StoriesofMr.Keuner StoriesofMr.Keuner BertoltBrecht TranslatedfromtheGerman andwithanafterword byMartinChalmers CityLightsBooks SanFrancisco FirstCityLightsedition,2001 Firstpublished inGermanin 1965underthetitleGeschichten vomHermKeuner bySuhrkampVerlag,FrankfurtamMain Originaltext 1965byStefanS.Brecht Translation 2001byStefanS.Brecht Coverphotoof BertoltBrecht(c.1952)byGerdaGoedhart 2001bySuhrkamp Verlag Published byarrangementwithStefanS. Brechtand SuhrkampVerlag Afterword2001byMartinChalmers Allrightsreserved 10987 654321 Cover design:StefanGutermuth Bookdesignandtypography:SmallWorldProducti Editor: jamesBrook LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Brecht,Bertolt,1898-1956 [GeschichtenvomHerrnKeuner.English] Storiesof Mr.KeunerIbyBertoltBrecht;translatedbyMartin Chalmers p.cm. ISBN0-87286-383-2 I.Chalmers,Martin.II.Title. P2603. R397G45132001 833'.912-dc21 00-065637 CITYLIGHTSBOOKSareeditedbyLawrenceFerlinghettiand Nancy j.PetersandpublishedattheCityLightsBookstore, 261ColumbusAvenue,SanFrancisco,CA94133. Visituson theWebatwww.citylights.com. Contents What's wiseaboutthewisemanishisstance. ... .. .1 Organization . .. ... ... .. . .... ... ...... . .... ...2 Measuresagainst power ... .. ... . . . ..... . ...... .3 Ofthebearersof knowledge .. .. .. .. ..... .... ....5 Serving apurpose. .. . .... .. .. .. .. ... . ..... ....6 Hardships ofthebest .. ... .. . .... .. .... ..... ...7 Notbribing isanart . ... ... .. .... ..... . .. ......8 Loveof fatherland,thehatred of fatherlands. . ... . .9 Thebadisnotcheap,either .. .. .. . ..... ... .....10 Going hungry . ... .. .. ... .. .... .... ... .. .....11 Advice,whenadviceisnotheeded. ... ..... .....12 Originality. . . . . . . .. . . ... . ... . . . . . . . . . .. . . ..13 Thequestionof whether there is aGod .. .. .... .. .14 Theright to weakness . . ... . ... . . ... . . . . . . . . . . .15 Thehelpless boy. . .. . . . . . . . .. . . .. . ... . . . . . .. .16 Mr.K.and nature .. . .. .... . ...... .... .. ... ...17 Convincing questions. . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . .... .18 Reliabil ity... . ... . ... . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . ... . . . . .19 Meeting again .. .. .. ... ... . ..... ... .... . . ....20 On the selection of brutes... . . . . . . . .... . . . ....21 Formandcontent .. . . . . .. . . ... . ... . ..... . . . ..24 Conversations . . . . . .. . ..... . . . . . . . . .... . . . . ..25 Hospital ity. .. . . .. . ... . ... . . ... . . . .. . .. . ....26 IfMr.K.loved someone ... . .. . ... . . . . . . . . .. . ..27 Onthedisruption of"one thing at atime" . . . . . ...28 Success. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Mr.K.andthecats...........................30 Mr.K. 'sfavoriteanimal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Ancient times. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 A goodanswer..............................33 Praise. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Twocities. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Goodturns.................................36 Mr.K.inunfamiliar accommodation. . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Mr.K. andconsistency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Thefatherof the thought .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Theadministration of j ustice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Socrates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 The envoy.............................. . ....42 Thenatural urge to ownproperty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 If sharks were men...........................45 Waiting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 The indispensablecivil servant.................49 A bearableaffront. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SO Mr.K. drivesacar............................S 1 Mr.K.andpoetry............................52 Thehoroscope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Misunderstood..............................54 Twodrivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Senseofj ustice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Onfriendliness..............................S 7 [Mr.Keunerandhisniece'sdrawi ng).............58 VI [Oncorruptibility]. . .. . . . . . . .... . .. . . .... . .. .59 [Error and progress]. . . . . . . . . .. . .. . .. . . . ..... .60 [Knowledgeof human nature] ... . .. . . ..... . . . . .61 [Mr.Keunerand theflood tide]. . . . . . . . . . . . ... . .62 Mr.Keuner andtheactress . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .63 [Mr.Keuner and thenewspapers]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Onbetrayal. .. .. . ... . .... .... .. ... .... ......66 Commentary...............................67 [On thesatisfactionofinterests]................68 Thetwo forfeits .. ... ..... .. . .... .. ... .... ....69 [Signs of goodJiving]. ... .. ... . .. . .. .. .... . ...71 [Abouttrth]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Loveof whom? ..............................73 Whoknows whom?..........................74 [Thebeststyle]..............................76 Mr.Keunerandthedoctor .....................77 [Alikebetterthandifferent]. . . . . . . . . .. . . . ... . ..78 [The thinking manandthefalsestudent] .. . .. . . . .79 [Onhavingastance]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......80 [WhatMr.Keuner wasagainst]. . . . . . ..... . . . . ..81 [Onwithstanding storms]. . . . .... . . . . . . . . . .. . .82 [Mr.Keuner'sil lness] . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . ..83 Incorruptibi lity. . . . . . . . . . . ...... . . .. . . . . .... .84 [Aquestion of guilt]. . . . . . . ..... . . . . ... . .. . . . .85 [Theroleof feel i ngs] . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . .... . .86 AboutyoungKeuner. . ..... . . . .. . . . .. . . . ... . .87 [Extravagance]. . .. . . .. . . . . .... . . . . . . . .. . . . . .88 VI I [Servant or master]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 [Anaristocratic stance]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 [Onthedevelopment of thebigcities]. . . . . . . . . . . 91 Onsystems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Architecture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Apparatusand party..........................94 Anger and advice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Mr.Keunerand exercises......................96 Mr.Keuner-and Mr.Brecht; or,Etiquetteindarktimes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Martin Chalmers VIII What'swiseaboutthe wise man Ishisstance A philosophy professor came to see Mr.K. and told him abouthiswisdom.AfterawhileMr.K.saidtohim: "Yousituncomfortably,youtalkuncomfortably,you thinkuncomfortably."Thephilosophyprofessorbecameangryandsaid:"Ididn'twanttohearanything aboutmyselfbutaboutthesubstanceofwhatIwas talkingabout.""Ithas nosubstance,"saidMr.K."Isee you walkingclumsilyand, as far as I can see, you're not gettinganyhere.Youtalkobscurely,andyoucreate no lightwithyourtalking.Seeingyourstance,I'mnot interestedin whatyou'regettingat." Organization Mr. K.once said:"The thinking man does not use one light too many, one piece of bread too many, one idea toomany." 2 Measuresagainstpower AsMr.Keuner,thethinkingman,wasspeakingout against Power in front of a large audience in a hall, he noticed thepeoplein frontof him shrinking back and leaving.Helookedroundandsawstandingbehind him-Power. "Whatwereyousaying?"Poweraskedhim. "IwasspeakingoutinfavorofPower,"repliedMr. Keuner. AfterMr.Keunerhadleftthehall,hisstudentsinquired about his backbone.Mr.Keuner replied:"I don't have a backboneto be broken.I'mthe onewho has to livelongerthanPower." AndMr.Keunertoldthefollowingstory: Oneday,duringtheperiodofillegality,anagent enteredtheapartmentofMr.Eggers,amanwhohad learnedtosayno.Theagentshowedadocument, whichwasmadeoutinthenameofthosewhoruled the city, and which stated that any apartment in which hesetfootbelongedtohim;likewise,anyfoodthat hedemandedbelongedtohim;likewise,anyman whomhesaw,hadtoservehim. Theagentsatdowninachair,demandedfood, washed,laydowninbed,and,beforehefellasleep, asked,withhisfacetothewall:"Willyoubemy servant?" Mr.Eggerscoveredtheagentwithablanket,drove awaytheflies,watchedoverhissleep,and,as hehad doneonthisday,obeyedhimforsevenyears.But whateverhedidforhim,onethingMr.Eggerswas verycarefulnottodo:thatwas,tosayasingleword. Now,whentheseven yearshadpassedandtheagent hadgrownfatfromalltheeating,sleeping,andgivingorders,hedied.ThenMr.Eggerswrappedhimin theruinedblanket,draggedhimoutofthehouse, washed thebed,whitewashedthewalls,drewadeep breath andreplied:"No." 4 Of thebearersofknowledge "He who bears knowledge must not fight, nor tell the truth, nor do a service, nor not eat, nor refusehonors, nor be conspicuous.He who bears knowledge has only one virtue:that he bears knowledge,"said Mr.Keuner. 5 Seringapurpose Mr.K.putthefollowingquestions: "Everymorningmyneighborplaysmusicona gramophone.Whydoesheplaymusic?Becausehe's doing exercises, I've heard.Why ishe doing exercises? Becauseheneedstobestrong,I'veheard.Whydoes heneedtobestrong?Hesaysit'sbecausehemust defeathisenemiesinthecity.Whymusthedefeat enemies?Becausehewantstoeat,I'veheard."After Mr.K.hadheardthathisneighborplayedmusicin order to do exercises, did exercises in order to be strong, wanted to be strong in order tokill his enemies, killed his enemies in order to eat, he put his question:"Why doesheeat?" 6 Hardshipsof thebest "Whatareyouworkingon?"Mr.K.wasasked.Mr.K. replied:"I'mhavingahardtime,I'mpreparingmy nextmistake." 7 Notbribing isanar Mr. K. recommended a man to a businessman,because of hisunbribability.After two weeks thebusinessman camebacktoMr.K.andaskedhim:"Whatdidyou meanbyunbribability?"Mr.K. said:"If Isaytheman you hire isunbribable,I mean bythat,you can'tbribe him. ""Well, "said thebusinessmangloomily,"Ihave reason to fear that your man even lets himself be bribed bymyenemies. ""Idon'tknow anythingaboutthat," said Mr.K. without anyinterest."But,"exclaimed the businessmanindignantly,"healways agrees with me, so he also lets himself be bribed byme!"Mr.K. smiled conceitedly."He doesn'tletmebribehim,"hesaid. 8 Loveoffatherl and, the hatredoffatherl ands Mr.K. did not think it necessaryto live in any particular country.Hesaid:"I can go hungry anyhere. " One day,however,hewaswalkingthrough acitythatwas occupiedbytheenemyofthecountryinwhichhe wasliving.Anofficerofthis enemycametoward him andforcedhimtostepdownfromthepavement.Mr. K.steppeddownandrealizedthathefeltoutragedat thisman,andnotonlyatthisman,butespeciallyat thecountrytowhichthemanbelonged,thatis,he wanted it to be wiped from the face of the earth."What made me,"askedMr.K.,"becomea nationalist forthis oneminute?ItwasbecauseIencountered a nationalist.Butthatispreciselywhythisstupidityhastobe rootedout,becauseitmakeswhoeverencountersit stupid." 9 The badisnot cheap,either Mr.Keunercamebyhisideasonthedistributionof povertywhilereflectingon mankind.Oneday, lookingaroundhisapartment,hedecidedhewanteddifferent furniture-cheaper, shabbier, not so well made. Heimmediatelywenttoajoinerandaskedhimto scrapethevarnishfromhisfurniture.Butwhenthe varnishhadbeenscrapedoff,thefrnituredidnot lookshabby,butmerelyruined.Nevertheless,the joiner's bill had to be paid, and Mr. Keuner also had to throw away his pieces of furniture and buy new onesshabby,cheap, notso wellmade-because he wanted themsobadly.Somepeoplewhoheardaboutthis laughed at Mr.Keuner, sincehis shabby furniture had turnedoutmoreexpensivethanthevarnishedkind. ButMr.Keunersaid:"Povertydoesnotmeansaving, butspending.Iknowyou:your povertydoesnotsuit yourideas.Butwealthdoesnotsuitmyideas." 1 0 Going hungr Whenaskedaboutafatherland,Mr.K.hadgiventhe answer:"Icangohungryanywhere."Thenacareful listeneraskedhimwhyhesaidwasgoinghungry, wheninrealityhehadenoughtoeat.Mr.K.excused himself bysaying:"ProbablyI meanttosaythatIcan liveanywhere, if I want to live, where there is hunger. Iadmitthat there is a bigdifference,whetherI myself amgoinghungryorwhetherIamlivingwherehunger is the rule. Butinmydefense,mayI be allowed to saythattomelivingwherehungeristherule,while notasbadasgoinghungry,isatleastverybad.It would,ofcourse,notbeveryimportanttoothersifI were going hungry, but it is important that I am against hungerbeingtherule." 1 1Advice,whenadviceisnotheeded Mr.K.recommendedthat,ifpossible,everypieceof friendlyadviceshouldbeaccompaniedbyafurther piece of advice, in case the advice is not heeded. When, for example, he had counseled someone who was in a difficultsituationto take aparticularcourse of action, whichharmedasfewothersaspossible,healsooutlinedanothercourseofaction,notsoharmlessbut stillnotthemostruthless."Someonewhoisnotcapableofdoingeverything,"hesaid,"shouldnotbe letoffwithsomethingminor." 12 Original ity "Nowadays,"complained Mr.K.,"thereareinnumerablepeoplewhoboastinpublicthattheyareableto writegreatbooksallbythemselves,andthismeets withgeneralapproval.Whenhewasalreadyinthe primeoflifetheChinesephilosopherChuang-tzu composedabookofonehundredthousandwords, nine-tenthsofwhichconsistedofquotations.Such books can no longer be written here and now,because thewitislacking.As aresult,ideasareonlyproduced inone'sownworkshop,andanyonewhodoesnot manageenoughofthemthinkshimselflazy.Admittedly,thereisthennotasingleideathatcouldbe adoptedorasingleformulationofanideathatcould bequoted.Howlittleallofthemneedfortheiractivity! A pen and some paper are the only things theyare abletoshow!Andwithoutanyhelp,withonlythe scant material that anyone can carry in his hands,they erecttheircottages!Thelargestbuildingstheyknow arethoseasinglemaniscapableofconstructing!" 13 The question of whetherthereisaGod AmanaskedMr.K.whetherthereisaGod.Mr.K. said:"I advise you to consider whether,depending on theanswer,yourbehaviorwouldchange.Ifitwould not change, then we can drop the question. If it would change,thenIcanatleastbeofhelptotheextent thatIcansay,youhavealreadydecided:youneeda God." 1 4Therightto weakness Mr.K.helped someone outon adifficultmatter.Subsequently, the latter gave Mr.K.no thanks of any kind. Mr.K.thenastonishedhisfriendsbycomplaining loudly about the ingratitude of the person concerned. They thought Mr.K.'s behavior ill-mannered and even said:"Didn'tyouknowthatoneshouldnotdoanything for the sake of gratitude, because man is too weak tobegrateful?""AndI,"askedMr.K.,"amInothuman?WhyshouldInotbesoweakastoinsiston gratitude? People always think they are admitting their own stupidity if theyadmitthatsomething mean was donetothem.Whyshouldthatbeso?" 15 The hel pl essboy Mr.K.talkedaboutthebadhabitofsilentlyallowing aninjusticesufferedtoeatatone,andtoldthefollowing story:"A boy wascrying to himself and a passerbyaskedwhatwaswrong.'Ihadsavedtwodimes forthemovies,'saidtheboy,'whenabigladcame andgrabbedonefromme, 'andhepointedatalad whocould beseensome distance away.'Did younot shoutforhelp?'askedtheman.'Idid,'saidtheboy andsobbedalittlemoreloudly.'Anddidn'tanyone hear you?' the man went on, stroking him fondly.'No,' sobbed the boy and looked at the man with new hope. Becausehewassmiling.'Thengivemethatoneas well,'saidthemanandtooktheseconddimeoutof theboy'shandand walked awayunconcerned. 16 Mr.K.andnature Askedabouthisrelationshiptonature,Mr.K.said: "NowandthenIwouldliketoseeacoupleoftrees whenIstepoutofthehouse.Particularlybecause, thanks to their different appearance, according tothe timeofdayandtheseason,theyattain suchaspecial degreeofreality.Also,inthecities,inthecourseof time, we become confused because we always see only commodities,housesandrailways,whichwouldbe emptyandpointlessiftheywereuninhabitedand unused.Inourpeculiarsocialorder,afterall,human beings,too,arecountedamongsuchcommodities, andso,atleasttome,sinceIamnotajoiner,thereis somethingreassuringlyself-sufficientabouttrees, somethingthat isindifferenttome, andIhope that, even to the joiner, there is something about them that cannotbeexploited. ""Why,ifyouwanttoseetrees, do you not sometimes simply take a trip into the country?"hewasasked.Mr.Keunerrepliedinastonishment:"Isaid,IwouldliketoseethemwhenIstepout ofthe house."(Mr.K. also said:"It is necessaryfor us to makesparinguseofnature.Spendingtimeinnature withoutworking,oneeasilyfallsintoanabnormal condition;oneisstruckbysomething likeafever. ") 17 Convincing questions "I have noticed," said Mr. K. , "that we put many people offourteachingbecausewehaveananswerto everything.Couldwenot,intheinterestsofpropaganda, drawupalistofthequestions thatappear to uscompletelyunsolved?" 18 Rel iability Mr. K., whowasinfavor of orderlyrelationsbetween humanbeings,wasembroiledin strugglesallhislife. One day he again found himself in a disagreeable situation,whichmade itnecessaryforhim to goatnight to several meeting places in the city that were far apart from one another. Since he was ill, Mr.K. asked a friend ifhecouldborrowhiscoat.Thefriendagreed,even though,asaresult,hehimselfhadtocalloffanappointment.Towardevening,however,Mr.K.'spositionworsenedtosuchadegreethattherendezvous were no longer of anyuse to him and a quite different courseof actionbecamenecessary.Nevertheless,and despitethelackoftime,Mr.K.wasanxioustokeep theappointmentandpunctuallycalledforthenow uselesscoat. 19 Meetingagain A man who had not seen Mr.K.for a long time greeted himwiththewords:"Youhaven'tchangedabit. " "Oh!"saidMr.K.andturnedpale. 20 On thesel ectionofbrutes WhenMr.Keuner,thethinkingman,heard That the most famous criminal of the city of New York Asmugglerofalcoholandamass-murderer Hadbeenshotdownlikeadogand Buriedwithoutceremony Heexpressednothingbutdismay. "How,"hesaid,"hasitcometothis Thatnoteventhecriminalissureofhislife Andnotevenhe,whoispreparedtodoanything Hasameasureofsuccess? Everyoneknowsthatthosearelost Whoareconcernedfortheirhumandignity. Butthosewhodiscardit? Shallitbesaid:hewhoescapedthedepths Fallsontheheights? At night therighteous startfrom their sleep bathed in sweat Thesoftestfootstepfillsthemwithalarm Their good conscience pursues them even in their sleep AndnowIhear:thecriminal,too Cannolongersleeppeacefully? Whatconfusion! Whattimestheseare! Asimplebitof foulplay,soIhear 21Isnolongerenough. Ameremurder Willgetyounowhereatall. Twoorthreebetrayalsbeforelunch: Anyonewouldbewillingto dothat. Butwhatgoodiswillingness Whenallthatmattersisability! Evenabsenceofprinciplesis notenough: Resultsarewhatcounts! Thuseventhereprobate Slidesintothegravewithoutastir. Astherearealltoomanyofhiskind Noonenotices. Hecouldhavehadthegravealotmorecheaply Thismanwhowasoutfor moneyatallcosts! Somanymurders Andsuchashortlife! Somanycrimes Andsofewfriends! Hadhebeenpenniless Therecouldnothavebeenfewer. Howcanwenotloseheart Inviewofsuchevents? Whatplanscanwestillmake? 22 Whatcrimesstillhatch? Itisnotgoodiftoomuchisdemandedofus. Seeingthat,"said Mr. Keuner "Webecomediscouraged." 2 3Formandcontent Mr.K. lookedat a paintingthat gavecertain objectsa very unconventional form.He said:"Whenthey look at the world,some artists are like manyphilosophers. Intheefforttofindaform,thecontentgetslost.I onceworkedforagardener.Hehandedmeapairof shears and told me to trim a laurel tree.The tree stood in a pot and was hired out forcelebrations.For that it hadtohavetheformofasphere.Iimmediatelybegan to prune the wild shoots, but no matter how hard Itriedtoachievetheformofasphere,Ididnotsucceedforalongtime.FirstIloppedofftoomuchon one side, then on the other.When the tree had at last becomeasphere,thespherewasverysmall.Disappointed,thegardenersaid:'Good,that'sthesphere, butwhere'sthelaurel?"' 2 4Conversations "Wecan'tgoontalkingtoeach other,"saidMr.K.to aman."Whynot?"askedthelatter,takenaback."In yourpresenceIamincapableofsayinganythingintelligent,"complained Mr.K. "But I really don't mind," theothercomfortedhim."ThatIcanbelieve,"said Mr.K.angrily,"but I mind." 25Hospitality When Mr. K. accepted hospitality,helefthisroomas hehad found it, because hedidnot believe in people puttingtheirstampontheirsurroundings.Onthe contrary,hemadeeveryefforttochangehisownbehaviorinsuchawaythatitsuitedhisaccommodation, although hisplanswerenotallowedto sufferas aresult.WhenMr.K.providedhospitality,hemoved atleastachairoratablefromitsformerpositionto another, thustakinghisguestintoaccount."Andit's better ifIdecidewhatsuitshim!"hesaid. 26 If Mr.K.lovedsomeone "What do you do,"Mr.K. was asked, "if you love someone?""Imakeasketchoftheperson,"saidMr.K., "and make sure that one comes to resemble the other." "Which?Thesketch?""No,"said Mr.K., "the person." 2 7Onthedisruptionof 110ne thingatatime" Oneday,whenhewastheguestofacquaintances whomhedidnotknowverywell,Mr.K.discovered that his hosts had already laid out the breakfast things for the next morning on a small table in the bedroom. Afterhehadinitiallypraisedhishostsinhismind becausetheywereeagertoseehimonhisway,he remainedpreoccupiedbythethought.Heconsiders, whether he, too,wouldget the breakfast thingsready atnightbeforegoingbed.Aftersomereflectionhe concludesthatatcertaintimesitwouldbe rightfor himtodoso.Helikewiseconcludesthatitisright thatothersshouldalsoconcernthemselveswiththis questionforalittlewhile. 2 8Success Mr.K. sawan actress walking byandsaid:"She's beautiful."His companion said:"She's recently become successful because she's beautiful." Mr. K. was annoyed and said:"She's beautiful because she's become successful." 29 Mr.K.andthe cats Mr.K.didnotlovecats.Theydidnotappeartohim tobefriendsofhumankind;hencehewasnottheir friend,either."If wehad common interests,"hesaid, "thenI would be indifferent to their hostileattitude." ButMr.K.wasreluctanttochasecatsfromhischair. "To lay oneself down to rest is work," he said."It should beallowedtosucceed."Andifcatsmeowedoutside hisdoorherosefromhisbed,even when itwas cold, andletthemintothewarmth."Theircalculationis simple,"hesaid."Iftheycryout,thedoorisopened forthem.Ifthedoorisnolongeropenedforthem, they will no longer cry out. To cry out, that's progress." 30 Mr.K. 'sfavorite animal WhenMr.K.wasaskedwhichanimalheesteemed above allothers,he namedthe elephant and justified his choice as follows:The elephant combines cunning withstrength.Thisisnotthepaltrycunningthatis sufficient to avoid a snare or to snatch a meal by makingoneselfinconspicuousbutthecunningthatisat thedisposalofstrengthinordertocarryoutgreat enterprises.A broad track leads to the place where this animal has been. Yet he is good-natured, he has a sense ofhumor.Heisagoodfriend,justasheisagood enemy.Verylargeandheavy,heisneverthelessalso veryfast.Histrunksupplieshisenormousbodywith eventhesmallestitemsoffood,evennuts.Hisears areadjustable:hehearsonlywhathewantstohear. Healsolivestoagreatage.Heisalsogregariousand not only in the company ofelephants.Everywhere he is bothlovedandfeared.Acertaincomicaspecteven makesitpossibleforhimtobevenerated.Hehasa thick skin,knives snap in it;but he has a gentle disposition.Hecanbecomesad.Hecanbecomeangry.He likestodance.Hediesinathicket.Heloveschildren andothersmallanimals.Heisgrayandconspicuous only because of his bulk. He is not edible.He canwork hard.Helikestodrinkandbecomesmerry.Hedoes hisbitforart:he suppliesivory. 3 1 Ancienttimes Infrontofa"constructivist"picturebythepainter Lundstrom,depictingsomejugs,Mr.K.said:"Apicture from ancient times, from a barbarous age! In those daysmencouldprobablynolongertellthingsapart, roundthingsnolongerappearedround,pointed thingsnolongerpointed.Thepaintershadtoput things straight again and show their customers somethingdefinite,unambiguous,well-defined;theysaw so much that wasindistinct,fluid, obscure;theywere so starved for incorruptibility, that they were readyto acclaimamanwhowouldn'tsellhisfool'scap.Work wasdistributedamongmany,onecanseethatfrom thispicture.Thosewhodeterminedtheformdidnot concernthemselveswiththepurposeoftheobjects; nowatercanbepouredfromthisjug.Inthosedays there must have been manypeople who were regarded solelyascommodities.That,too,theartistshadto resist.Abarbarousage,thoseancienttimes!"Mr.K.'s attentionwascalledtothefactthatthepicture wasa contemporaryone."Yes,"saidMr.K.sadly,"fromancienttimes." 3 2 Agood answer Incourtaworkerwasaskedwhetherhewantedto takethelayoathorswearontheBible.Heanswered: "I'munemployed.""Thiswasnotsimplyabsentmindedness,"saidMr.K."By this answer heshowed that he foundhimself in a situation wheresuchquestions,indeed perhapsthewholeproceedingsassuch, havebecomemeaningless." 33 Praise When Mr. K. heard that he was being praised by former students,hesaid:"Afterthestudentshavelongforgotten the errors of the master, he himself still remembersthem." 34 Two cities Mr.K.preferredcityBtocityA."IncityA,"hesaid, "theylove me, butin cityBtheywerefriendlytome. IncityAtheymadethemselvesusefultome,butin cityBtheyneededme.IncityAtheyinvitedmeto jointhemattable,butincityBtheyinvitedmeinto thekitchen." 3 5Goodturns As an example of the right and proper way to do friends a good turn,Mr.K.relatedthe followingstory."Three young people came to anold Arab and told him:'Our father has died. He left us seventeen camels and stated in hiswill that theoldest son should get half,the secondathird,andtheyoungestaninthofthecamels. Nowwecannotagreeonthedivision;pleasemake the decision for us!'The Arab thought fora while and said:'AsIsee it,in order to shareout the camels properly,youareoneshort.Imyselfhaveonlyasingle camel,butIputitatyourdisposal.Takeitandthen divideupthecamels,andonlybringmewhatisleft over.'Theyexpressedtheirthanksforthisgoodoffice,tookthecamelaway,andthendividedupthe eighteencamels,sothattheoldestgothalf-thatis, nine-the second a third-that is,six-and the youngest a ninth-that is,two camels. To their astonishment, whentheyhadledtheirowncamelsasidetherewas onecamel leftover.This onetheybrought back,with renewedthanks,totheiroldfriend.'' Mr.K. calledthisgoodturnarightandproperone, becauseitdemandedno specialsacrifice. 3 6 Mr.K.inunfamiliar accommodation Entering unfamiliar accommodation, Mr.K., before he laydownto rest, looked fortheexits fromthehouse andnothingelse.In replyto aquestion,heanswered uneasily:"It'sa tiresome old habit.Iam forjustice;so it'sgoodiftheplaceinwhichI'mstayinghasmore thanoneexit." 37 Mr.K.andconsistency OnedayMr.K.putthefollowingquestiontooneof his friends:"RecentlyIhave been friendly with a man who livesoppositeme.Ihaveno inclination to go on being friendlywith him;however,Inot only haveno reason for being friendlywith him but also no reason to stop.NowIhave discovered that recently, when he bought the small house that he previously had rented, heimmediatelyhadaplumtreeinfrontofhiswindow, which blocked out the light, chopped down, even thoughtheplumswereonlyhalfripe.ShouldInow take this as a reason to break off relations with him, at leastoutwardlyoratleast inwardly?" Afewdayslater Mr.K.toldhisfriend:"Ihavenow brokenoff relationswith the fellow; just think, already monthsago he had asked thethen-owner of the house tochopdownthetreethatblockedoutthelight.The latter, however, did not want to do so, because he wanted thefruit.Andnowthatthehousehaspassedtomy acquaintance, he really has had the tree chopped down, fll of still unripe frit!Ihave now broken off relations withhimbecauseofhisinconsistentbehavior." 3 8The fatherof the thought ThefollowingreproachwasmadeofMr.K.:alltoo ofteninhiscasethewishwasfathertothethought. Mr.K.replied:"There never has been a thought whose fatherwasnotawish.Butwhatonecanargueabout is:whichwish?Onedoesnothavetosuspectthata childmighthavenofatheratallinordertosuspect thatthedeterminationoffatherhoodisadifficult mater." 3 9The administrationof justice Mr.K. often mentionedasinsomedegreeexemplary alegalinstructioninancientChina,accordingto which the judges in important trials were fetched from distant provinces. Thus they were harder to bribe(and did not have to be so unbribable), since the local judges watched over theirunbribability-thatis, people who knewtheropesinjustthisrespectandwhowished theincomersill.Also,thejudgeswhohadbeensent fordidnotknowthecustomsandconditionsofthe districtfromeverydayexperience.Injusticeoftenassumes the characterof justice simply through frequent repetition.Everythinghadtobereportedtotheincoming judges from the beginning, as a result of which theytook note of what wasunusual.And finally, they werenotforcedtoviolatethevirtueofobjectivityfor the sake of many other virtues, such as gratitude, filial love,guilelessnesstowardoldfriends,ortohavethe couragetomakeenemiesin theirowncircle. 40 Socrates Afterreadingabookaboutthehistoryofphilosophy Mr.K.spokedisparaginglyoftheeffortsofthephilosopherstodescribeallthingsas fundamentallyunknowable. "When the Sophists asserted that they knew a great deal without having studied anything,"he said, "Socrates,theSophist,cameforwardwiththearrogantassertionthatheknewthatheknewnothing. Onemighthaveexpectedthathewouldaddtohis sentence:becauseI,too,havestudiednothing.(In ordertoknowsomething,wehavetostudy.)Buthe doesnotappearto havesaid anything more, and perhapstheimmeasurableapplausethatburstoutafter hisfirstsentenceandthathaslastedmorethantwo thousandyearswouldhavedrownedoutanyfrther sentence. " 4 1The envoy RecentlyIspoke toMr.K. aboutthe case ofthe envoy of a foreign power, Mr. X.,who had carried out a numberofmissionsinourcountryonbehalfofhisgovernmentandafterhisreturn,aswe learnedtoour regret,wasseverelydisciplined,althoughhehad achievedgreatsuccesses."Theaccusation was that in order to carry out his missions, he had become far too intimatewithus,hisenemies,"Isaid."Doyoubelievethathecouldhavebeensuccessfulwithoutbehavinginsuchaway?""Certainlynot,"saidMr.K. "He had toeat well in order tonegotiatewithhis enemies;hehadtoflattercriminalsand pokefunathis owncountryinordertoachievehisgoal.""Thenhe actedproperly?"Iasked."Yes,ofcourse,"saidMr.K. absent-mindedly."Heactedproperly."AndMr.K. wantedtotake his leaveofme. ButIheldhim bythe sleeve."Thenwhywashereceivedwithsuchscorn onhisreturn?"Icriedoutindignantly."Hewillno doubthavegotusedtothegoodfood,havecontinued associating with criminals, andhis judgment will havebecomeunreliable,"saidMr.K.indifferently, "andsotheyhadtodisciplinehim.""Andinyour opinionitwasproperforthemtodoso?"Iasked, appalled."Yes,ofcourse,whatelsecouldtheyhave 42done?"saidMr.K."Hewasbraveanditwastohis meritthatheundertookadeadlymission.Hedied while carrying it out.Should they now, instead of buryinghim,allowhimtorotintheopenairandputup withthestench?" 43The naturalurgeto ownproperty When someone at a party called the urge to own property a natural one, Mr. K. told the following story about someold-establishedfishermen: "OnthesouthcoastofIcelandtherearefishermen who, by means of fixed buoys,have divided the ocean thereintoindividualparcelsandsharedthemout among themselves.Theyaremore fiercely devoted to thesefieldsofwaterthantotheirproperty.Theyfeel attachedtothem,wouldnevergivethemup,evenif no more fish were to be found in them, and they scorn theinhabitantsoftheharbortownstowhomthey selltheircatch,sincethesetownspeopleappearto themasuperficialrace,alienatedfromnature.They sayofthemselvesthattheirrootsareinthewater. Whentheycatchbiggerfish,theykeepthelatterby them in tubs, give them names, and are more devoted tothemthantotheirproperty.Forsometimenow theireconomicpositionissaidtobebad;nevertheless, theyfirmly reject all attempts at reform, with the result thatseveral governmentsthatdisregardedtheir customs have been brought down bythem. Such fishermendemonstrateirrefutablythepoweroftheurge toownpropertytowhichmanissubjectbynature." 44 Ifsharksweremen "If sharks were men," Mr. K. was asked by his landlady's littlegirl,"wouldtheybenicertothelittlefishes?" "Certainly,"hesaid."If sharksweremen, theywould buildenormousboxesintheoceanforthelittlefish, withallkindsoffoodinside,bothvegetableandanimal.Theywouldtakecarethattheboxesalwayshad fresh water,and in generaltheywouldmakeallkinds ofsanitaryarrangements.If,forexample,alittlefish were to injure a fin, it would immediately be bandaged, sothatitwouldnotdieandbelosttothesharksbeforeitstime.Sothatthelittlefishwouldnotbecome melancholy,therewouldbebigwaterfestivalsfrom timetotime;becausecheerfulfishtastebetterthan melancholyones.Therewould,ofcourse,alsobe schoolsinthebigboxes.Intheseschoolsthelittle fishwouldlearnhowtoswimintothesharks'jaws. Theywouldneedto knowgeography, for example, so that they could find the big sharks, who lie idly around somewhere.Theprincipalsubjectwould,ofcourse, bethemoraleducationofthelittlefish.Theywould be taught that it would be the best and most beautiful thing inthe world if a little fish sacrificeditselfcheerfullyandthattheyallhadtobelievethesharks,especiallywhenthelattersaidtheywereprovidingfora 45 beautifulfuture.Thelittlefishwouldbetaughtthat thisfutureisassuredonlyiftheylearnedobedience. Thelittlefishhadtobewareofallbase,materialist, egotistical, and Marxist inclinations, and if one of their number betrayedsuch inclinations theyhad to report it to the sharks immediately.If sharksweremen, they would,ofcourse,also wagewars against oneanother, inordertoconquerotherfishboxesandotherlittle fish.The wars would be waged by their own little fish. Theywouldteachtheirlittlefishthattherewasan enormous difference between themselves and the little fishbelongingtotheothersharks.Littlefish,they would announce, are well known to be mute, but they aresilentinquitedifferentlanguagesandhencefind itimpossibletounderstandoneanother.Eachlittle fishthat,inawar,killedacoupleofotherlittlefish, enemyones, silent in their own language, would have alittleordermadeofseaweedpinnedtoitandbe awardedthetitleofhero.Ifsharksweremen,there would, of course, also be art.There would be beautifl pictures, in which the sharks' teeth would be portrayed inmagnificentcolorsandtheirjawsaspurepleasure gardens,inwhichonecouldrompaboutsplendidly. Thetheaters atthebottomofthesea would show heroic little fish swimming enthusiastically into the jaws of sharks,and themusic would be so beautifl thatto theaccompaniment ofitssounds,theorchestra lead-46 ing the way, the little fish would stream dreamilyinto the sharks'jaws, lulled by the most agreeable thoughts. Therewouldalsobeareligion,ifsharksweremen.It wouldpreachthatlittlefishonlyreallybegintolive properlyinthesharks'stomachs.Furthermore,if sharkswerementherewouldbeanendtoalllittle fishbeingequal,asisthecasenow.Somewouldbe givenimportantofficesandbeplacedabovetheothers.Thosewhowerealittlebiggerwouldevenbeallowedtoeatup thesmallerones. Thatwouldbealtogetheragreeable for thesharks,sincetheythemselves wouldmoreoftengetbiggerbites to eat. Andthebiggerlittle fish, occupying theirposts, would ensureorderamongthelittlefish,becometeachers,officers, engineersin boxconstrction,etc.In short,ifsharks weremen,theywouldforthefirsttimebringculture totheocean." 47Waiting Mr.K.waited for something for a day, then for a week, andthenforamonth.Intheendhesaid:"Icould quiteeasilyhavewaitedforamonth,butnotfor this dayandforthisweek." 48 Theindispensable civi lserant Mr. K. heard a civilservant, who had heldhispost for quite a long time, praised as being indispensable, since hewassuchagoodcivilservant."Whyisheindispensable?"askedMr.K.inannoyance."Thedepartmentwouldgrindtoahaltwithouthim,"saidhis eulogists."Howcanhebeagoodcivilservantifthe departmentwould grind to ahaltwithout him?"said Mr.K."He'shadtimeenoughtoorganizehisdepartmenttomakehimselfdispensable.Whatishereally engagedin?I'lltellyou:blackmail!" 49 Abearableafront AcolleagueofMr.K.wasaccusedofadoptingahostileattitudetohim."Yes,butonlybehindmyback," said Mr.K. inhisdefense. 50 Mr.K.drivesa car Mr.K.hadlearnedtodrive,butatfirstdidnotdrive verywell."SofarI'veonlylearnedtodriveonecar," heexcusedhimself."Butonemustbeabletodrive two, that is, the car in front of one's own as well. Only whenoneobserveswhatthedrivingconditionsare forthecarinfrontandcanjudgetheobstaclesitis facingdoesoneknowhowtoproceedwithregardto thatcar." 5 1Mr.K.andpoetr AfterreadingavolumeofpoetryMr.K.said:"InancientRome,whencandidatesforpublicofficemade their appearance in theForum, they were not allowed towearclotheswithpockets,sothattheycouldnot take any bribes.Likewise, poets should not wear coats or jackets, so that they do not have any verses up their sleeves." 5 2 The horoscope Mr.K. asked people whohad horoscopes casttomentionadateinthepasttotheirastrologers,adayon which something especially good or bad had happened tothem.Thehoroscopemustallowtheastrologerto moreorlessdiscoverthesecret.Mr.K.hadlittlesuccesswiththisadvice,becausewhilethebelieversgot informationfromtheirastrologersabouthowunfavorableorfavorablethestars.hadbeen,information thatdidnotmatchtheexperiencesofthequestioners, the latter then said irritably that the stars, of course, indicated only certain possibilities and that these could wellhavebeenpresentonthegivendate.Mr.K.was verysurprisedandputafurtherquestion. "It is also not clear to me,"he said,"whyof all creatures onlymenshouldbe influencedbythe heavenly constellations.Thesepowerswillsurelynotsimply neglect animals. But what happens when a certain man isanAquarius,forexample,buthasafleawhichisa Taurus, and drowns in a river? The flea perhaps drowns with him,although thestarsmay beveryfavorableto it.Idon'tlikethat." 5 3Misunderstood Mr.K.attendedameetingandafterwardtoldthe followingstory:InthecityofXthereisaso-called harumphclub,inwhichitwastheannualcustom, afterpartakingofanexcellentdinner,tosay "harumph"acoupleoftimes.Themembersofthe club were people who found it impossible to keep their opinions to themselves for any length of time but had beenforcedtolearnthattheirstatementsweremisunderstood."I hear, however," said Mr.K. shaking his head,"thateventhis'harumph'ismisunderstoodby some,becausetheyassumeitmeansnothing." 5 4Twodrivers Mr.K. , asked about the approach oftwotheater directors,comparedthem asfollows:"I know a driverwho has the trafficregulationsat his fingertips,obeys them, andis abletousethemtohisownbenefit.Heis skillflatracingforwardandthenmaintaininganormal speedagain,goingeasyontheengine,andthushe makes his way careflly and boldlybetween the other vehicles.AnotherdriverIknowproceedsdifferently. Evenmorethaninhisownrouteheisinterestedin the traffic as a whole and he regards himself as a mere particleofthelatter.Hedoesnottakeadvantageof hisrightsanddoesnotmakehimselfespeciallyconspicuous.In spirithe is driving with the car in front of himandthecarbehindhim,withconstantpleasure in the progressofeveryvehicle and of the pedestrians aswell. " 5 5Sense of justice Mr. K.'s hosts hadadog,andonedaythe latter came sidlingupwitheverysignofabadconscience."He hasbeenuptosomething,talktohimsternlyand sadlyrightaway,"advisedMr.K."ButIdon'tknow whathehasgotupto,"objectedhishost."Thedog can'tknowthat,"said Mr.K.urgently."Quicklyshow himthatyouareconcernedand disapproving;otherwise,hissenseofjusticewillsuffer." 5 6On friendliness Mr. K.valued friendship very highly.He said:"To keep someonedown,eveninafriendlyway,nottojudge someoneaccordingtohispotential,tobefriendlyto someoneonlywhenheisfriendlytooneself,toregardsomeonecoldlywhenheishot,toregardhim hotly,whenheiscold,thatisnotveryfriendly." 5 7[Mr.Keunerandhisniece'sdrawing] Mr.Keunerlookedatthedrawinghislittleniecehad made.Itdepictedahenflyingoverafarmyard."Tell me,whydoesyourhenhavethreelegs?"askedMr. Keuner."Henscan'tfly,ofcourse,"saidthelittleartist,"andsoIneededathirdlegtogiveitalift." "I'mgladIasked,"saidMr.Keuner. 58 [Oncorruptibility] Once,atasocialgatheringofthetime,whenMr. Keunertalkedaboutpureknowledgeandmentioned thatitcanonlybeaspiredtobyovercoming corruptibility,thereweresomewhoaskedhiminpassing, justwhatcorruptibilityinvolved."Money,"saidMr. Keunerquickly.Atthattherearoseagreatohandah ofsurpriseatthegatheringandheadswereeven shakeninindignation.Thisshowsthatsomething morerefinedhadbeenexpected.Thusadesirewas revealedforthecorruptedtohavebeenbribedby somethingrefinedand intellectual-andthatone did notwanttoaccuseabribedmanoflackinginintellect. Many,itissaid,werecorruptedbyhonors.That meant:not bymoney. Andwhereas money wastaken away again frompeoplewho had been shown to have wronglytakenmoney,thereisadesiretoallowthose whohavejustaswronglytakenhonorstokeeptheir honor. Thusmanyofthosewhoareaccusedofexploitation would rather try to make us believe that they took money in order to rulethanadmittheyruled inorder totakemoney.Butwhenhavingmoneymeansruling,ruling is nothing that can excuse stealing money. 5 9[Error andprogress] Ifonethinksonlyofoneself,itisimpossibletobelievethatonecommitsanyerrorsandsoonegets nowhere.That it is whyit is necessarytothinkof the otherswhowillcarryonthework.Onlyinthisway doesoneprevent something beingcompleted. 60 [Knowledge of human nature] Mr.Keunerhad little knowledge ofhumannature,he said:"Knowledgeofhumannatureisonlynecessary whereexploitationisinvolved.Thinkingmeansmakingchanges.IfIthinkofaman,thenIchangehim;it almostseemsto methatheisnot atallthewayheis, but ratherhe waslikethatonlywhenIbeganto think abouthim." 61[Mr.Keuner andthefl oodtide] Mr.Keunerwaswalkingthroughavalleywhenhe suddenlynoticedthathisfeetwerewalkingthrough water.Thenherealizedthathisvalleywasinreality anarm of the sea and that high tide was approaching. Heimmediatelystoodstillinordertolookroundfor a boat, and he remainedstandingas long as hoped to see aboat. Butwhen noboatcameinsight,heabandoned this hope and hoped that the water would stop rising.Onlywhenthewaterreachedhischindidhe abandoneventhishopeandbegintoswim.Hehad realized thathe himself wasaboat. 6 2Mr.Keunerandthe actress Mr.Keunerhadagirlfriendwhowasanactressand who received presents from a rich man.Consequently, herviewsabouttherichweredifferentfromMr. Keuner's.Mr.Keuner thought the rich were bad people, but hisgirlfriendthoughtthey werenotallbad.Why didshethinktherichwerenotallbad?Shedidnot think so because she received presents from them, but becauseshe accepted presentsfromthem andshe believed that she was not the kind of person whowould acceptpresentsfrombadpeople.Mr.Keuner,after he hadthoughtaboutthisforalongtime,didnotbelieve what she believedofherself."Take their money!" exclaimedMr.Keuner(turningtheinevitabletoaccount)."They didnotpay forthepresents,theystole them.Relievethesepeopleoftheirloot,sothatyou can be a good actress!""Can'tI be a good actress withoutmoney?"askedhisgirlfriend."No,"saidMr. Keunervehemently."No.No.No. " 6 3[Mr.Keunerandthenewspapers] Mr.KeunerranintoMr.Muddle,thefighteragainst newspapers."Iamagreatopponentofnewspapers," saidMr.Muddle."I don'twantanynewspapers."Mr. Keuner said,"I am agreater opponent of newspapers: Iwantdifferentnewspapers." "Writedownformeonapieceofpaper,"saidMr. KeunertoMr.Muddle,"whatyoudemandsothat newspaperscanappear.Becausenewspaperswillappear.Butdemandtheminimum.Iwouldprefer,for example, if you permitted corruptible men to produce them, rather than demand incorruptible men, because thenI would simply bribe them to improve the newspapers.Buteven ifyoudemandedincorruptiblemen, then we should start looking for them, and if we don't findthem,thenweshouldstartmakingsome.Write down on a pieceof paperwhatnewspapersshouldbe like, and if we find anant that approvesof what is on thepieceofpaper,thenweshouldstartrightaway. The ant will be of greater help to us in improving newspapersthanageneralclamor thatnewspaperscannot bemadebetter.Becauseamountainismorelikelyto bemovedbyasingleantthanbytherumorthat itis impossibletomove." 6 4Ifnewspapers are a meansto disorder,thenthey are alsoameanstoachievingorder.Itispreciselypeople like Mr. Muddle who through their dissatisfaction demonstratethevalueofnewspapers.Mr.Muddlethinks he is concerned with the worthlessness of today's newspapers;in realityhe is concernedwiththeirworthtomorrow. Mr.Muddle thought highly of mananddidnotbelievenewspaperscouldbemadebetter,whereasMr. Keuner did not think verhighly of man and believed newspaperscouldbemade better."Everythingcanbe better,"saidMr. Keuner,"exceptman." 65Onbetrayal Shouldonekeepapromise? Shouldonegiveapromise?Wheresomethinghas to be promised, there is no order. Therefore, one should establishthisorder.Mancannotpromiseanything. Whatdoesthearmpromisethehead?Thatit willremainanarmandnotturnintoafoot.Becauseevery sevenyearsitisadifferentarm.Ifonemanbetrays another, aretheonehebetraysandthe oneto whom hegaveapromisethesame?Aslongasthemanto whom something has been promised constantly finds himself inchanged circumstances and therefore himself constantly changes in accordance with the circumstancesandbecomesanother,howcanapromiseto him be kept, a promise that was given to another man? Thethinkingmanbetrays.Thethinkingmanpromisesnothing,excepttoremainathinkingman. 66 Commentar Mr.Keunersaidof someone:"He is a great statesman. Hedoesnotallowwhatsomeoneistodeceivehimas towhathecanbecome. "Becausepeopletodayare exploitedto the detriment oftheindividualandthereforedonotwantthis,one shouldnotallowoneselftobedeceivedintothinking thatpeopledonotwanttobeexploited.Theguiltof thoseexploitingthelattertotheirdetrimentisallthe greater in that here they are abusing a very moral desire." 6 7[On the satisfactionofinterests] The principal reason that interests need to besatisfied isthatalargenumberofideascannotbethought because they run counter to the interests of the thinkers.Ifitisimpossibletosatisfyinterests,itisnecessarytopoint to them andtoemphasizetheir dissimilarity,because onlyin thiswaycanthe thinkingman thinkthoughtsthatareofservicetotheinterestsof others,becauseitiseasiertothinkonbehalfofthe interestsof othersthanwithoutanyinterestsatall. 68 Thetwoforfeits Whenthetimeofbloodytroubleshadcome,whi ch hehadforeseenandwhichhehadsaidwouldconsume,obliterate,andextinguishhimforalongtime, theyfetchedthethinkingmanfromthedisorderly house. Then he indicated what he wanted to take with him intothestateofextremediminutionandinwardly fearedthatitmight betoomuch,andwhen they had gatheredittogetherandplaceditbeforehim,itwas nomorethanamancouldcarryandnomorethana man couldgiveaway.Thenthethinkingmanheaved asighofrelief andaskedthatthesethingsbeputina sackforhim,andtheywereprincipallybooksand papers,andtheycontainednomoreknowledgethan amancouldforget.Hetookthissackwithhimand, inaddition,ablanket,whichhechosebecauseitwas easy to keepclean.All the other things with which he had surroundedhimself,heleft behind and gave them awaywithonesentenceofregretandthefivesentencesofconsent. Thiswastheeasyforfeit. Butheisknowntohavemadeanotherforfeitthat wasmuchmoredifficult.Whenhewasmovingfrom one hiding place to the next,he again spent some time 69 inalargehouse.There,shortlybeforethebloody troubles consumedhim,ashehadforeseen,hegave away his blanket for amore valuable one orfor many blankets, and he also gave away the sack with one sentence of regret andthefive sentences of consent, just ashealsoforgothiswisdom,sothattheobliteration wascomplete. Thiswasthemoredifficultforfeit. 7 0 [Signs of good living] Mr.Keuner saw an old, beautifully worked chair somewhereandboughtit.Hesaid:"Ihopetohaveafew insightsifIreflectonhowalifewouldhavetobe arrangedsothatachairlikethatwouldnotevenbe remarked on or there would be nothing disgraceful or vrtousintakng pleasureinit. "Some philosophers,"said Mr.Keuner,"have posed thequestionofwhatalifewouldhavetolooklike which always allowed itself to be guided in critical situationsbythelatesthitsong.Ifwehadagoodlifein ourhands,wewouldindeedrequireneithergreat motivesnorverywiseadviceandthewholedifficult businessof makingchoiceswouldbeatanend,"said Mr.Keuner,fullofrespectforthisquestion. 7 1[Abouttruth] Deep,thestudent,cametoMr.Keuner,thethinking man,andsaid:"Iwanttoknowthetruth." "Which truth? The truth is well known. Do you want toknowthetruthaboutthefishtrade?Oraboutthe taxsystem?If,becausetheytellyouthetruthabout the fish trade, you no longer pay a high price for their fish, you willnever know the truth,"saidMr.Keuner. 7 2 Love of whom? It was said the actress Z. killedherself out ofunhappy love.Mr.Keunersaid:"She killedherselfout oflove of herself.Atanyrate,shecannothavelovedX.Otherwise,she would hardlyhave done that to him.Love is thedesiretogive,nottoreceive,something.Loveis theartofproducingsomethingwiththeother'stalents.Forthat,onerequirestheother'srespect andaffection.It is alwayspossible to obtain that. The excessivedesiretobelovedhasverylittletodowithreal love.Thereisalwayssomethingsuicidalaboutselflove." 73 Who knowswhom? Mr.Keunerquestionedtwowomenabouttheirhusbands. Thefirstgavethe following information: "I livedwithhim fortwentyyears.We sleptinthe sameroomandinthesamebed.Weateourmeals together.He told me about allhis business deals.Igot to knowhis parents and frequentlymet all his friends. Iknewallhisillnesses,theonesheknewaboutand severalmorebesides.Ofallthosewhoknowhim,I am theonewhoknowshimbest. " "Youknow him, therefore?"askedMr.Keuner. "Iknowhim. " Mr.Keuneraskedasecondwomanaboutherhusband.Shegavethefollowinginformation: "Oftenhedidnotcomehereforalongtime,andI neverknewwhetherhewouldcomehereagain.He hasnotcomehereforoneyearnow.Idonotknow whetherhewillcomehereagain.Idonotknow whether he comes here from well-to-do houses or from theharboralleys.Iliveinawell-to-dohouse.Who knowswhetherhewouldcometomeinapoorone? Hetellsmenothing,hetalkstomeonlyaboutmy concerns.Theseheknowsverywell.Iknowwhathe is saying, doI know what he is saying?When he comes 7 4hereheishungrysometimes,butsometimeshehas eatenhisfill.Buthedoesnotalwayseatwhenheis hungry,andhedoesnotrefusedinnerwhenhehas eatenhisfill.Once,whenhecameherehehada wound.Ibandaged it for him.Once he was carried in. Oncehechasedeveryoneoutofmyhouse.WhenI callhima'darkmaster'helaughsandsays:Ifsomethingis not there, it's dark,but if it'sthere, it'sbright. But sometimes he turns somber at being addressed like this.IdonotknowwhetherIlovehim.I.. . . " "Don't say anymore,"said Mr.Keuner hastily."I can seethatyouknowhim.Nohumanbeingknowsanotherbetterthanyouknowhim. " 7 5 [Thebeststyle] The only thing that Mr. Keuner said about style is this: "Itshouldbequotable.Aquotationisimpersonal. Whicharethebestsons?Thosewhosedeedsmake oneforgetthefather!" 7 6 Mr.Keunerand the doctor Affronted,Dr.S.saidtoMr.Keuner:"Ihavetalked aboutsomuchthatwasunknown.AndIhavenot onlytalked,Ihavealsobeenahealer." "Are theywellknownnow, the thingsyou treated?" askedMr.Keuner. S. said:"No.""Itisbetter,"saidMr.Keunerquickly, "fortheunknowntoremainunknownthanforthe numberofsecretstobeincreased." 77 [Alike better than diferent] Itisnot that peoplearedifferent that is agoodthing, but that theyarealike.Thosewho arealikegetalong. Thosewhoaredifferentgetbored. 7 8 [The thinking man andthe false student] A false student came to Mr.Keuner, the thinking man, andtoldhim:"InAmericathereisacalfwithfive heads.Whatdoyousaytothat?"Mr.Keunersaid:"I don'tsay anything." The false student was pleasedand said:"Thewiseryouwere,the more youwouldbeable tosayaboutit." Thestupidmanexpectsmuch.Thethinkingman sayslittle. 7 9[Onhaving astance] Wisdomisone consequenceofhaving a stance.Since wisdomisnotthegoalofhavingastance,it cannot persuade anyonetoimitatethestance. You will not eat the wayI eat.But if you eat the way Ieat,thatwillbeofusetoyou. WhatImeanisthis:itmaywellbethatastance leads to deeds. But you must organize what is required sothatit doesindeed becomethecase. Ioftenobserve,saysthethinkingman,thatIhave myfather'sstance.ButIdonotdowhatmyfather does.Whyaremydeedsdifferentthanhis?Because whatisnecessaryisdifferent.ButIobservethatthe stance endures longer than the form of action: it resists whatisrequired. Therearesomewhocanonlydoonethingsoas nottoloseface.Sincetheycannotadj usttowhatis required,theycan easilygounder.But someonewho hasastancecandomanythingswithoutlosingface. 80 [WhatMr.Keuner wasagainst] Mr.Keunerwasnotinfavorofleave-taking,notin favor of greetings, not in favor of anniversaries, not in favor ofparties,not in favorofcompletinga task,not in favorof beginning anewphaseinone's life,notin favor ofsettlingaccounts,not in favor of revenge, not infavorofdefinitivejudgments. 8 1 [On withstandingstorms] "As the thinking man was overtaken by a great storm, hewassittinginabigcarandtookupalotof space. Thefirstthinghedidwastogetoutofhiscar.The secondwastotakeoffhisjacket.Thethirdwastolie down on the ground. Thus reduced to his smallest size he withstood the storm." Reading this, Mr. Keuner said: "Itishelpfultoadopttheviewsofothersaboutoneself. Otherwise,oneisnotunderstood." 82 [Mr.Keuner'sI l lness] "Why are you ill?" people asked Mr.Keuner."Because the state is not right,"he replied."That's whythe way Iliveisnotrightandsomethingisgoingwrongwith mykidneys,mymuscles,andmyheart. "WhenIentercities,everythingiseitherfasteror slowerthanIam.Ispeakonlyto those who are speaking and listen only when everyone is listening.All the profitof mytime comesfrom uncertainty;there is no profitincertainty,exceptwhenonlyonepersonpossessesit." 8 3Incorruptibility Tothequestionofhowamancouldbetrainedtobe incorruptible,Mr.Keunerreplied:"Bygivinghim enough to eat. " To the question ofhowaman can be induced to make good suggestions, Mr. Keuner replied: "Bymakingsurethathesharesinthebenefitsofhis suggestionsandthathecannotattaintheseadvantagesinanyother way, thatisto say, alone." 8 4[Aquestion of guilt] AwomanstudentcomplainedaboutMr.Keuner's treacherous character. "Perhaps,"he defended himself,"your beautyis too quicklynoticed and too quicklyforgotten.At any rate, whoelsebutyouandImustbetoblameforthat?" and heremindedher of what was required when drivingacar. 8 5[Therole offeel ings] Mr.Keunerwasin the country with his small son. One moring,hecameuponhimcryinginacomerofthe garden.Heinquiredas to the cause of the unhappiness, wastoldit,andcontinuedhisway.Butwhenonhis returntheboywasstillcrying,Mr.Keunercalledhim overandsaidtohim:"Whatisthepointofweeping when there is such a strong wind that it is impossible to hearanythingatall?"Theboyhesitated,understood thelogicofwhathadbeensaid,andreturnedtohis heap ofsand without showingany frther feelings. 86 About youngKeuner SomeonetoldastoryaboutyoungKeuner,howone morninghehadheardhimtellagirlwhomheliked verymuch:" Idreamt of you lastnight.Youwerevery sensible." 8 7[Extravagance] The thinking man often rebuked his girlfriend because ofherextravagance.Once hediscoveredfour pairsof shoes in her room."Ialso have fourdifferentkindsof feet,"sheexcusedherself. Thethinkingmanlaughedandasked:"Sowhatdo you do, when onepairisworn out?" At that, she realizedhewasnotyetquiteinthepictureandsaid,"I made a mistake, I have five different kinds of feet." With thatthethinkng manwasfinallyin thepicture. 8 8[Serantor master] "Whoeverdoesnotattendtohimself,ensuresthat otherswillattendtohim.Heisa servant oramaster. Aservantandamasterarehardlydistinguishable, excepttoservantsandmasters,"saidMr.Keuner,the thinkngman. "Sothemanwhoattendstohimselfis ontheright path?" "Whoever attends to himself, attends to nothing. He istheservantof nothing and themasterofnothing." "Sothemanwhodoesnotattendtohimselfison therightpath?" "Yes, if hegives no cause for others to attend to him; that is, attend to nothing and serve nothing that is not themselves, or are masters of nothing that is not themselves,"saidMr.Keuner,thethinkngman,laughing. 89 [An aristocratic stance] Mr.Keunersaid:"I,too,onceadoptedanaristocratic stance(youknow:erect,upright,andproud,head thrownback).Iwasstandinginrisingwateratthe time.Iadoptedthisstancewhenit rosetomychin." 90 [Onthe devel opment of thebigcities] Therearemanywhobelievethatinfuturethegreat citiesorfactoriescouldassumeevergreater,indeed ultimatelyimmeasurabledimensions.Somefearthis andothersplacetheirhopesinit.Thereis,however, no reliable means of establishing the truth of the matter.ThusMr.Keunerproposed,atleastforaslongas one was stillalive,to more or lessdisregardthisdevelopment;thatis,nottobehaveasifthecitiesandfactoriescouldgetoutofcontrol."Asitdevelops,everythingseemstoreckononeternity.Whowouldrisk somehowrestrictingtheelephant,whosesizeleaves thatofthecalfbehind?Andyetitonlygrowslarger thanacalfbutnotlargerthananelephant." 91Onsystems "Manyerrors,"saidMr.K. ,"arisebecausethosewho are talkingarenot interruptedatall or not frequently enough.Thusthereeasilyarisesadeceptivewhole, whichsinceitiswhole,whichnoonecandeny,also appearstobetruein itsindividualparts,althoughin facttheyareonlytrueaspartsofthewhole. "Many inconveniences arise or persist because after harmfulhabitshavebeeneradicated,anall-too-permanentsubstituteisprovidedtosatisfthecontinuing need for them, which stillexists.Enjoymentitself producestheneed.Letmeexpressitintermsofa metaphor:for such people who,because they are frail, feel a needto sit agreatdeal, benchesof snow should beerectedinwinter,sothatinspring,whenyoung peoplehavebecomestrongerandtheoldhavedied, the bencheslikewisedisappear withoutanymeasures havingtobetaken." 92 Architecture At a time when petit-bourgeois conceptions of art prevailedinthegovernment, G.Keunerwasaskedbyan architectwhetherheshouldtakeonabigconstruction contract."The errors and compromises in our art will remain standing for hundreds of years! " exclaimed thedesperateman.G.Keunerreplied:"Notanymore. Sincethetremendousdevelopmentinmeansofdestruction,yourbuildingsarenomorethanexperiments, not very binding recommendations. Visual aids forpopulardebates.Andasfortheuglylittleembellishments,thelittlepillars,etc.,putthemupinsuch asuperfuous waythatapickaxcanswiftlyallowthe bigpurelines tocome into theirown.Putyourtrust inourpeople,inrapiddevelopment!" 93 Apparatusandpary When, afterStalin'sdeath, the partywaspreparingto launchintoaperiodofnewproductivity,therewere manywhocried out:"Wedon'thave aparty,onlyan apparatus. Down with the apparatus!"G. Keuner said: "Theapparatusisthebonestructureofadministrationandoftheexerciseofpower.Fortoolongyou have seen only a skeleton. Don't pull everything down now. When you have managed to add muscles, nerves, andorgans,theskeletonwillnolongerbevisible." 9 4Angerandadvice Mr.Keuner said:"It is difficult to give those with whom oneisangryanyadvice.Itis,however,particularly necessary,becausetheyareinparticularneedofit." Mr.Keuner andexercises AfriendtoldMr.Keuner thathewasmuchhealthier eversincehehadpickedallthecherriesfromabig treeinthegardeninautumn.Hehadcrawledtothe endofthebranchesandthegreatvarietyofmovements,thereachingoutandreachingup,musthave donehimgood. "Did you eat the cherries?" asked Mr. Keuner. And on receivinganafirmativeanswer,hesaid:"Thatisthe kindofphysicalexerciseIwould alsopermitmyself." 9 6 Mr.Keuner-andMr.Brecht; or,Etiquetteindarktimes Marti nChal mers " Hewhobearsknowledgehasonly onevirtue: that hebearsknowledge, " saidMr.Keuner. The fctional character of Mr. Keuner, "thethinking man, " andthestoriestoldbyorabouthim, originatedinthe second half of the1 920s.Anumber of the theater projects thatBertoltBrecht( 1 898-1956)wasworkingonatthis timei ncluded afigurewhocommentsonthemotivesof theotherprotagonistsorontheacti on. Someofthe projects were not completed, and Brecht detached a numberof thesebrief commentaryfragmentsfromthedramaticcontext,reworkedthem so that they coul d stand i ndependently,andwrotenewpiecesof asimilarkind.Thesebecame the Stories o(Mr.Kezmer,the first eleven of which werepublished in1930.Although they werenow autonomouspiecesof prose,theysharedthe(Marxist) didacticpurposethathad cometoshapeBrecht'splays and most werecast, explicitly or implicitly,asdial ogues. Brecht continued adding to these Keuner stories. A furthergroupappearedi n1932(al though othersremained unpubl ished)and more were wri ttenduringhis years of exile from Germany from1 933.Onelarge group,includingaportionofthosewhichhadalreadyappearedi n 9 7pr i nt before1 933, madeupt hefi nal sect i onof Kalendergeschichten[Al manacStories] ,ananthologyof Brecht'spoetryandprosepublishedi nEastandWest Germany in the late1 940s.The collection was frequently reprinted during the1 950s and after.It laidthe basis for theappreciationof Brechtasapopular,modernclassic German authorandnot only asadramatist(and writer of Te Treepenny Opera) and theorist of drama. The thirnineKeuner stories published i n Kalendergeschichten,despitethei r brevity,playedaconsiderablepartinestablishingthisreputation.Someoftheshorter,aphoristic piecesinthisselection,notably"MeetingAgain"[Das Wiedersehen] have entered the German langage as popularsayi ngs: Aman whohadnot seenMr.K.foralong time greetedhi m withthe words: "Youhaven' t changed abit. ""Oh! " said Mr.K.and turnedpale.Clearly,"MeetingAgai n"isnotastoryi ntheusual literary sense, nor aremost of the other eighty-six pieces in the present volume. Where they often come closest to "stories" is in the colloquial sense of "tell me a story"(or aj oke),because they are brief enough to be remembered and retold. They share this propery with poetry, of course, althoughthisis not thei r only poetic quality.Brecht presumablychosetheterm"stories"[Geschichten]because he wanted to leave open what hecould do with the character ofMr.Keuner."Stories"wassimply themostflexible, least prescriptive categorization for pieces that range fromthe anecdotalandtheaphoristic,such as "Meeting Again, "to the parable. 9 8Brevity andcompression are the most immediately evident features of theKeuner stories.This helpsthemto be memorable.At the same time,sincethey are written in a very laconic,lapidary prose,brevity lends them an enigmaticquali ty,enhancingthedialecticalpuzzleswith which Brecht frequently presents the reader. He intended thesepieces(likemuchof his poetry)to be"useful"and "accessible"buthedidnotnecessarilyprovideeasyanswers. Brechtwrotemanymemorablelines,buthewas rarely asloganeer.(Only inthecaseof someof hisantiNazi poems and stories does the reader today feela shortfal li n Brecht'sl iterary imagi nationand intellectualand political acuit-a dropping of standards governed by the needtokeepon providing materialforthefightagainst Nazi sm on theone hand and by theinadequacy of most analysesof the Nazi regime on theother. ) More generally,with respect to the Keuner stories, it is also the case that German literatre more easily accepts a variety of shortandfragmentaryproseformsthandoes English-language literatre, which tends toward relatively fixednotionsofthenovel, theshortstory,andsoon. Thisdiversity andtoleranceof shortformswasperhaps convenient for Brecht who, i t seems,easily got bored (or cultivatedboredomasamanner) . Asearlyasthemid-1 920s"Brecht concludesthat he can't ' sit still, 'he finds writing prose hard.Poetry matters more to him and even more so the always dominant plays,for the sake of which proseisfrequentlyputaside,eventhoughhealsotime andagain comes back to i t. " (Berg/jeske)"Timeandagain comes back to it"-as with the Keuner stories.Still, Brecht, who wassomething of aliteraryscholar(thesourceshe 9 9drew on or adapted inhispoetry ranged fromtheGreek andLatin classicsto those of China and Japan by way of Luther'sGermantranslationof theBible)no doubthad specific models i n German literatre i n mind as the cycle grew larger.Formsof succinctprosedesigned tomakea point developedinthecourseof thebaroque erainthe l atterpartoft heseventeenthcentury( thenovel i st Grimmelshausenwasan exponent,fromwhomBrecht tookthestoryofMotherCourge) .Thesesubsequently becameafeatreof popular almanacs, and thus oneof the fewtypesof wri ting to beread by the poorer classes intheeighteenthandearlynineteenthcentries.This wasa" useful "l i terature, todaymostfami l i arfrom anthologiesoftheworkof JohannPeterHebel,which combined tales of wonder and of fatefl retribution with anecdotalreflectionsonthehonesty(or not)of j udges, on honor(orthelack of it)among thieves,allof it done withaneyeto memorabilityand(moral)instruction. It wasresolutely plebeianandantiheroicanddidnotbow down to the established order. Brecht, therefore, was both explicitly establishing alink withapopulartraditionas well as underlining his literary-political i ntentions when hecalledhisfirstnew book to bepublishedinGermany after the war Almanac Stories[Kalendergeschichten] . Thename" Keuner"isprobablynotachanceappellation, either. As early as 1930 and 1 931,Brecht's friend, the critic and writer Walter Benjamin, gave two interpretations of thesignificanceof thename. (Brechthimself,admittedly, does not appear to have made any explicit comment. ) First, i n a radio talk, Benj amin saw the name as deriving from theGreek wordkeunos,meaning "thegeneral,con-1 00 cerning orperaining to everone";of etymologically rel atedwords,koinemeans(inancientGreek)"everyday speech"and koinon refersto thepoliticalcommunity.I n short,allthesetermspointt o whatissharedorunderstood by people in common.Benj amin's second interpretationalsoinvolvesaGreekreference. Heproposesthat "Keuner, "whichassuchhasnoparticular significance, comesfromtheGermankeiner-noone.( "Keuner, "apparently, was a mispronundation by one of Brecht's schoolteachers. )Ontheonehand,thissuggestsanonspecific person,withoutparicular qualities,nomorethanadialogic-dialectical medium or mediator.Benj amin,however, also refers"no one" or "no man" to the reply that Odysseus givestheblindedone-eyedcyclops,Polyphemus,ashe escapesfromthegiant'scave.Thatistosay,continues Benj amin, Keuner(askeiner or "no one"or"noman")in thecaveoftheone-eyedmonsterofthe"classstate"is both"aman of many devces" like Odysseus and,like him,is"muchtraveled"and"muchenduri ng. "Thename Keuner,in this interpretation, is itself a rse, a devce, even camouflage for the"no man" undermining theclass state fromwithin, seemingly accommodating to force, as does Mr.Eggersin"MeasuresAgainstPower, " orsurvivi ng storms by making himsel f small, as does the thinking man in"OnWithstanding Storms. " Brecht worked on theKeuner storiesfor almostthi rty years.They consti tute a strand of commentar, even selfcommentary,within his writing,parallelto and overl apping withother strandsinvariousmodes,proseorpoetry.Thestoriesdrawonandaddresspoliticalandaestheticissuesand, notleast,questionsof behavior;they 1 01 areaguidefromtheperspectiveoftherevolutionary writer.PerhapsevenaguidealsocomposedforBrecht's ownuse,asoneauthorhassuggested: "I tseemsthat [Brecht] tried to subj ect [his privatelife]to somerulesof conduct.Theserulesaresetdowni ntheStoriesof Mr Keuner. " (Wei deli) Nevertheless,whatevertheoriginalmaterialorthe occasionthatpromptedapiece,Brechtinvariablyabstractsfromhis startingpointandformulatesthestory i nasgeneralawayaspossible-general,butalsoconcrete.As useful to the(politically aware) reader,perhaps, asa succinct asidein aplay might beto atheatergoer. Foralltheir brevity-many nomorethan afewl ines, mostlessthan half apage-and thei r degreeof abstraction,theKeuner storiescanalso beread asmediated reflections by Brecht on his own life,asrefracted fragments of an autobiography,albei t withreservations.Consider, for example,thethemeof exile,whichisprominentin the stories.Brecht fed Germanyat the end of Febrary 1933, narrowly escaping the wave of arrests of leftists that followedtheReichstagfire.HewentfirsttoDenmark, then to Sweden andFinland,beforetraveling across the SovietUnionin May and June1941to reach theUnited States, where he j oined the colony of exiled German writers, directors, actors, andothersinSouthernCalifornia.("Onthinking abouthell,Igather/MybrotherShelley founditwasaplace/MuchlikethecityofLondon.I/ Whol ivei nLosAngelesandnoti nLondon/Find,on thinkingaboutHell,thatitmustbe/StillmorelikeLos Angeles"-sobeginsapoem fromthistime. ) Onhisreturnto Europe,after being summoned beforetheHouse 1 02 Un-AmericanActivitiesCommitteeinOctober1 947, Brecht went toSwitzerland, beforeaccepting anofferto setuphisowntheater i nEastBerl i n, capitalofthenascentGermanDemocrati cRepubl i c. Inotherwords, Brechthadagreatdealoffirst-hand experienceof exile and fight.Theseareoftendealt with very directly inhis poetry.Hereisone example, dating fromthemonths afterBrechthadbeenforcedtofleeDenmarkbecauseof German invasion.In a sequence entitled " 1 940" he wrote: Fleeing frommy fell ow-countrymen IhavenowreachedFinland . . . .Curiously I examineamapof thecontinent. Highupin Lapland TowardstheArctic Ican still see asmalldoor. Therearemanyotherexamplesof suchdirectnessi n the poetry Brecht wrote during years when emigrants were "changing countriesmoreoftenthan shoes, "asheputs i t in the great poem"To Posterit. " Exile,however,isalsoali terartheme,ametaphor, oftenforthecondition of thewriter ori ntel lectual .This isespeciallytrueofacultureinwhichwritershavealreadyexperiencedphysicalexileandreflectedonitin thei r work, as was the case with many German writers i n the decades before and after the revolutions of 1 848.(Remember Heine, for example, and his lines written in Paris: " Ithi nk of Germany inthe night,/and all my sleep isput tofight. /Icannotgetmyeyestoclose, /thestreamof burning teardropsflows. ") Furthermore,exileisarecur-1 0 3 ringmotifintheChinesepoetryandphilosophythat Brechthad begun toread intensively(in translation) i n thel ate1920s.WalterBenj aminplayfullycommented onMr.Keuner's"Chi nesefeatures"; lessobliquelythe critic Hans Mayer suggested that "in Chinese art and philosophy the student[i . e. , Brecht]found thatunit of the pedagogicandtheartistic,whichhehad long aspired to. "Indeed,exile wasatopic forBrecht,even beforeexile wasforceduponhim. AsWalter Benj aminnoted,however,"the fighter for the exploited class is an emigrant in his own land. "Already i n 1930 Benj amin discered a knd of crypto-emigrationi mpliciti nBrecht'swork.Itcould be seen,he wrote,as "the preliminary form of real[emigration] ;it wasalso apreliminary form of illegality. "In addition,itshouldbeborneinmindthattheWeimar Republic, during which Brecht made his name as a writer, lastedamerefourteenyears.Eveninitsbestdayseconomicandpoliticalinstabilitywasneverfar away,and eight of its yearssaw various combinations of runaway inflation,businesscollapse,and creeping civil war. "The TwoForfeits, " one of the Keuner stories i n which thecostsofpoli ticaloppositionandofexilearemost starkly delineated-ultimately, the writer or thinker pays the price of being "obliterated"for a long time to comeappearstohavebeenwrittenin1930. Inthisstory,the thinking man,as he goes into exile, worries that he may try totaketoomany of hispossessionswithhimi nhis newlifeontherun. Herealizes,however,that whathe haschosenamounts,afterall,to"nomorethanaman couldcarryandnomorethanamancouldgiveaway. Thenthethinking manheaved asighof relief andasked 1 04 that these things be putina sack for him,and they were principally books and papers, and they contained no more knowl edgethanamancouldforget . . . .Al l theother things . . .heleftbehindandgavethemaway withone sentence of regret and the five sentences of consent. " Brechttypicallyre-used,re-worked,and adaptedtopicsandmaterialsindifferentcontexts. Morethanmost authorshewasengagedinanever-endi ngwork-i nprogress. Completeness,completionwereabhorrentto hi m.Here isashort poemfromthe l ate 1 930s that echoes the sentiment in"The TwoForfeits. " Unlike some of the exile poems mentioned or quoted above, and despite the use of the personal pronoun, it approaches the theme withthe impersonalityof the Keuner pieces. Te Noteof Needing Iknow many whorunfrompill ar to post with a note Onwhichis written everything theyneed. He,to whom the note is shown,says:that'salot . Buthewhohaswrittenitsays:that'sthe very least.There is one, though,who proudly showshis note On whichthere is little. Like this poem,theKeuner stories wouldnot"work, " at least notin the same way,if they could be unambiguously reduced to autobiographical incident.Consider the aphoristic"TwoCities, "forexample,probablywri tten in the l ate 1940s and, perhaps signi ficantly,placed as the penultimateKeunerstoryintheselectionpublishedin Kalendergeschichten: 1 05 Mr.K.preferred city Bto cityA."I ncityA, " he said,"theyloveme,but i n city Bthey were friendly tome.In city Athey made themselves useful tome, buti n city Bthey neededme.In city Atheyi nvited me to j oi n them at table,butincity Bthey i nvited me intothe kitchen. " One ofBrecht's biographers (Schumacher) has suggested thatthispiecereflectshowBrechtassessedhisreturnto Berlinin 1949afer he had directed a play in Zurich.That maybetrue,butinitsabstraction,it speaks,rather,of a wider problem or dilemma affecting emigre German writersandi ntellectualsafter1945.Wheretheexileshould "return"towasnotaneasyquestiontoanswer:stayin America(orBritain) ,go back toEuropebutnottoGermany,gotoaGerman-speaking countrybutnottoGermany,go back to Germany but,then,which Germany,as the Cold War barriers between East and West became ever moresolid?Intheend,aswe know,Brechtacceptedan offertoestablishhisowntheater inEastBerlin. But that wasnoforegoneconclusion,even though today,thanks to the success and influence of the company he set up, the Berliner Ensemble, he is inextri cably linked to the history ofEastGermany.Brecht,althoughaMarxistsincethe 1920s, had, no doubt wisely,chosen not to spend his exile yearsinthe SovietUnion. Toomanyof hisliteraryand theatricalfriends,collaborators,andcolleaguessuffered or evendisappearedintheStalinist Terror.Nevertheless, in 1949 he made the decision, as had many other intellectuals at the time, that the opportunity to contribute to the building of the "first socialist state on German soil" was a 1 06 worthwhi l eone,thatthenewEastGermanyheldthe promiseof amoreradicalbreakwi ththe traditionsthat hadmade Nazismpossiblethandidthe emergi ngWestern-backedFederalRepublic-althoughBrechtalsotook theprecautionof becomi nganAustriancitizen. I nfact, thehistoricallyandbi ographi callymostdi rectofthe Keunerpieceswere wri ttenin the1950sand refer to the situation in East Germany and the Soviet bloc in general; for instance, "Apparatus and Par, "which begi ns "When, after Stalin'sdeath . . . . " Usually,however,di rectreference toordrawingalesson fromevents inthe newsis not themethodadopted byBrechtintheKeunerstories.Howdo theyfunction, then?Agoodexampleof Brecht'sprocedurei s the very first storyof thepresent volume(andalsothevery fi rst of the earliest published sequence of Keuner stories),the titleof whichistransl atedhereas"What'sWiseAbout the Wise ManIsHis Stance":A philosophy professor came t o see Mr.K.and told himabout his wisdom.After awhile Mr.K. saidto hi m: "Yousit uncomfortably,you talk uncomfortably youthink uncomfortably. " The philosophy professor became angry andsaid:"Ididn't want t o hear anything about myself but about thesubstance of what Iwas talking about. " "I thas no substance, "said Mr.K. "I see youwalking clumsily and,as far asIcansee,you're not getting anyhere.Youtalk obscurely,and you create no light with your talking.Seei ng your stance,I ' mnot interested in what you're getting at. " 1 0 7Mr.K. , thethinkingman, isnotthephilosopheras scholar, unlikethe philosophy professor,whois sketched i n as the traditional type of the absent-minded professor ( "walking clumsily") . The latter is so busy with his thinking thatheisunabletopayattentiontoeveryday matters,but heneverthelessmakeslargeclaims for hi s wisdom.This way of thinking is all too much of an effortforthebody.Itproducesaspeciesof self-torment. The result is obscure formulations, which provide no enlightenment.The philosophy professor's very posture betrays thefact that hehasnothing to say,because he doesnot concernhi mselfwiththerealitiesaroundhimorwith the person to whom he istalking.Mr.K. doesnot rej ect thecontent( "substance")of thephilosophy professor's discourse; rather, he suggests the discourse can only have substanceoncei tislinkedtorealisticbehaviorandactions. "ThroughKeunerthestoryruthlesslydeniesthe dialogue,whichtheprofessorthoughthe wasconducting. "(Knopf)K. 'sreactionsuggeststhattheprofessor's di scour seisnot communi cat i veordi al ogi c, butmonologic; in short, absent-minded, even foolish, because knowledge can only arise through a communication process betweenpeople,about something.Asafinalexampleof Brecht'smethodi ntheKeuner stories,takethe already mentionedand very brief piece " Meeting Again":A man who had notseen Mr.K.for along time greeted him with the words:"Youhaven' t changed abit. ""Oh! "saidMr.K. and turned pale.1 08 Thegreeti ngappears, isnodoubti ntendedtobe friendly,agood-naturedconventionalexpression. Perhaps ataloss for something to say,the" man" encouraginglyimpliesthatMr.K. hasretainedhisyouthfulness, has coped well with the problems and difficultiesof life.Mr.K. 'sresponse ( "Oh! ")is ambiguous, could be consideredpositiveforthesecondof timebeforewereadthe finalwords"andturnedpale. " Thereactionisinfacta negative one.Why does Mr.K.turn pale, why is the greeting notacceptable as a compliment? To answerthat,it is necessary to reflect on what "not changing" would mean; that i s to say, what notlearning wouldmean."MeetingAgai n"isoneoftheearlier Keuner stories . But(i nKnopf'sreadi ng)itspurpose(refl ectiononwhat lack of changemeans)is givenparticular force by its pos i t i onast hefi nal texti nt hepostwarcol l ect i on Kalendergeschichten-which would be t he first time most readers encountered Mr.Keuner. Now the greeter's words would also suggest, more specifically and concretely,that fasci sm, exile,andwar hadleftnomarkon Mr.K. ,who has returned to Germany.I n other words, the polite courteousphraseconcealsextremediscourtesy.Whathappened"in between"( 1 933-1945)wasnot soimportant, can beforgottenor atleastputaside. I t'stime toreturn tobusinessasusual .Anditwasperhapsnotleastthis atmosphere of a return to normality(and the promise of futureprosperity)inWestGermanythatpromptedMr. Keuner (andMr.Brecht-r was ittheother way round?) to goeast assomanyof hisfellow Germans weredeciding to gowest.1 09 References WalterBenjamin,"BertBrecht."Originallyaradiotalkgivenin 1930.Publishedinvol.IIofBenjamin'sGesammelteSchrifen (FrankfurtamMain:Suhrkamp,1980)and inEnglishtranslation byRodneyLivingstoneinWalter Benjamin,SelectedWritings,vol.II, 1927-1934(Cambridge,Mass./London:Harvard UniversityPress,1999),pp.660-667. -."WasistdasepischeTheater(1) . " Probablywrittenin 1931,butnotpublisheduntil1966;invol.IIofBenj amin's GesammelteSchrifen.EnglishtranslationbyAnyaBostockin Walter Benjamin,Understanding Brecht (London: Verso, 1973), pp. 1-13. Gunter Berg and Wolfgang Jeske,Bertolt Brecht (Stuttgart/Weimar: J. B.Metzler,1998) . johannPeterHebel,TheTreasureChest(London:Libris,1994). jan Knopf,"Geschichten vom Herrn Keuner" in Brecht Handbuch: Lyrik,Prosa,Schrifen(Stuttgart/Weimar: j.BMetzler,1996). Hans Mayer, Bertolt Brecht und dieTradition(Pfullingen:Gunther Neske,1961) . ErstSchuhmacher,Leben Brecht(Leipzig:Phillip Reclam,1988). W. Weideli,The Art o(Bertolt Brecht,trans. by Daniel Russell (London:MerlinPress,1963). Transl ati ons Thelinesfrom"ThinkingAboutHell"aretranslated by Nicholas jacobs,those from " 1940"by Sammy McLean;both in Bertolt Brecht,Poems1 91 3-1 956 (London:Methuen,1976) .Thepoem "TheNoteofNeeding"istranslatedbyMartinChalmersand EstherKinsky.Thetranslationofthefirstverseof"Night Thoughts"byHeinrichHeine isbyT.J.Reed. 1 1 0Noteontheedition The present translatonis based ontheGermanpaperbackeditionofGeschichtenvomHerrnKeuner(FrankfurtamMai n:SuhrkampVerlag,1 971 ) .Ihaveslightlyalteredtheorderof the piecesinthatedition toplace those whichBrecht wroteshortly beforehisdeathattheendofthebook. Piecesleftunttledby BrechtweregiventitlesbyhisGermaneditors.Ihaveadopted these,placingtheminbracketsasintheGermanedition. -M. C. 1 1 1