Read Online Out of the Line of Fire by Mark Henshaw - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mark Henshaw
Tags: Classic fiction
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Mutter des Künstlers?’ [What was the real nature of Rilke’s relationship with the artist’s mother?].
It is also curious to note that the anonymous donations upon which Rilke was forced to live from time to time came, in fact, from Ludwig Wittgenstein.
At the bottom of Hauptstrasse is Bismarckplatz, Heidelberg’s busiest tram and bus terminus. On one side of Bismarckplatz is Bismarckgarten and on the other side, Hortens, a large department store. Outside Hortens under the plane tree near Sophienstrasse is a lotto-ticket stand. Beside this is a large three-sided billboard. Pedestrians walking down Hauptstrasse wishing to cross Sophienstrasse at the traffic lights are confronted with one facet of this billboard as they step back onto the kerb. It advertises the movies that are on show in the nearby porno theatre. Its displays change regularly but it usually shows some variation on the same theme—a naked woman sits looking (seductively?) back at the viewer. She is half reclined, her legs are spread. One finger is suggestively placed in her mouth. By law her pubes, but not her breasts, are required to be obscured.
When Wolfi asked me if I wanted to see a porno movie with him, I assumed he had some other purpose in mind.
What for? I asked.
I’ve never seen one.
You mean to say you’ve been to a prostitute but you’ve never seen a porno movie?
Yes. But as I’ve already told you, with Andrea it was different.
Scham (f), no pl. 1) Shame
er wurde rot vor— , he went red with shame
die—stieg ihm ins Gesicht (old), he blushed with shame
Schambein
pubic bone
bone of shame
Schamhügel
pubic arch
hill of shame
Schamhaar
pubic hair
hair of shame
Schamlippen
labia
lips of shame
Schamgegend
pubic region
region of shame
Schamteile
genitals
parts of shame
Metaphor has been described as the yoking together of two fundamentally different experiences. If this is so, what sort of etymological commentary is this on the German people? How much does a language’s metaphoric resonance shape the consciousness of a nation? Wie deutsch ist es, eigentlich? [How German is it, really?]. It is no wonder that Freud was a native German speaker. [Es ist kein Wunder.]
‘Sex is such a weird business.’ Wolfi’s only comment after we left the theatre.
12
Elena sent me the most wonderful poster today [ein wunderschönes Plakat] and a photo of her and Anya. You must come down and have a look at them some time.
The poster, in black and white, is an advertisement for Herzen’s new ballet
Die Marquise von O
, based on Heinrich von Kleist’s powerful story of the same name. It is to be performed by the Vienna Dance Company and will be Elena’s first lead role. The poster shows her as Giulietta in a scene from the first act. She is lying in a swoon in the foreground of a dark, atmospherically lit stage. The lighting emphasizes the deep flowing folds in her gown. Her face is upturned and one hand lies across her breast. Lying there she has the same air of absolute serenity about her that many of Raphael’s portraits of the Madonna have.
In the background, to the far left of the stage, a single small floodlight reveals the face and shoulders of a young Russian officer standing in a doorway. He is looking back over his shoulder towards the figure of Giulietta lying on the floor.
The photograph of Elena and Anya is in complete contrast. It has been taken with a Polaroid camera and shows Elena in jeans and a white T-shirt waving back at the camera. On her hip, supported by Elena’s other arm, is Anya. She must be about two years old and she too is waving excitedly back at the camera. Unlike Wolfi she is fair haired but she has the same piercing blue eyes. Scrawled along the bottom of the photograph is: ‘Viele Grüsse von Deinen zwei Lieblingen’ [A big hello from your two little darlings].
On November 20, 1811 Henriette Vogel, Kleist’s lover, wrote on the bottom of one of his letters to their friend Sophie Müller:
Lebt wohl
It is also curious to note that the anonymous donations upon which Rilke was forced to live from time to time came, in fact, from Ludwig Wittgenstein.
At the bottom of Hauptstrasse is Bismarckplatz, Heidelberg’s busiest tram and bus terminus. On one side of Bismarckplatz is Bismarckgarten and on the other side, Hortens, a large department store. Outside Hortens under the plane tree near Sophienstrasse is a lotto-ticket stand. Beside this is a large three-sided billboard. Pedestrians walking down Hauptstrasse wishing to cross Sophienstrasse at the traffic lights are confronted with one facet of this billboard as they step back onto the kerb. It advertises the movies that are on show in the nearby porno theatre. Its displays change regularly but it usually shows some variation on the same theme—a naked woman sits looking (seductively?) back at the viewer. She is half reclined, her legs are spread. One finger is suggestively placed in her mouth. By law her pubes, but not her breasts, are required to be obscured.
When Wolfi asked me if I wanted to see a porno movie with him, I assumed he had some other purpose in mind.
What for? I asked.
I’ve never seen one.
You mean to say you’ve been to a prostitute but you’ve never seen a porno movie?
Yes. But as I’ve already told you, with Andrea it was different.
Scham (f), no pl. 1) Shame
er wurde rot vor— , he went red with shame
die—stieg ihm ins Gesicht (old), he blushed with shame
Schambein
pubic bone
bone of shame
Schamhügel
pubic arch
hill of shame
Schamhaar
pubic hair
hair of shame
Schamlippen
labia
lips of shame
Schamgegend
pubic region
region of shame
Schamteile
genitals
parts of shame
Metaphor has been described as the yoking together of two fundamentally different experiences. If this is so, what sort of etymological commentary is this on the German people? How much does a language’s metaphoric resonance shape the consciousness of a nation? Wie deutsch ist es, eigentlich? [How German is it, really?]. It is no wonder that Freud was a native German speaker. [Es ist kein Wunder.]
‘Sex is such a weird business.’ Wolfi’s only comment after we left the theatre.
12
Elena sent me the most wonderful poster today [ein wunderschönes Plakat] and a photo of her and Anya. You must come down and have a look at them some time.
The poster, in black and white, is an advertisement for Herzen’s new ballet
Die Marquise von O
, based on Heinrich von Kleist’s powerful story of the same name. It is to be performed by the Vienna Dance Company and will be Elena’s first lead role. The poster shows her as Giulietta in a scene from the first act. She is lying in a swoon in the foreground of a dark, atmospherically lit stage. The lighting emphasizes the deep flowing folds in her gown. Her face is upturned and one hand lies across her breast. Lying there she has the same air of absolute serenity about her that many of Raphael’s portraits of the Madonna have.
In the background, to the far left of the stage, a single small floodlight reveals the face and shoulders of a young Russian officer standing in a doorway. He is looking back over his shoulder towards the figure of Giulietta lying on the floor.
The photograph of Elena and Anya is in complete contrast. It has been taken with a Polaroid camera and shows Elena in jeans and a white T-shirt waving back at the camera. On her hip, supported by Elena’s other arm, is Anya. She must be about two years old and she too is waving excitedly back at the camera. Unlike Wolfi she is fair haired but she has the same piercing blue eyes. Scrawled along the bottom of the photograph is: ‘Viele Grüsse von Deinen zwei Lieblingen’ [A big hello from your two little darlings].
On November 20, 1811 Henriette Vogel, Kleist’s lover, wrote on the bottom of one of his letters to their friend Sophie Müller:
Lebt wohl
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