Goetz, Meyer, Schroeder: A fragmentary tale from the German literary scene (Part 2)

 What Schroeder does is he does not apply for Leipzig or Hildesheim. Anyway, isn't he a bit too old for that? He has a PhD in German studies, he has left university around the time when the so-called "Bologna Reform", a European standardization and stricter regulation of studying, had just been introduced, which means that he didn't hurry too much, he is, as I said, not in his mid-twenties, he is around thirty.

He writes because he feels the need to write. He writes out of an inner necessity, but he knows that this is not sufficient to produce a literary work of some quality, all the sensitivities, on which style and structure depend, are not obtained in a few weeks or months, it takes longer, even when you're talented.

Schroeder teaches himself creative writing. He does it without any handbook, just by relying on the novels and stories he likes. He likes the way in which Fauser's writing developed, how Fauser was able to utilize his experimental/psychedelic style of the 1970s in the dense forms of his later work. Schroeder reads Bukowski, he reads Limonov. He writes a first novel that he will later reject because it is too experimental. It is more structured and readable than Goetz's Suhrkamp debut, but once Schroeder has completed a second novel (which is the third part of a trilogy), in which he was able to realise his idea of form, he rejects the first novel, and the second one becomes officially the first.

It has taken Schroeder about two years of concentrated work to learn to write the way he wants. He thinks that now, at the end of the year 2005, he should try to find a publisher, to see his novel take the place it deserves among the writing of his generation.

He writes to all major publishing houses except Kiepenheuer und Witsch, the main representants of the "popliteratur" swindle. He also writes to smaller publishers. He has patience. He gets a lot of rejections. Of the major publishers, only Suhrkamp show some interest, but they seem to be very unsure about the novel fitting in their profile and finally, they reject it, too.

But then Schroeder receives an answer from a small publishing house in Husum called Lindenblock. They publish mainly poetry, of which some shows a clear infleunce by beat literature and similar realistic and experimental styles. Schroeder thinks that most of it is anachronistic crap, but, admittedly, there are also a few gems. Head of Lindenblock is a guy called Horst Gilbner, a so-called "Alt-68er" (in reality, more 78er) that has dedicated himself to the preservation of the old spirit (as he interprets it).

The letter says something like "Surprising freshness... A few parts even reminiscent of the novel Burroughs didn't write between Junkie and the Cut-up trilogy... Connection with our profile... Would suggest a meeting."

Schroeder can't believe it. He reads the letter again and again. He pours himself a triple Moskovskaya to digest this unexpected success. (He is not an alcoholic though he has a history of boozing and drug-taking.) He calls Gilbner. He is so nervous that he starts caughing even before he can utter the first words. Gilbner suggests they meet half-way in Hannover next Saturday (Schroeder lives in Kassel). Gebongt confirms Schroeder.


3.


Schroeder steps out of the Intercity at Hannover Hbf, walks a while with the crowd and, when most of it has disappeared down the stairs, searches for Gilbner on the platform. It must be that guy with long white hair and sunglasses (it is June, 2006), thinks Schroeder. He approaches the late hippie and just says:

Hallo, du musst Gilbner sein.

Richtig geraten says the publisher. Moin, du alter Hesse.

Ich bin eigentlich Badener says Schroeder.

Ach so, deshalb das dunklere Erscheinungsbild.

Mein Vater war Halbitaliener.

They are walking towards the stairs while arguing about which town, Kassel or Hannover, has a worse image of being dull and uninteresting.


TO BE CONTINUED





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