6 - The uses of history: methods of the sixties

Summary

The party's opposition to Der Tag X was made clear to Heym by two recipients of the cyclostyled manuscript: Alfred Kurella (in charge of the Kommission für Fragen der Kultur beim Politbüro (Commission of the Politbureau responsible for Questions of Culture)) and Albert Norden (a member of the Politbüro itself). The latter condemned the book in a letter, the former denounced it vigorously in person. Heym was tempted to believe the observation of his friend and neighbour Jan Petersen, that the recent award of a National Prize (Second Class) was intended as ‘hush-money’ to encourage him not to publish (Nachruf, p. 654). That, however, would seem unlikely. It was well known that Heym allowed nothing to stand in the way of what he wished to see in print, and the award of such a prize could only give him increased respectability. If he had wished, he could certainly have found a western publisher for the manuscript, but he decided to wait for easier political times, and to hope for joint publication in both parts of the nation.

In view of the difficulties presented by contemporary material, it seems only logical that Heym should have turned towards the past for his next novel, Die Papiere des Andreas Lenz.