Fontanes Wanderung ins Nichts

Wolf D. Hartmann, Fontanes Wanderung ins Nichts: Ein humoristischer Reiseführer mit chinesischem Flirt, with illustrations by Gertrud Zucker, Cottbus, Regia 2018, EUR 10.00

Literally meaning “Fontane’s Walk to Nothingness”, this witty contribution to the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of the nineteenth century German novelist Theodor Fontane in 2019 is concerned with Fontane’s 1881 visit to the village of Bad Sarrow (near Berlin), of which Fontane’s coach driver said there was nothing there – and Fontane, having had a look, agreed! Things in Bad Sarrow have changed a bit since then – it has become a sought-after resort town for Berliners wanting a break from city life. Wolf Hartmann, a Fontane specialist who lives in Bad Sarrow, has turned the narrative into a parody, poking fun at so many of the present-day German government’s policies, ranging from immigration to the environment, but particularly taking aim at Germany’s relations with China. In this satire of German politics, Angela Merkel proposes a posthumous knighthood for Fontane which involves changing his name to von Tane, a proposal that arouses international condemnation from as far away as New Zealand, and her indecision over a proposal from China to fund a giant statue of Fontane leads to a visit from a Chinese official to assess the potential of Fontane tourism. For his portrayal of the Chinese official Hartmann has transformed the unnervingly menacing Chinese from Fontane’s best known novel Effi Briest into a wickedly beguiling Chinese seductress. The result is a highly amusing series of adventures and misadventures as the “scout” from Bad Sarrow explores with her the areas associated with Fontane. Her resulting proposal for a 2019 Fontane marathon attracts 200,000 entrants from China, plunging the whole district into chaos as residents try to plan for the massive influx. Fontane fans of all backgrounds and political persuasions will enjoy this book.