"The Hondisch Cross Controversy": Taste of Nationalism's Remaining Bitterness
In a departure from her well-known works, Ingeborg Bachmann's latest offering from New Directions, The Honditsch Cross, is a historically-set novella in the turbulent backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars. The narrative unfolds in 1813, as a young theological student returns to his southern Austrian hometown, where French occupation has significantly altered the town's landscape.
Military presence dominates local life, with soldiers frequenting the town's pubs, harassing women, and levying exorbitant fees on farmers. Nationalism, a desperate resort for the townspeople, is directed at both external enemies and internal dissidents.
While not a literal allegory for the war Bachmann was living during, The Honditsch Cross manifests a deep-seated fury toward the dangerous ideological strands connecting the blind nationalism of the 19th century to its 20th-century extreme manifestations. A poignant commentary on the origins of fascism, the novella reflects Bachmann's insightful perspective on the ambiguities, ambivalences, and nostalgic rationalizations of fascism.
With her father serving as a lieutenant in the Wehrmacht, Bachmann's writing is deeply conscious of the complexities surrounding fascism, highlighting how seemingly innocent patriotic feelings can fuel the violent ideologies of another era.
Although penned when Bachmann was only eighteen, the novella's profound examination of ideological ambiguity is a powerful precursor to the themes she continued to explore throughout her literary career, notably the devastating impact of fascism and the burden of historical guilt. A seed of her future works, The Honditsch Cross offers a compelling glimpse into Bachmann's incipient ideas.
The Honditsch Cross (trans. by Tess Lewis) by Ingeborg Bachmann is currently available from New Directions.[Details unspecified in the text]
The historically-set novella, The Honditsch Cross, not only delves into the intricacies of the Napoleonic Wars but also serves as a critique of politics, with its exploration of nationalism and fascism. This powerful piece of entertainment, penned by Ingeborg Bachmann at the tender age of eighteen, also offers a glimpse into the general-news topics that would dominate her future works, including the devastating impact of fascism and the burden of historical guilt.
