Death Is My Trade
Encyclopedia
Death Is My Trade is a 1952 French fictionalized biographical novel
by Robert Merle
. The protagonist, Rudolf Lang, was closely based on the real Rudolf Höß
, commandant
of the concentration camp Auschwitz.
. Adolf Eichmann
was renamed Wulfslang, but kept his rank of Obersturmbannführer
(Lieutenant Colonel).
Robert Merle utilized Rudolf Höß’s testimonies, written in jail after his trial, as well as court records from the Nuremberg trials
.
However, he came to the conclusion:
This, however, is an interpretation partly based on psychoanalysis
and probably Merle's desire to explain how a human being could commit Höß' actions. Merle's Lang is an idealised version of Höß, stylised as a tragic persona
.
While it is true that Höß tried in his process to exonerate his subordinates by declaring they did nothing but follow his orders, which he gave following in turn Heinrich Himmler
's orders, there were multiple cases of corruption
in Höß' time as commandant.
Absolutely true, and also backed by Höß' autobiography as well as Jean-Claude Pressac
's Auschwitz: Technique and Operation of the Gas Chambers and The Crematories of Auschwitz is the depiction of Höß/Lang as not especially antisemitic or suffering from hatred to the other target groups of Nazi extermination policy, like gypsies in Porajmos
, Poles or Russians. The "special treatment" (Sonderbehandlung
) was just the execution of an order for Höß or other protagonists of Nazi extermination, like Frank Prüfer who constructed and built the crematories
of Auschwitz, fulfilling an order to the Topf crematories branch.
The literary depiction of the execution of Nazi extermination policy not out of an antisemitic or antiziganist
ideology
, but as the mere fulfilment of orders, using methods of industrial science
to optimise the process to economically leading "units" ( (plural
)) to receive "special treatment" , thereby making objects out of living persons and creating an utter feeling of horror
, may be the greatest achievement of Merle.
as Aus einem deutschen Leben ("From a German life") with Götz George
as Franz Lang (the name "Rudolf" was changed into Franz), directed by Theodor Kotulla.
Biographical novel
The biographical novel is a genre of novel which provides a fictional and usually entertaining account of a person's life. This kind of novel concentrates on the experiences a person had during his lifetime, the people he met and the incidents which occurred are detailed and sometimes...
by Robert Merle
Robert Merle
Robert Merle was a French novelist.-Biography:Born in Tébessa in French Algeria, he moved to France in 1918. A professor of English Literature at several universities, during World War II Merle was conscripted in the French army and assigned as an interpreter to the British Expeditionary Force...
. The protagonist, Rudolf Lang, was closely based on the real Rudolf Höß
Rudolf Höß
Rudolf Franz Ferdinand Höss was an SS-Obersturmbannführer , and from 4 May 1940 to November 1943, the first commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, where it is estimated that more than a million people were murdered...
, commandant
Commandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
of the concentration camp Auschwitz.
Summary
The story begins in 1913, when Lang is 13 years old. His parents give him a harsh catholic education, to which he reacts badly. His unstable father, with whom the young Lang has an awkward relationship, wants him to become a priest. At the age of fifteen, Lang starts a military career which leads in 1943 to the post of commandant of Auschwitz. At first a concentration camp, later an extermination camp, the camp, near town of Auschwitz, was the site of the “slow and clumsy creation of a death factory”. Lang works hard to achieve his mission: to kill as many Jews as possible, disposing of the bodies as efficiently as possible.Differences to the real Rudolf Höß
In his book, Robert Merle renamed Rudolf Höß as Rudolf Lang, his nickname after demobilization from the SSSchutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
. Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
was renamed Wulfslang, but kept his rank of Obersturmbannführer
Obersturmbannführer
Obersturmbannführer was a paramilitary Nazi Party rank used by both the SA and the SS. It was created in May 1933 to fill the need for an additional field grade officer rank above Sturmbannführer as the SA expanded. It became an SS rank at the same time...
(Lieutenant Colonel).
Robert Merle utilized Rudolf Höß’s testimonies, written in jail after his trial, as well as court records from the Nuremberg trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
.
However, he came to the conclusion:
This, however, is an interpretation partly based on psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
and probably Merle's desire to explain how a human being could commit Höß' actions. Merle's Lang is an idealised version of Höß, stylised as a tragic persona
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
.
While it is true that Höß tried in his process to exonerate his subordinates by declaring they did nothing but follow his orders, which he gave following in turn Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
's orders, there were multiple cases of corruption
Corruption
Corruption usually refers to spiritual or moral impurity.Corruption may also refer to:* Corruption , an American crime film* Corruption , a British horror film...
in Höß' time as commandant.
Absolutely true, and also backed by Höß' autobiography as well as Jean-Claude Pressac
Jean-Claude Pressac
Jean-Claude Pressac was a French chemist and pharmacist who later became a published authority on the Holocaust of World War II....
's Auschwitz: Technique and Operation of the Gas Chambers and The Crematories of Auschwitz is the depiction of Höß/Lang as not especially antisemitic or suffering from hatred to the other target groups of Nazi extermination policy, like gypsies in Porajmos
Porajmos
The Porajmos was the attempt made by Nazi Germany, the Independent State of Croatia, Horthy's Hungary and their allies to exterminate the Romani people of Europe during World War II...
, Poles or Russians. The "special treatment" (Sonderbehandlung
Sonderbehandlung
Sonderbehandlung is a German noun meaning special treatment in English, also existing as a verb: sonderbehandeln . While it can refer to any sort of preferential treatment, it is known primarily as a euphemism used by Nazi functionaries and the SS for murder...
) was just the execution of an order for Höß or other protagonists of Nazi extermination, like Frank Prüfer who constructed and built the crematories
Crematory
A crematory is a machine in which cremation takes place. Crematories are usually found in funeral homes, cemeteries, or in stand-alone facilities. A facility which houses the actual cremator units is referred to as a crematorium.-History:Prior to the Industrial Revolution, any cremation which took...
of Auschwitz, fulfilling an order to the Topf crematories branch.
The literary depiction of the execution of Nazi extermination policy not out of an antisemitic or antiziganist
Antiziganism
Antiziganism or Anti-Romanyism is hostility, prejudice or racism directed at the Romani people, also known as Gypsies.As an endogamous culture with a tendency to practise self-segregation, the Romanis have generally resisted assimilation with the indigenous communities of whichever countries they...
ideology
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
, but as the mere fulfilment of orders, using methods of industrial science
Scientific management
Scientific management, also called Taylorism, was a theory of management that analyzed and synthesized workflows. Its main objective was improving economic efficiency, especially labor productivity. It was one of the earliest attempts to apply science to the engineering of processes and to management...
to optimise the process to economically leading "units" ( (plural
Plural
In linguistics, plurality or [a] plural is a concept of quantity representing a value of more-than-one. Typically applied to nouns, a plural word or marker is used to distinguish a value other than the default quantity of a noun, which is typically one...
)) to receive "special treatment" , thereby making objects out of living persons and creating an utter feeling of horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
, may be the greatest achievement of Merle.
Movie
In 1977, the novel was made into a movie in West GermanyWest Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
as Aus einem deutschen Leben ("From a German life") with Götz George
Götz George
Götz George is a German actor, son of actor couple Berta Drews and Heinrich George. His arguably best-known role is that of Duisburg commissar Horst Schimanski in the TV crime series Tatort.-Early years:...
as Franz Lang (the name "Rudolf" was changed into Franz), directed by Theodor Kotulla.
See also
- Second World War
- Auschwitz
- concentration camp
- extermination camp
- ShoahShoahShoah may refer to:*The Holocaust*Shoah , documentary directed by Claude Lanzmann * A Shoah Foundation...