Farbbezeichnungen in „Die Pappelchaussee“ von Frank Werner

 

Gerade hatte ich durch Zufall den Gedichtband „Die Pappelchaussee“ von Frank Werner [1] in der Hand. Frank Werner ist Schriftsteller, 1944 geboren und hat meines Wissens nur diesen Band mit Gedichten veröffentlicht. Ich will gar keine tiefschürfende Buchbesprechung schreiben, obwohl mir die Gedichte gefallen haben.

Karl Krolow schrieb über die Prosa von Frank Werner, sie sei „labilisiert bis zum Atmosphärischen, das hervorragend wiedergegeben wird: aufgelöst in sinnliche Wahrnehmungen, die sich gleichsam selbstständig machen.“ (Buchrückseitentext)

Und Karl Krolow schrieb in einem Gedicht: „Jedes Gelb kennt die Geschichte / einer Zitrone“. Und das war bei „Die Pappelchaussee“ von Frank Werner auch der Grund, mich mit den Farbbezeichnungen bei ihm näher zu beschäftigen. Ich meinte, er hätte ein Faible für Gelbtöne. Das wollte ich weiter untersuchen, da mich Farbbezeichnungen interessieren [2].

In den 67 Gedichten des Bandes fand ich 51 Farbbezeichnungen; 41mal Grundfarben, achtmal Spezialfarben und zweimal nicht eindeutig zuzuordnende Farben. Dabei gab es achtmal Rot, achtmal Gelb, fünfmal Grün, zehnmal Blau, viermal Silber, zweimal Gold, dreimal Grau, sechsmal Weiß, zweimal Schwarz, einmal Lila; die Farbbezeichnungen Kirschenrot, Gelbschuppig (mehr als Farbe), Vogelweiß, Vogelschwarz (vielleicht eine Elster), Mondsilber, Aschegelb, Flaschengrün, Seidenblau wurden den Grundfarben zugeordnet. Birnfarben (vielleicht ein Grün, vielleicht ein Gelb, vielleicht ein GelbGrün; möglicherweise auch ein helles Braun), Schwarzsilber (vielleicht glänzendes Schwarz oder vielleicht auch Schwarz mit silbernen Spiegeln).

Also war mein Eindruck mit dem Gelb falsch. Es lohnt sich also, genauer nachzuschauen. Interessant ist, dass Werner meistens mit den Grundfarben in seinen Gedichten malt.
Kirschenrot stammt aus dem Gedicht „Weiterer Verlauf“: „ …; Sommer, gelb / von Harz, kirschenrot. ...“ Die „aschegelben Dächer“ sind „zwischen hier und Samarkand“ verortet. Birnfarben steh im Gedicht „Mandelstams Erscheinung“: „ … als der April / schwamm auf birnfarbenem Holz / ...“.

Was hat mich bewegt in den Gedichten „Die Pappelchaussee“ von Frank Werner? Insbesondere das Gedicht „Der Winter in Samarkand“ und da die beiden Zeilen: „sicher gesäumt von wachsamen Pappeln / wüßte ich den Winter in Samarkand hell“. Ich bin seit der Kindheit von Pappeln fasziniert. Und an Samarkand habe ich schöne Erinnerungen. Nicht das letzte Mal, daß ich in diesem Buch gelesen habe!

Links und Literaturangaben:
[1] Frank Werner: Die Pappelchaussee. Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, Stuttgart 1990. ISBN-13: 9783421065537
[2] https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2020/08/farben-und-farbnamen-version-40.html

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Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Tashkent

I’ve visited the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Tashkent two years ago. The church had been built in 1896. Bishop Kornelius Wiebe welcomed us. He did not speak much German, however, so that his Russian had to be translated. He was announced as a goalless spokesman. In earlier days Tashkent had been the richest / largest city in Turkestan. Katharina, the Great, had brought the Germans to Russia. Before the revolution more Germans than Uzbeks lived in Tashkent. In 1941 the Volga-Germans were resettled to Turkestan, but the Germans from there were resettled to Siberia. In part, they died of cancer after work in the uranium mines (Tajikistan). Approx. 60% of Germans have perished through these measures. The Germans, like the Crimean Tartars, were considered "traitors" after the beginning of the war.

Stalin, however, closed the church already in 1937. The church now has 200 members, rather old people. The liturgy still is in German, while the sermon is held in Russian. When guests come, then it’s also bilingual; e.g. On 19.10. So when three jubilees are celebrated. He's already sitting at the translation. Supposedly the Christians had no disadvantages because of religious affiliation. It had been better for the Germans in Uzbekistan than elsewhere in the USSR during the Soviet period.

There were about 6000-7000 Germans living in Uzbekistan; half of which live in Tashkent. Approximately 5,000 members had emigrated to Germany. In the past, about 20,000 Protestant Christians lived in Tashkent. Contacts also exist with other religious communities. Wiebe had been invited regularly to the Feast of the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha). And he also had been invited by the mufti, who at the time had been to Mecca, to the inauguration of a new mosque. There was ecumenical co-operation with the Orthodox, the Catholic, the Armenian Church and other Protestant communities. There were even common services, most of which are held in the Catholic Church, as they have the largest church.

The German tradition in Uzbekistan is broken, because the richest families were also the first to emigrate. Or previously, they had already migrated within the framework of family reunion, which had been possible even before independence, while such applications had been rejected during the Brezhnew era. Nowadays, Uzbeks are more likely to travel to the US and not to Germany.

It was sad to hear, that Bishop Kornelius Wiebe had passed away last year. He was born into a Mennonite family. His parents were deported from the German autonomous Wolga republic to Urus (Tartar), where Wiebe was born. He later moved to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and back to Uzbekistan. Since 2000, he was the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Uzbekistan, which had been founded in 1993. I remember singing together with him and will honor his memory.

 

The late Bishop Kornelius Wiebe in 2014 

 

The Church

Outside of the Church

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Ferghana Valley

Recently I visited the Ferghana Valley, which is about 300 km long and 110 km broad. Parts of this valley belong to Uzbekistan, others to Tajikistan, and also Kyrgyzstan. It’s a fertile strip of land and heavily populated. I’ve seen cotton, rice, maize, wheat, fruits, and vegetable as crops, but there is even more.

There have been ethnic and border conflicts during the past decade. Recently the region has been quiet.

Crossing the borders isn’t easy. I crossed from Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan and then from Uzbekistan to Tajikistan. Every border took some time, but the personal wasn’t unfriendly.

I had been told and had read in travel guides that the people in the Ferghana Valley are very conservative and photography would be very difficult. So I was quite surprised finding the opposite. The people I’ve seen in Uzbekistan (the other regions weren’t different, but I spend more time in the Uzbekistan part) were very open, friendly and even encouraged photography. I’d like to thank the people of the Ferghana Valley sharing their way of living.

Dealing with spices

From the garden to the market

These two ladies liked their job and even made a present of tomatoes and garden cucumbers

These two ladies were on their way to do some shopping

A very proud grandfather

Horses and donkeys are still used for transport

 From times gone by - this 14 years old guy looks as sinister as planning the death of his father

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Sewer Pipes in Central Asia

There is a distinct difference to sewer pipes in Central Asia, when you compare these to pipes in Europe or America. The pipes have a much small diameter and therefore are prone to obstruction. Therefore in private homes as well as in hotels you are advised to not throw waste paper into the toilet but into a basket provided.

However, some sign boards are strange indeed.

 

Of course, they forgot to mention Kalashnikovs and 

aircraft carriers ...

 

OK, the pictures are clear ...

White Wedding in Central Asia

Since a visit to Guangzhou (广州), where I've watched the steady come and go of newly weds with their photographer from sitting at a Starbucks sipping at my coffee, I am interested in the phenomenon. And I've seen people taking white wedding photographs all over the world.

Lining up for photographs

A happy couple waiting for their turn

Doesn't this happy woman make your day?

 Needless to say I looked out, when and where couples were to be seen. Oh, Turkmenistan. I nearly forgot Turkmenistan. It's forbidden in Turkmenistan to take photographs of weddings, at least tourists aren't allowed to take pictures. Besides the streets of Ashgabat are as empty as a ghost town.

But already in Khiva, the first town I've visited in Uzbekistan, I could see, that white weddings are en vogue in Uzbekistan.

Wedding planning in Khiva

Wedding photography near Lyabi Hauz in Bukhara

Then it took a while until I chanced upon a white wedding, but I saw a couple in Tashkent, who was nice enough to let me take the photograph: it had been pitch dark and the flash wasn't as good as needed, I have to admit.

Wedding in Tashkent

In Kyrgyzstan couples go to Freedom Square (commemorating World War II) to place some flowers at the monument have their pictures taken.

Freedom Square with the Yurt

A couple with the photographer taking a video

You will notice that also the white wedding is established in the Muslim world, at least in Central Asia.

Transportation in Central Asia

Central Asia has all the modern forms of transport and I'll also show some of these, but even more interesting are the more traditional form that have survived there. In the West we'll might have to use these again in a few decades.

Trucks and Tractors

You can see all kind of trucks, ultra modern and some that had already seen better days.

And the kind of tractor, you need a traktorist for.

That's a truck in the Kyzyl Kum - good Tyres!

A tractor in Kyrgyzstan

This one is used at a cotton plantation in Uzbekistan

Trains

On several occasions I could see trains. I shouldn’t have taken pictures, but here are some.

Driving through the desert

Guarded railroad crossing en route to Tashkent

Trains in Kazakhstan

Metro

The metros of Tashkent and Almaty resemble the metros in Kiew, Pyongyang and of course Moscow. In Tashkent it's forbidden to take pictures in the underground. In Almaty one cannot take pictures of the ticket (better token) booth, but the young women in there looked like in the song "Lovely Rita" by the The Beatles. I thought it strange that they have to wear uniform to sell tokens.

Deep down below the surface, though not as deep as in a coal mine

To give you an idea on the token sellers

Nice, clean, not much traffic

Interior view

Metro entrance near the university in Tashkent

Trams

Almaty also has a tram service.

Trolleys

Bishkek and Almaty have trolleys.

Donkey carts and horse carts

Donkey carts and horse carts are heavily in use in rural areas.

Even in bigger cities!

Odds and ends

There are some means of transportation, that shouldn't be omitted.

Stretch limos are in use!

A tricart

Porters with carts at the bazaar

It doesn't seem to be very heavy