Knulp

Knulp. Three stories from the life Knulps is a story by Hermann Hesse, published in 1915 by S. Fischer Verlag.

Content

Early Spring

It is mid- February and horrible weather. Knulp, discharged from the hospital, slips under in Lächstetten at the White Gerber Emil Rothfuss. The journeyman bed is free. With the Gerber Knulp has been on the rolling years ago. Another old Tippelbruder, who also settled in Lächstetten become, large master tailor Schlotterbeck envied Knulp because it lives so carefree into the day. Knulp admits the hook, he had a two year old son who had been adopted after the death of the mother of the people, and he could see more than on occasion from a distance.

About the morrow he would have absolutely free. Once he's rested, he sneaks out of the house and tries to talk to craftsmen. Although he himself is not one, he can convincingly impersonate a journeyman of the respective industry. Prior to the importunities of the hungry live Gerber woman he takes to his heels. Dear he turns to Bärbele, a young girl from the village eight Hausen in the Black Forest. Bärbele only been a week working in Lächstetten. Your confidence will win Knulp by a skill - the art pipes. The couple would like to spend with Rothfuß Knulp the evening. The tramp lying to the Gerber. He had to meet a friend. Meanwhile, he goes with Bärbele by a little mild evening on the dance floor. Knulp and Bärbele dance together. He brings them afterwards almost to her door. Everyone gives everyone a kiss goodbye. Bärbele got with that night - Knulp is a have-not. From her small purse she gives him a coin. Knulp feel the spring and must wander. In the intact memory of the tramp, already trained children to times on the Latin school, the topology of the landscape is stored etc. reliably Lächstetten with all accommodation.

My memory of Knulp

The narrator is with Knulp in hot summer on the roll. In a farming village Knulp amused a couple of young girls with his jokes and arts. The narrator holds back. The two Wanderburschen exceed the cemetery wall. Knulp cancels a cemetery flower and puts it on the hat. In the grass Knulp says. The beauty is always transitory. Before they sleep outdoors, are Knulp one of his dreams for the best. It deals with his sense of guilt. He left his parents and his childhood sweetheart. Unfortunately, he can not do anything about it. One cause of his emotion is so not suspected Knulp, parents can inherit everything, but the soul. Everyone has their own.

Full of Beans Knulp welcomes the new day by sings of the sun. The two guys are walking the whole fun of summer. When the evening comes sultriness, the narrator always cheerful and Knulp is always silent. The next morning, the narrator wakes up late and Knulp is gone. As the narrator affects those loneliness, of the Knulp talked all the time. Everyone is alone with himself.

The end

In October, on the march to his birthplace Gerbersau, Knulp is approached by a former bank neighbors from the Latin School. This country doctor Dr. Machold recognizes Knulp is a lung disease and does not belong on the road. Dr. Machold has the time written off by Knulp. Now he wants to return the favor. So he takes Knulp home and put him to bed, because Knulps disease is at an advanced stage. Dr. Machold want to get a place in hospital Oberstetten Knulp. Knulp wants in his birthplace. Dr. Machold contrives that. Before the carriage ride Gerbersau Dr. Machold want to know why the talented Knulp has messed up his life. This can Knulp tell him. He loved, almost 13 years old, Franziska, who is two years older. Franziska did not like studying. Knulp wanted to be her sweetheart and left the Latin School. Franziska took another. From then on it went with Knulp down. He had always been alone. This is again one of the Knulpschen lies. He has had women: Lisabeth, in Knulps memory with the common boy in her arms, the woman he has so very happy and even more disappointed.

The carriage ride to the hospital Gerber Auer starts. Knulp can indeed be chauffeured in his birthplace, but remains far from the hospital. Instead, he seeks the places of his childhood on - recognizes some still existing again, mourned irretrievably Disappearance. It drives the rovers on the road. For days he circled on foot Gerbersau. As winter breaks with blowing snow, it goes on the road with Knulp to an end. He spits blood and regrets in a dialogue with God, that he has become been so bad and there is no ordinary guy. God takes him: Indeed Knulp would have been angry, but he had Lisabeth did some good things. Knulp have made ​​people happy along the way.

Credentials

• Stefan Zweig: "(...) the Knulp, this lonely Spätling a romantic world, seems to me a small piece of imperishable Germany, a Spitzweg image and at the same time full of pure music as a folk song. "
• Hermann Hesse, 1935 in a letter to a reader: " I think it is in contrast to some Modeprogrammmen not the task of the poet, his readers establish standards for life and humanity and to be omniscient and authoritative. The poet represents what attracts him, and figures like Knulp are very attractive to me. They are not " useful ", but they do very little damage, much less than many useful, and to judge them, is not my thing. Rather, I believe that if talented and inspired people like Knulp find no place in their environment, so the environment is just as complicit as Knulp itself ".
• After Ziolkowski "absolute freedom is always associated with a feeling of guilt " is Knulps '. Knulp wanted to bring "a little homesick for freedom " in the daily lives of " normal " duty faith. But Knulp had last seen resigning, but he had achieved " nothing really of value " for the " common man ".

Book editions

• Knulp. Three stories from the life Knulps. Fischer, Berlin 1915 ( Fischer's library of contemporary novels, 6th series, volume 10 ).
• Knulp. Three story from the life Knulps. With drawings by Niklaus Stoecklin. Fretz & Wasmuth, Zurich 1944.
• Knulp. Three stories from the life Knulps. With 16 lithographs by Karl Walser. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 1963; 23 A. ibid., ISBN 3-518-01075-1 ( Bibliothek Suhrkamp, Volume 75 ).
• Knulp. Three stories from the life Knulps. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 1988, ISBN 3-518-38071-0 (st 1571).