Re-visiting "Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman" by Friedrich Christian Delius

a new view from Maryom

I always say this - Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman by Friedrich Christian Delius and translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch - is my favourite of all Peirene's books, so I approached a re-read with a little bit of trepidation - would it live up to my expectations or would I be disappointed?
Well, all the aspects I loved first time are still there - the slightly rambling, all-encompassing thoughts of this young German woman as she makes her way across Rome in January 1943. Having travelled from Germany's Baltic coast to join her husband, she's almost immediately been left alone as he was transferred to North Africa. From a pious church-going background, she's used to accepting the opinions of others - first her father's then the dictates of the Hitler Youth leaders - but now she's almost alarmed to discover thoughts of her own, that might not accord with either; her dominant wish, that her husband could find a safe posting in which to serve out the war, doesn't seem at all in keeping with German martial feelings. Rome itself is a bafflement to her; a mix of pagan and Catholic style, it seems exotic and sensual, and nothing in her Lutheran up-bringing has prepared her for it- merely walking unaccompanied through its streets seems an act of daring. 

Other aspects also struck me this time - most importantly Rome itself as more than a mere backdrop, almost a character in its own right; the route taken from Via Alessandro Farnese to Via Sicilia is given in such detail that every step of the way can be followed (on Google maps if not on the ground), and the sights and sounds are there before the reader's 'eye's'. I also was more conscious of the probable future awaiting these expectant parents; even assuming they both survive the war, their prospects are unlikely to be the rosy ones dreamt of.

I intend throughout this coming year to reread all of Peirene's catalogue, so although for now I'd still say this was my favourite my thoughts may change...

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Peirene Press
Genre - Adult Literary Translated Fiction

Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman by Friedrich Christian Delius

"Thought provoking, well designed, short".
review by Maryom

A young German woman, 8 months pregnant with her first child, walks through Rome one sunny afternoon in January 1943 to listen to a musical recital at a church. Is that really it? Well, obviously not.

"Thought provoking, well designed, short", says the slogan on the Peirene catalogue, and this little book most certainly is. In 125 pages we become fully acquainted with this young country girl from Mecklenburg, now living in Rome, frightened at the size and splendour of it, after being left here while her husband has been transferred to N Africa.

In the course of her stroll, her thoughts wander between the past, present and future - the distant pre-war time without bombings and rationing, her fears for her husband at the front and her family suffering from constant air-raids in Germany, her hopes for a quick end to the war and a happy country environment in which to bring up her child.
She travels across the city almost like an explorer. There are safe places of refuge - the hospital run by German nuns where she lives, the church she is going to - but between lies the alien, uncharted city full of incomprehensible Italians. She seems a rather naive, docile young woman, guided first by her father and now by her husband in what she should think and do - it's hard to imagine a young woman of today deferring to others' opinions in the same way. Yet at the same time, she's starting to gain independence, impressing herself with her ability to venture out into this strange city, alone, without a male protector and guide.
So, does it live up to the slogan - most definitely! I'm tempted to liken this to Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway but I've found that likening anything to Virginia Woolf tends to put readers off rather than encourage them. Is it merely the story of one young woman or of a whole generation of people? That's for you to decide but, whichever, it's an excellent book - do read it!


Translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch


Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Peirene Press
Genre - Adult Literary Fiction