Wolfgang Mattheuer, Ein deutscher Lebenslauf (A German CV), 1989, Portfolio containing twelve linocuts and an insert sheet, Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Donation Hartmut Koch
1
A man.
Librarian.
In the film industry. Errand boy.
A man from the GDR.
Now retired,
could travel,
has
some money from an inheritance over there.
2
Spent 40 years in France
and marched
across Europe.
3
Survived the war.
4
Got married,
to a secretary,
whom he met
through a newspaper advert.
5
And became the father
of a daughter.
6
And learnt French.
Through decades of
self-study,
he became bilingual.
7
Calm, passionate,
he became a connoisseur
and master
of the French language
and literature.
And all this at home,
on his own.
8
He was not allowed to travel to the West.
Confined within walls,
into which, now and then,
a lesson from a pen pal
was sent,
this man achieved
remarkable things.
9
Now he’s retired,
has plenty of money,
over there,
so he could travel,
but he doesn’t travel,
doesn’t want to.
It’s too late.
10
He swapped
an allotment
in Berlin
for a Golf,
which he acquired
through the Genex
gift service.
11
He now has his garden;
he never drove a car,
and sows and harvests
peas,
cabbage and berries.
12
And keeps rabbits.
He speaks
French to them.
