new with the first part of life-stories. You'll be surprised to learn that Felix has a family, there is a crisis, he matures and strikes out to start life on his own. There is fun to be had with the threefold perspective of young Felix, narrating Felix, and implied author Mann, but to be honest, if you haven't had your fill of unreliable narrators at this point of history, I don't know what to say.

The second half, on the other hand, is a perfectly done 18th century picaresque, but in the early 20th century--and here the threefold perspective comes into its own, since the combination of modernist narrator and picaresque tale is something I, at least, haven't seen much of before (I don't count the pomo narrators in this category).

There's not much else to say. It's very funny, parts of it remind me of many other novels I have loved (a dash of Proust; a hint of Bassani; Mann's other works, of course). I, unlike my aforementioned friend, am very sad that he never finished it. This could easily have surpassed Buddenbrooks and the Mountain, simply because big serious novels are so rarely hilariously funny.

Also, I read somewhere that Mann modeled the narrative voice after Goethe's memoirs, which he found unbearably pompous. I enjoyed reading it much more once I could assume that the pseudo-aristocratic style really was meant to be mocked.

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

WARNING: This book review contains spoilers.

I would not recommend the book Confessions of Felix Krull by Thomas Mann to anyone. I can honestly say it was one of the worst books I have ever read.

The book is basically about a pretty boy who gets everything he wants in life. I did enjoy the book at first, but as the story progressed it became less believable and more annoying. Felix Krull, the main character and narrator, grew up in Germany. As a child, when Felix didn’t want to go to school he would pretend to be sick so his parents wouldn’t make him go. Apparently, he was so good at pretending to be sick that he actually gave himself legitimate symptoms such as a fever. I admit that seemed like it was testing the limits of reality, but I believed it for the sake of the story. Felix’s father owned a wine shop, and Felix was a young adult his father’s business went bankrupt. Felix’s family was evicted from their house, so his father committed suicide. This is where the book peaked for me. Felix was distraught when his father died, but his father’s death did not seem to have much of a long-term effect on Felix. If my father killed himself, I would never be the same. Felix just continued to go about his life and hardly mentioned his father after his death. A more realistic situation would be if the tragic story of his father was his motivation for the rest of his life. I was interested to see where Felix’s life would take him at that point in the story. The book had a lot of potential so far, but Mann let me down.

After the death of Felix’s father, Felix’s life continually and quickly took positive turns. Felix’s godfather Schimmelpreester got Felix a job as an elevator boy at a hotel in Paris, and the manager of the restaurant at the hotel, noticing how amicable Felix was with the guests, gave Felix a job as a waiter. As a waiter, Felix continued to charm the guests with his intelligence and extraordinarily good looks. He even befriended a wealthy guest named Louis Venosta. Venosta’s parents thought that Venosta’s romantic interest in a girl named Zaza was too distracting for him, so they decided to send him on a trip around the world to rid him of this distraction. Venosta asked Felix to take the trip for him using his identity so that Venosta could stay in France with Zaza, and Felix agreed.

Now Felix was assuming the identity of a man traveling the world who had more money than he could possibly spend. The first stop on the trip was Portugal. Felix meets and falls in love with a young woman about his age named Zouzou. (Apparently Mann was horrible at coming up with original names.) Zouzou did not want to engage Felix romantically, claiming that all men had a warped perception of what love really was. I was very pleased at this point because Felix finally wasn’t getting everything he wanted. Unfortunately for me, the book ends with Zouzou giving in and kissing Felix. Of course. The whole book is about how Felix EASILY went from being broke when his father died to living luxuriously in Portugal as Louis Venosta.

Other than the atrocious plot, I was not satisfied with Confessions of Felix Krull because it was very wordy. At times, there would be many pages where there was no dialogue. In these wide gaps, Felix would use pretentious vocabulary to describe events in his life that had little connection to the plot. I often found myself wondering what I was reading and why I was reading it.

Please do not read this book. It may make you angry.

[Thom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon reading Felix Krull I have determined that I do not know as much about nothing as I thought I did. Clearly Thomas Mann has much more of a grasp on it than me. After reading the last lines of this novel I was left with the distinct feeling of just having lost something valuable, but not knowing quite what. I think that my lost feeling might be attributed to the fact that the writing of Thomas Mann is confounding, and at least in the case of Felix Krull is dumbfounding. I think that the book is a comment on the arbitrary nature of our identity’s superficial reliance upon language, or more accurately perhaps that our identity IS language. While not immediately convincing I must admit that the novel has stuck in me a new feeling of inadequacy, or perhaps just reaffirmed my previously held suspicion that I am nothing more than what I say I am.

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently reread Confessions of Felix Krull, Confidence Man (The Early Years), Thomas Mann's last novel and a comic masterpiece. Felix Krull's confessions are filled with humorous episodes worthy of the Mann's story-telling mastery. Mann based the novel on an expanded version of a story he had written in 1911 and he managed to finish, and publish part one of the Confessions of Felix Krull, but due to his death in 1955 the saga of the morally flexible and irresistible conman, Felix, remained unfinished. In spite of that it is still one of the best novels I have read dealing with the question of identity. It is that and much more.

Early in the story Felix learns to deal with circumstances by changing his character as needed and he continues to shift identities becoming whomever he needs to be in all the ensuing predicaments that he encounters. The expression of a latent admiration for a human being who can metamorphose himself into multiple identities reminds me of The Confidence Man by Herman Melville. That earlier novel is in a way a precursor to the modernity of Mann's unfinished opus. Felix Krull seems to view the world like a chessboard on which he can take pleasure in manipulating the pieces at will and cultivate his ambition and his knowledge of the ways of the world by spending whole days peering into shop windows.

There are three moments in the Confessions that exemplify the merging of identity and destiny of young Felix Krull. Early in the story Felix encounters an actor, Muller -Rose, whose extravagant operetta performance makes an indelible impression on him. The contrast between his stage character and his backstage repulsive self is a vision that impresses the young boy. The second moment occurs in Paris when Felix attends the circus. The performance of the acrobats and the high wire equilibrist Andromache were mesmerizing to Felix. "Andromache! Her vision, painful and uplifting at once, lingered in my mind long after her act was over and others had replaced it." (p 194)
The third moment occurs after Felix has settled into his identity as Venosta and is established in Lisbon. There is a bullfight which combines the flamboyance of the toreador costumes with the ravishing sensation of the duel to the death with the bull. Felix describes his impressions:
"the atmosphere that lay over all, at once oppressive and solemnly joyous, a unique mingling of jest, blood, and dedication, primitive holiday-making combined with the profound ceremonial of death." (p 375)
Each of these moments capture the sensation of Eros and Thanatos, pleasure and death, and form a counterpart to the often light-hearted way that Felix led his life as a confidence man.

He fools Venosta's parents with a lengthy letter that mimics the style of the man whose identity he has assumed and goes on to impress his contacts in Lisbon. Yet, he maintains a calm demeanor throughout his escapades filled with confidence in his ability. The reader eventually succumbs to his charm in spite of an episodic life in different identities that was full of nervous suspense. It seems that Mann still had more story-telling magic left at the end of his life after World War II and decades after his great beginnings with Buddenbrooks and Death in Venice. The only regret is that Mann was unable to finish the novel; yet, the "early years" of Felix Krull still amounts to a small masterpiece.

[Joseph Sciuto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas Mann's "Confessions of Felix Krull, Confidence Man" is an extremely witty, funny, and entertaining novel. In the three main characteristics that I use to judge a novel, story/plot, writing, and characters, it exceeds profusely. The story is as imaginative as one could hope for and it's as funny as any book I have read. It's Woody Allen to the extreme, times 10. The writing is sublime, descriptive, and inspiring. The translation by Denver Lindley is nothing short of superb. The characters are unforgettable, right down to the smallest and inconsequential characters. And the character of "Felix Krull" is so remarkable and memorable that he already ranks as one of favorite literary characters of all time. Felix, blessed with alarming good looks, and a wish to be seen as an aristocrat leads the reader through a series of insane seductions and situations that are both hilarious and unforgettable. This is truly a marvelous piece of literature, absolutely brilliant.

[George Ilsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the project Thomas Mann was working on at the time of his death. Intended as Part 1 (The Early Years), but subsequent volumes exist only in the Ether.

Mann does hint at further developments. Here he mentions the bullfighter Ribeiro, an "extremely handsome" slender youth who had already attracted the narrator's attention: Later, under another name, and as part of a double image, he was to reappear in my life. But of that in its proper place.

Double images are a recurring theme in this book; there are many examples, and the list may ultimately conclude with Thomas Mann himself and his fluidly adaptable creation Felix Krull. The character of Felix Krull, introduced to readers decades earlier in a short story of the same name, is revisited in this novel and his life expanded to incredible dimensions. A "confidence man" in modern parlance implies a sort of fraudster or grifter; but here the universally-attractive Felix Krull is not ripping people off—he is merely allowing their fantasies to project onto his youthful and appealing person. However there is a layer of deception, too, or misrepresentation, in that Krull is never who he appears to be. But whose fault is that? Just as clothes make the man, Felix tells us, sometimes the man makes the clothes.

The reader of course will see Thomas Mann throughout the plot. A man dresses up and become respectable, accepted into society. Social mobility is a charade; so is respectability. The facade is crucial, but one must also absolutely believe in it: that is the true nature of confidence.

The text is reminiscent of Dostoevsky in places: verbose, tedious, profound, and overwhelming. The narrative lags towards the end, and was a challenge to complete. One has to wonder just where Mann intended to go next: what further adventures with this intriguing young attractive confidence man, armed with his letter of credit and borrowed title.

As a matter of form, it is astonishing to see the pages of the 1921 short story, almost word for word, incorporated into the start of this novel written some 30 years later. That itself is a feat of confidence.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew the man who wrote Magic Mountain and Death in Venice might actually have a sense of humor? I orginally read this in college while doing a course on Hesse and Mann. After many grueling hours pushing complex sentence structures up Magic Mountain, this came as quite a shock. It was as if it were written by a completely different Mann. This is probably the funniest book I've ever read out of Germany. I particularly liked watching Felix worm his way out of the German draft and trying to pass himself off as an accomplished tennis player. I don't think it will wind up on anyone's top 10 list, but it's certainly worth a read.

[grimaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dudaba con qué novela empezar a leer a Thomas Mann. Decidí dejar para mas adelante pesos pesados como "La montaña Mágica" o "Los Buddenbrook", descarté "La muerte en Venecia" porque no me gustó la película (salvo la grandiosa escena final). Al final fue esta novela elegida porque me atrajo la sinopsis y el título. Y bien, estoy contento. La lectura no presenta dificultad pero no es novela para los que busquen una trama que enganche o que vaya al grano. La acción es lenta, demorada, se recrea en detalles y perlas filosóficas. Pueden pasar varias páginas con la narración del entusiasmo que Félix siente ante la habilidad de una trapecista de circo, o con una extensa conversación científica sobre evolución y paleontología, o con un maravilloso discurso de Krull en defensa del amor físico. Estas disgresiones son lo mejor del libro con diferencia.
Félix Krull es un buen personaje aunque no tanto como esperaba, mejora mucho cuando se relaciona con otros personajes. Es un joven atractivo, algo vanidoso y narcisista, que gracias a su inteligencia y a algo de suerte irá mejorando su vida. No me parece que sea un estafador como proclama el título español, no es alguien que te engaña para quedarse con tu dinero, es mas un impostor, alguien que te engaña porque no es quien aparenta ser.
Lo que decía la listilla de la sinopsis es que la novela está inacabada, no tiene final, simplemente deja de haber páginas que leer. Esto me ha fastidiado bastante, ha sido un coitus interruptus en toda regla.

[Huongta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phải nói tay lừa đảo Krull quá giỏi, hơi tiếc vì chỉ được thấy sự tài năng này nhưng vẫn còn ít những chiêu trò. Cờ đến tay ai thì người đó phất, Krull là một người có năng lực, có tự trọng, biết cách sống và hưởng thụ. Tiếc vì câu chuyện mãi mãi không có cái kết..

[Bojan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Književni istoričari tvrde kako je ova knjiga bila najdraže delo samom piscu. Tema ga je opsedala tokom čitavog života, od samih književnih početaka, vraćao joj se, nije odustajao, ali je delo ipak ostalo nedovršeno. Štaviše, iako (u zavisnosti od izdanja) ima prako 300 strana, čini se da ga je tek započeo. Nije nedovršena samo knjiga, već i misao. Ispovest varalice Feliksa Krula može biti i dokaz teze o postojanju prokletstva piščeve najdraže knijge. Tako je i Iskušenje svetog Antonija nastajalo skoro tri decenije, a Gistav Flober je za tu knjigu tvrdio kako je to „delo mog života“, a opet se čini kao da je ta opsesija ostala neizrečena, nezaokružena, nedovoljno jasna. Možda je tajna izuzetnih dela u stalnom odustajanju od ideje i njenom preosmišljavanju.
Ovo nije tipično Manovo delo. Feliks Krul nije ni Hans Kastorp, ni Adrijan Leverkin, ni Tonio Kreger. Pre svega zato što je daleko od umetnosti i filozofije (iako, kako priča odmiče, on postaje filozofičniji, njegove misli se kreću od želje za konkretnim udobnostima ka želji za ovladavanjem apstraktnim pojmovima i naučnom saznanju), pa je i daleko od Manove večite dileme: građanin ili umetnik. Da, umetnost je prisutna u njegovom životu, ali on nije umetnik, već model kojim je umetnost fascinirana. On ne stvara. On živi kradući identitet, pretvarajući se da je neko drugi. Od malih nogu vešto vara, vara majku kada izmišlja bolest da ne bi išao u školu, vara vojsku kada simulira napad epilepsije, vara svoje Lisabonske domaćine...
On nije pisac, niti je klasično obrazovan mladić, i govori iz prvog lica, pa njegova naracija nije prefinjena, nije ni kompleksna, gotovo je naizazovna i zato može da zbuni čitaoca naviklog na Manove virtuozne intelektualizme. Ne manjka tu ni, skoro pa jeftine, pornografije (scena u hotelskoj sobi sa gospođom koju je prethodno pokrao u vozu), ni neizbežnog manovskog homoerotizma, ni naznaka bildunsromana.
Čitajući ovo delo ne možemo a da se ne setimo Pirandelovog Pokojnog Matije Paskala, objavljenog još 1904. koji na gotovo identičan način pronalazi način da živi. Samo Matija menja identitet jer beži od nečega, a Feliks juri za nečim. U svakom slučaju, ako neko želi da živi, ali da zaista, u punom smislu reči živi, taj se mora odreći iluzije posedovanja jednog kontinuiranog identiteta, i mora se prepustiti mogućnostima koje donosi stalna i nužna promena, makar to bila i laž, jer, u Feliksovom slučaju, ta laž donosi realne posledice.

[Jeff Russo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know Mann is very much a respected guy, I think I've chosen the wrong book of his to read first.

It's amazing how little actually happens in this book, I was expecting about a thousand instances of globetrotting con-artistry, but, what can I say, not a whole lot happens.

I am afraid it sticks out like a sore thumb that this work was interrupted in progress and was slated to be the first in a series of books.

Some long, useless digressions - Mann went into an absurd amount of detail on Krull's thoughts on the history of life on earth and evolution, and late in the book is a description of a day of bullfighting so detailed that it would have made Hemingway blush.

[Φιλιπ · Rating 3 out of 5]

κριμα για τον Τομας Μαν που δεν πρόλαβε να το τελειώσει.. όσο πρόλαβε πάντως ήταν αρκετά καλό

[Marcia Letaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Horst Adler for suggesting this great book, I am no longer afraid of reading Thomas Mann! There may even come a day when I revisit The Magic Mountain, a guilt book from bygone days. Having just finished Confessions of Felix Krull, Confidence Man, my thoughts are still swirling; this book was certainly not what I expected, Felix Krull himself was not what I expected; in fact: It is not a book about a con man! Certainly, Felix is a man who has a talent for moving convincingly between personas, playing different parts with great skill. He sometimes wonders whether he has an identity of his own, and yet as I was reading the book, he always seemed like the same person on the inside. There is much in Felix Krull to contemplate, concepts such as dualism and individuality and questions of just what a human is in the greater scheme of things. I will need to consider these further always attempting to allow them to move my mind in new directions rather than forcing them into old thoughts. It is really a pity that Thomas Mann was unable, on account of death, to complete the full project.

[Bpeterik · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Definitely a different read than Magic Mountain, and bizarrely entertaining considering it's 400 pages of pretentious first person prattle from an insufferable jackass.

[Matti · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ein Hochstapler ist eine Person, die in der Absicht, sich Vorteile zu verschaffen, vorgibt, besser zu sein, als sie ist." so die Definition von Wikipedia.

Ich gebe dieses Zitat wieder, weil ich im Verlauf des dritten Buches meine verinnerlichte Definition des Wortes "Hochstapler" prüfen und anschließend verwerfen musste. Ich hatte eine andere, deutlich negativere Bedeutung im Kopf, eine kriminelle. Verwunderlich ist das nicht, da, wenn öffentlich über Hochstapler die Rede ist, meist jene kriminellen und verworfenen Subjekte, wie etwa eine Anna Sorokin oder ein Frank Abagnale, thematisiert werden.
Folgt man jedoch der Definition des Wikipedia-Artikels, so muss ein Hochstapler nicht zwangsweise zum Kriminellen ausarten.

Diese obige Einleitung ist wichtig, um meine Leseerfahrung näher zu beschreiben. Einen Großteil der Lektüre verbrachte ich damit, mir diesen Widerspruch zwischen dem sympathischen Krull und meiner, negativ-behafteten, Definition des Wortes "Hochstapler" zu erklären; ich konnte schwerlich in Einklang bringen, dass ich Felix gut leiden konnte, auch wenn er manchmal ein wenig mit den Beschreibungen seiner erstaunlich schnellen Auffassungsgabe "hochstapelte".

Meiner Erklärung zum Trotz, muss man Felix Krull allerdings doch in dem kriminellen Kader verorten.
Allerdings entspricht er nicht meiner ursprünglichen Auffassung dieser kriminellen Hochstapler. Die ist für jene vorbehalten, die Menschen rücksichtslos nach Strich und Faden ausnehmen, was Felix ja niemals tat. Seine Vergehen bleiben im Vergleich eher harmlos: er bestiehlt eine reiche adlige Dame um eine, für sie lächerlich geringe Summe, bestiehlt diese später erneut, allein durch ihre Veranlassung, nachdem er ihr den ersten Raub gestanden hatte, weshalb man das zweitere vermutlich nicht mal als Verbrechen betrachten könne. Und ansonsten? Er fälscht eine Unterschrift, aber auch mit dem Segen des eigenen Urhebers; er gibt sich als Adelsmann, als Marquis, aus, was zu jener Zeit, in der die Handlung der Bekenntnisse stattfindet, gewiss ein großes Vergehen war, uns heutzutage aber wenig tangieren sollte, da er dieses Vorgehen nicht zur Geldscheffelei missbraucht.

Nun habe ich also den Begriff dieses Wortes überwunden und kann mit freierem Blick auf das Werk blicken.

Was mich schon, spätestens seit der Musterung beindruckte, war Krull's spielend-leichte Art, seinen Willen in einer hierarchisch-festgezurrten Welt durchzusetzen, ohne Zuwendung von Gewalt; es bedurfte nur etwas Charisma, Lebensfreude und ein schönes, ansprechendes Exterieur.

So avancierte er binnen kurzer Zeit vom Ausgemusterten zum Marquis (wenn auch nur leihweise). Und das schafft er gewiss mit Vitamin B, mit Beziehungen, welche aber immer oberflächlich bleiben; er lässt niemanden allzu sehr an sich ran. Er ist nur von sich selbst überzeugt. Gewiss möchte man ihn deswegen vielleicht gern einen selbstverliebten, arroganten Narzissten schimpfen, aber das wäre mir doch zu vorschnell. In einem sehr späten Gespräch mit Zouzou, in dem er diese von ihrer negativen Definition von Liebe zu kurieren beabsichtigte, beschreibt er die körperliche Distanz zu anderen als eine für den Menschen natürliche Sache, welche nur von der Liebe überwunden werden könne. Ich komme nicht umhin, das nicht auch auf sein distanziertes Verhalten auszuweiten. Es scheint mir, seine gefühlte Überlegenheit ist ihm nur natürlich und nicht mit Spott anderer verbunden. Darin ist dann auch einer der Gründe für seine Hochstapler-Karriere zu finden.

"Genuss ist ein leidender Zustand, in welchem niemand sich genügt, der sich zum Tätigen, zum Selber-Ausüben geboren fühlt."

– so seine Bemerkung dazu, dass er sich einer anregenden Zirkus-Performance nicht stumpf ergeben konnte, wie sein Kollege, Stanko. Hier erkenne ich eines seiner Motive, die Karriere als Hochstapler einzuschlagen: er fühlt sich zu hohem Stande und hoher Lebensqualität geboren und berechtigt. Diesen Eindruck kann er ja nur haben, als Sprössling eines lange lukrativen Schaumwein-Unternehmens, dass ihm eine schöne, wohlsituierte Kindheit und Jugend ermöglichte, die dann aber mit dem Erwachsenwerden Felix' sein jähes Ende fand. Plötzlich mittellos, vaterlos, war er die gesellschaftlichen Stufen hinabgekullert und nur dank seines Paten, Schimmelpreester, mit einer Perspektive versehen. Anhand des Beispiels seiner Mutter, die sich in harter Arbeit mit einer eigenen kleinen Pension ihren kleinen Lebensunterhalt verdiente, sah er, was er nicht für sich wollte; harte Arbeit war ihm sicherlich nicht zuwider, was er als Liftboy und Kellner später durchaus bewies, aber ein Leben lang, nein, das war seine Sache nicht. Er hielt sich an seines Paten Worte, der gewisse Seitenpfade erwähnte, die eine Hotelkarriere dann und wann mit sich bringe; und tatsächlich, diese Pfade eröffneten sich ihm, aber er war wählerisch, schlug ein paar aus, ehe er durch des Marquis de Venosta schlussendlich zum Hochstapler avancierte. Demnach war dieses Hochstaplertum sein Mittel zum gesellschaftlichen Aufstieg.

Ein anderer Grund ist in seinem Blut zu finden; sein Vater, der große Sektfabrikant und Frankreich-Liebhaber, auch er war ein Hochstapler und zwar durchaus im negativen Sinne; schließlich hatte seine Ware nur ein feines, edles Äußeres, war aber von sehr schlechter Qualität, da billig hergestellt.
Der Vater also, wie der Sohn; nur ist der Sohn klüger, weil er die Leute nicht auszunutzen beabsichtigt und in seinen Lügen immer einen Kern Wahrheit einbaut.

Dieser mein ganzer Text geht schon viel zu lang und sagt doch wenig darüber aus, was ich von ihm halte.

Er hat mich fasziniert. Die Sprache, die Auffassungsgabe von Felix und diese aristokratische, vorkriegszeitliche Atmosphäre, die den ganzen Text durchtränkt. Ich habe wohl ein wenig dazugelernt, im Bezug auf die Kaiserzeit-Epoche und auch Humor gefunden in den gewiss schelmenhaften Darstellungen mancher dieser naiven aristokratischen Figuren.

Wenn es doch kein Fragment geblieben wäre!
Felicitas Hoppe, die Autorin des Nachworts meiner Ausgabe, hätte den Felix Krull lieber als Novelle, statt eines Fragments, gesehen. Auch wenn ich den Fragmentzustand auch bedauere, muss ich doch widersprechen; hatte ich doch mein Vergnügen an den Gedanken des Ich-Erzählers.

[Zek · Rating 4 out of 5]

כמה סימלי, תרגומה האחרון של נילי מירסקי ז"ל לספרו האחרון (והבלתי גמור) של תומס מאן.. למרות שמאן הספיק להשלים כרך אחד מתוך שניים שתכנן לספר זה, הרי שהקריאה בו, הרבה בזכות התרגום המבריק של מירסקי, הסבה לי הנאה רבה. מאחר שהספר לא הושלם אני חושב שארבע כוכבים ישקפו נאמנה את מה שאני חושב לגביו.
הערה: מי שהשפה הארכאית מהווה מכשול עבורו/ה הרי שרק אעיר כי זו אינה בעייתה של המתרגמת חלילה אלא ברצון של תומס מאן עצמו לכתוב בלשון מליצית וארכאית בשפת המקור תוך כדי רפרור לגתה שתבע את המשפט "כל מה שפרסמתי אינם אלא קטעים של וידוי גדול."

[Florin · Rating 4 out of 5]

schon witzig