Thirteen Uncanny Stories by Hans Henny Jahnn

Author:Hans Henny Jahnn [Jahnn, Hans Henny]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 9780820401133
Amazon: 0820401137
Publisher: Peter Lang
Published: 1984-12-30T13:00:00+00:00

9

THE MARMALADE EATERS

(Written in 1928)

from Perrudja

In the novel this story is a chapter by itself whose purpose is clear only as the novel ends: it foreshadows Perrudja’s mission. In 1928 Jahnn still believed in the possibility of a better world through human efforts.

The theme of twinship is treated in its variation of an altruistic young men’s society whose purpose is sacrifice for the improvement of mankind. It supersedes communism.

Ishtar appears twice, in Frau Inge and Sigrid Borg. But Frau Inge is also Isis; brother-sister love is given the variation of love of an older woman for her son and a younger man.

Frau Inge Tidemand was puttering in her kitchen.

The preparation of the white, white starpointsnow.

A delicate process.

A hot fire was burning in the stove. Fire from black coal. Black coal. White snow. Black hot. White cold.

The husband was captain on the green ocean.

Cold white black hot.

But the glow of the fire is red.

That is: the top of the stove radiated lovely in a red glow.

If this lazybones Harald were not in bed still, he would spit his saliva onto the lovely red radiating top of the stove. From his mouth through his teeth, across the lips. Ah, such narrow young lips.

And it would: tsish. Round bead white, sticky, rolls over lovely red radiating top of the stove. Until vapors, soft-white, invisible, rise. For further use into heaven. From the saliva portion would be formed one two three snowstarpoints. From the red mouth the snow. She placed the pots over the lovely red black-coalhot top of the stove. The remains of the saliva that slowly dries up.

Only every two years this man of the house, the captain, came across the ocean to her. To Frau Inge Tidemand. It was understandable that she conceived only this one impudent boy. Lazybones. Stove spitter.

Born.

This Harald.

Because the captain only every two years.

The saliva portion which had not flowed, which had not become a bead, not evaporated, not dried up, which was not at all, except beneath the palate of the sleeping lazybones, made her sad because she was reminded of something.

The ascension into heaven happened in different stages. As is understood. Fog for the first thousand yards up high. Or, in good weather, web of sun. Glass vapor, vapor glass. Spiderweb that we do not see. Ghost hand. One could think. Cemetery smell. Even corpses could, as is understood, turn into snow-stars —. Like the saliva.

It was a delicate process. Purified of dust and smell the invisible had to rise. Thrown. Flown. Blown.

Until, suddenly, icy cold, the universe’s thought of creation, made the invisible congeal into form. Into the star. Which suddenly heavy, though not heavier than before. Fell to earth. The saliva.

Just as the unpurified, disagreeable from the mouth of the lazybones who usually forgot to brush his teeth, thus doubly unclean, was refined into the purest white of snow, could be purified, Frau Inge likewise had to purify in her pots the strong syrup of the dissolved sugar. Until it drew, without foam, clear thin threads, spiderwebthreads.

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