![]() In 1965, an American folk singer in effect adapted the brilliant central comic conceit in the novel into a story song about a Massachusetts hippie seeking to dodge the draft and having to serve in the Vietnam War. ![]() She remained married to him throughout her life, even though they never lived together as man and wife. Being married to Auden gave her a British passport, got her out of Germany and the army, and very likely saved her life. The dissimulative art of the con-man seemed to run in the family. Auden under false pretenses (on both sides) during World War II to avoid having to stay in Germany and serve in the army. ![]() In 1957, Thomas Mann’s novel was turned into a movie, written by Mann’s daughter Erika Mann, a lesbian artist who had married the gay poet W.H. The novel is entitled The Confessions of Felix Krull, Confidence Man. The scene he creates is so absurd as to defy belief, inspire gut-wrenching laughter and finally disqualify him from the army. In the process he pretends that he is entirely pro-military and wants nothing more than to be drafted and serve his country-even promoting the lowly officer up the ranks to that of major before the physical is completed. Krull tries to beat the system by feigning a serious illness (epilepsy) so as to be disqualified from serving. ![]() The greatest German novelist of the 20th Century started a novel in 1911 that he didn’t finish until 1954-about a confidence man named Felix Krull who pulls his greatest con against a medical officer in charge of his military physical to process him for conscription into the army. THE CONFESSIONS OF ARLO GUTHRIE, CONFIDENCE MAN ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |