“warning! -shouted a Sergeant by opening the door of the living room. Both officers sprang is in strong position. With relaxed step entered a man of old age in naval uniform. Just light unveiled his face, Lorenz acknowledged the Admiral Wilhelm Canaris.” (page 175)
In a simple, entertaining and impeccable way as narration, Raúl Sohr invites us to a journey of memory, by piping almost unknown in the contemporary history of our country. His latest novel “Mahler’s war” contains passages and landscapes that link us as a society to the center of the second world war, in an environment in which the most hidden and persistent of our shadows manifested also be national.
The plot unfolds mostly in the city of Valdivia, in turning a dull and introverted musician, direct relative of Gustav Mahler, whose Jewish origin has forced it to return to the ways of the diaspora of that nation to survive, departing from Vienna to reach in Chile. This on the eve of the war. In Valdivia, a city attached to the German spirit, is received at the beginning of inclusive and warm way by the settlers, people musical and romantic forms of sociability, but emotionally tied, for better or for worse, to events in your country of origin.
In the process, with Hitler’s rise to power as a backdrop, begins to sprout in city virus of nationalist and anti-Semitic bigotry of the nazis, and the protagonist sees as transforms his family and social environment polluted by the arrogance and intolerance . The facts lead him to the point that should choose his own war, when you understand that you will never be as far enough to skip over the dangers that arise from being who is. If you choose not to, you can never live in peace dreams.
Mahler war leads us to the conclusion that the contemporary Chile has never actually been apart from global theatres of war and intrigue, and power, with their vices and virtues always ends up inviting a choice between freedom and the democracy or intolerance and authoritarianism.
It is inevitable to compare passages in the novel, with recent events in our history. For example entrepreneurship making Creole supporters of Hitler, secret and militarizadamente, to support the fleet of German submarines in the waters of the South Pacific, with Colonia Dignidad during Pinochet’s dictatorship. Even in the ambiguity and tolerance of the authorities that occurs in both situations. Or the mood of authoritarian and racist characters with current leaders of the political right of the country hosts.
By the way, a one-sided totalizing view is unfair because there were citizens of German origin, even comers in first generation, who came out to oppose it openly to German Nazism and Creole. Many cases know them firsthand by family ties and have thousands in the country.
But it is effective that Chile, done as a nation largely of immigrants from different epochs, has hidden cultural traits that suddenly emerge with a tragic and overwhelming force in the least intended moments. It is what has happened with the enclave of Villa Baviera and shoots which outlines the novel. As there is also the cultural base of good society founded in hospitality, integration and respect for human rights.
Raúl Sohr novel moves in that atmosphere, and at times was stressed. And his characters, wild and like pure animals, allows not only a very quick and entertaining, but also almost journalistic reading. Sohr narrative is direct as a Chronicle, and that facilitates the emergence of figures such as Admiral Wilhem Franz Canaris flash without that seems neither forced nor excessive. This, of historical significance in the Central theaters of the second world war, lived part of his military gaming in Chile as one of the survivors of the Cruiser Dresden, sunk during the first world war on our shores.
Poured in this op-ed content is the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial line or position of the Counter.
