#AUSTRIAN
WRITER WERNER #KOFLER IN ENGLISH
Werner
Kofler (1947-2011), who wrote collages in the style of Thomas Berhard, was a
witty, sarcastic, uncompromising social critic. How best to describe his
writings? They are, in his own words, “mad creations”, “acts of revenge”, “masterpieces
of innuendo”, “master works of defamation.” But not available in English. How can that be –
why is a great writer like Kofler overlooked, why are English readers deprived
of the prickly pleasure of reading Kofler? Because his works are hard to
translate – too many local references, too many puns and wordplays lost in
translation. Well, I’ll give it a shot. Here is a taste of MANKER. The setting:
A radio play is being taped, and the author gives instructions to, or rather
constantly interrupts, Manker’s reading of the play:
No, Manker, not like this.
Not so fast, Manker, don’t say it as if you were in a hurry. More feeling, more
attention to detail! It’s an inventory, Manker, an inventory of damages. Not
“went in, kicked in the high double doors, flung open” – no, “went in, kicked
in the high double doors, flung open the wings of the door with a
loud crash,” not just the door, Manker, “the wings of the door,” it’s a
door with wings, the door panels suddenly burst open – don’t drone on, Manker, “in
fear and unsettled I,” what are you doing, Manker, more precision, “IN FEAR AND
UNSETTLED – I…,” not so careless, “the green lamp thrust to the ground, its
gentle light extinguished in a flash,” what are you doing? “Thrust to the
ground, the green lamp, its gentle light extinguished in a flash,” why is
it so difficult, so difficult to put emphasis on the gentle light of the green
lamp, extinguished in a flash. The greener the lamp, the lamp on the table, the
gentler the light, the more sudden the extinction, is that so difficult to
convey, gentle light, green lamp, and suddenly – is that so difficult? Such
difficulties already within the first sentences, at the beginning of the first
sentence, the first bars! If we go on like that, it’s going to be a long story,
a lengthy dialogue, we will entertain a one-sided talk, I like to talk, very
much, and preferably at another person’s cost. But this hardly counts as
entertainment, not yet; but soon: we are entertaining ourselves privately. But
let’s go on, Manker – much noise, “where am I, to be murdered by him,” WHERE,
WHERE – not bad, Manker, suddenly retracting WHERE, WHERE, yes, that sounds good,
where, where, he, I – yes, excellent; but now, that’s much too fast, “taken from
the wall,” not enough involvement, taken from the wall, broken with a
single destructive movement, more slowly, Manker, largo appassionato – “broke
with a single destructive movement the heavy, cut-glass wall mirror” – more
slowly and the voice a little fuller, emphasis on the heaviness of the wall
mirror, the destructive movements, the heavy cut-glass mirror broken, in pieces
–“THE MIRROR IN PIECES.” For God’s sake, not so loud, why are you roaring like
that, control yourself, who told you to shout “the mirror in pieces,”
the mirror is already in pieces, why destroy it a second time. No forte,
Manker, nothing in fortissimo,
the-mirror-in-pieces, okay? Two-birds-at-swim, the-mirror-in-pieces,
like that, very simple. It could have been very simple, but no, you had to
shout and smash the mirror a second time! Seven years of bad luck, and that on
top of it; adding insult to injury. I know, I know bad luck rarely happens only
once, but a more respectful handling of the ruined mirror would have been
desirable, Manker. Radio play or not. THE MIRROR IN PIECES! Have you ever heard
anything like that, no one in the whole world has ever heard anything like
that, such a – oh, I don’t know what to call it. I was really looking forward
to the radio play and now this happens, already at the beginning, within the
first sentences, at the first strike, so to speak.
To be continued…
