Carl von Ossietzky, important publicist of the Weimar Republic and namesake of the university, died 80 years ago. In a reading on the eve of the anniversary of his death, the library brought his thoughts on current affairs back to life.
Carl von Ossietzky let his colleague Kurt Tucholsky know in a letter on 8 May 1932 that he had written himself out. Now he wanted to express his conviction above all through action - or more precisely, an action: Instead of fleeing, he had consciously decided to begin his imprisonment as a convicted traitor to the country. Because as an imprisoned political journalist, he was the most uncomfortable for the authorities. What worries him, however, is the impending smoking ban.
Sitting at a table on the slightly raised stage, lit only by a small lamp, actor Thomas Birklein continues to recite the correspondence between "Os" and "T", bringing the two great publicists of the 1920s to life. "This people is not lost - a sketch of the Weimar Republic in Ossietzky's texts" is the title of the reading, which brought together around 70 listeners in the university library hall on the eve of the 80th anniversary of his death.
The idea for the event came from librarian Alexandra Otten, who also curates the university's permanent Ossietzky exhibition: "We wanted to offer something special to mark the anniversary of his death. The idea came up to let Ossietzky speak through his texts." She devised the event together with her colleague Dr Oliver Schoenbeck, who also hosted the evening.
A sketch of the Weimar Republic
With their selection of 18 texts from the years 1918 to 1932, Otten and Schoenbeck created a sketch of the Weimar Republic - that turbulent era of German history in which Ossietzky, among other things as editor of the weekly magazine "Die Weltbühne", repeatedly put his finger in the wound: "The Republic is walking a fine line", wrote the pacifist as early as 1922, calling for a definitive renunciation of militarism and an explicit commitment to the new spirit of democracy. His critical stance towards the revolution of 1918, which only appeared to be complete, is also clear in his 1919 text "Der Anmarsch der neuen Reformation" (The Approach of the New Reformation). "The task of the state is to teach people how to think and not to dictate the direction of thought," reads Thomas Birklein - and the audience acknowledges this statement with a nod of approval. It is remarkable that Ossietzky, as a child of the imperial era, already had such a clear and unalterable idea of democracy. It is even more remarkable that his words have lost none of their power 100 years later.
But for all the thoughtfulness that Ossietzky's words trigger, humour should not be missing. In 1922, the article "Teutomania" appeared in the Berliner Volks-Zeitung, in which the journalist asked his readers whether they had ever seen a monkey sitting on a branch scratching itself extensively - in true monkey fashion. It is the beginning of an amusing settlement with the "Germanic ideal", according to which the Germanic people, the supposed crowning glory of evolution, are descended from apes - but is that why they climb trees? Thomas Birklein clearly enjoys performing this nuanced text - he always manages to create the right atmosphere in the room for the text. Pianist Christian Nau also brings the Weimar Republic back to life musically through the pieces of music he selects. An evening to remember.
