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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 December 2020
Carl Zuckmayer and Heinz Hilpert adapted Hemingway's novel A Farewell to Arms (1929) for the Berlin stage in 1931. The unpublished manuscript of the play “Kat” reveals that the German adaptors, while making several original contributions, relied heavily upon Annemarie Horschitz' translation of A Farewell to Arms (In einem andern Land, 1930). By participating in the dramatization, playwright Zuckmayer sought to win a wider audience for Hemingway; at the same time, he was responding to current trends in the Berlin theater and to the political situation facing the Weimar Republic. Zuckmayer's political consciousness, manifest in the earliest of his successful plays, reached a new level of seriousness in “Kat.” Stepping out from behind his own humorous satire, he permitted Hemingway's endorsement of individual freedom to come to life in the Deutsches Theater at a time when the cause of freedom was being threatened as never before in Germany's history.
1 The original version of A Farewell to Arms was published in 1929. The title of the German dramatization is a shortened form of Catherine, the name of Hemingway's heroine, and also of Käthe (Dorsch), the actress who played Catherine in the stage production.
2 Zuckmayer, A Part of Myself, trans. Richard and Clara Winston (New York: Harcourt, 1970), pp. 317–18. Published originally under the title Als wär's ein Stück von mir (Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer, 1966). According to Zuckmayer, Hemingway was “having fun playing the American hillbilly” and continued his antics throughout the evening. Presented to actress Käthe Dorsch during the intermission, “He squeezed her hand and asked loudly and clearly how much ‘this girl’ charged for a night. Since she understood no English, she thought he had paid her a compliment on her performance. She smiled and gave him a gracious nod. Thereupon he offered her a swallow from the hip flask, which she refused by sign language. We managed to persuade him to leave the dressing room after he had made a firm offer of ‘a hundred dollars and not a cent more.‘ Fortunately she did not understand that either. ... At the end of the evening, which proved a great theatrical hit, the hip flask was empty and Hemingway had to be taken home in a cab. He spent the rest of the night drinking at the Eden Hotel, then took the train back to Paris in the same state in which he had arrived.”
3 Zuckmayer and Hilpert, “Kat: Schauspiel nach Ernest Hemingway” (Hamburg: Georg Marton, n.d.). A typescript copy of the original manuscript. “Kat” has never been published for commercial distribution.
4 “Farewell to Arms: Bühnenfassung des Romans von Ernest Hemingway,” in the Archives of the Deutsches Theater.
5 Hanneman Audre, Ernest Hemingway: A Comprehensive Bibliography (Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 1969), pp. 143–48, 182-83.
6 For a discussion of the reception of Hemingway's fiction in Germany prior to World War ii, see Helmut Papajewski, “The Critical Reception of Hemingway's Works in Germany since 1920,” The Literary Reputation of Hemingway in Europe, ed. Asselineau Roger (New York: New York Univ. Press, 1965), pp. 73–76. See also my Hemingway in Germany (Athens: Ohio Univ. Press, 1973), pp. 3-8.
7 Zuckmayer, “In einem andern Land (Zu: 'Kat'),” Vossische Zeitung, 25 Aug. 1931, Unterhaltungsblatt, p. 1. The English translation is mine. Zuckmayer's letter, along with Annemarie Horschitz' translation of Hemingway's “A Very Short Story,” was reprinted in Blätter des Deutschen Theaters, No. 1 (1931-32), n. pag.
8 In 1925 Hilpert became a chief director in the municipal theaters in Frankfurt am Main.
9 Reindl Ludwig Emanuel, Zuckmayer: Eine Bildbiographie (Munich: Kindler, 1962), pp. 131–32.
10 See Die Spielpläne Max Reinhardts 1905-1930 (Munich: R. Piper, 1930).
11 Hilpert's rehearsal schedule is printed in his production book in the Archives of the Deutsches Theater.
12 This information is from Hilpert's production book and the original theater program for Der Hauptmann von Köpenick in the Archives of the Deutsches Theater.
13 Hilpert, Liebe zum Theater (Berlin: Henschel, 1967), pp. 21–25.
14 Originally from an address delivered by Hilpert in 1942. This excerpt appears in Hilpert, Das Theater ein Leben (St. Gallen: Tschudy, 1961), p. 13. The translation is mine.
15 In his own adaptations—i.e.. Rivalen (What Price Glory?), 1929; “Das Tonwägelchen” (Vasantasena), 1934; Die Unvergessliche (I Remember Mama), 1947; Herbert Engelmann, 1952—Zuckmayer has been much freer with the original texts. For further discussion, see Pauline Steiner and Horst Frenz, “Anderson and Stalling's [sic] What Price Glory? and Carl Zuckmayer's Rivalen,” German Quarterly, 20 (Nov. 1947), 239-51; C. F. W. Behl, “Zuckmayers Hauptmann-Drama,” Deutsche Rundschau, 78 (June 1952), 609-11; Helmut Boeninger, “A Play and Two Authors: Zuckmayer's Version of Hauptmann's 'Herbert Engelmann,' ” Monatshefte, 44 (Nov. 1952), 341-48; Blake Lee Spahr, “A Note on 'Herbert Engelmann.' ” Monatshefte, 46 (Nov. 1954), 339-45; Ingeborg Engelsing-Malek, “Amor fati” in Zuckmayers Dramen, Univ. of California Publications in Modern Philology, No. 61 (Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 1960), p. 140.
16 In a letter to me, dated 17 July 1973, Zuckmayer stated, “We took most of the dialogue literally from Hemingway's book (in German translation by Annemarie Horschitz published by Ernst Rowohlt, then Berlin, today Hamburg-Reinbek), and we followed exactly the line of Hemingway's story.”
17 The following breakdown illustrates primary structural changes:
A Farewell to Arms (1929; rpt. New York: Scribners, 1969; further references are to this edition)
78 pp. Bk. i 12 chs., setting: Gorizia
78 pp. Bk. ii 12 chs., setting: Milan
70 pp. Bk. iii 8 chs., setting: Gorizia, retreat to the Tagliamento River, the Venetian plain
48 pp. Bk. iv 5 chs., setting: Milan, Stresa, Lake Maggiore, Switzerland (border station)
43 pp. Bk. v 4 chs., setting: Switzerland (the mountains near Montreux, Lausanne)
“Kat”
28 pp. Act i 8 scenes, setting: Gorizia
31 pp. Act ii 6 scenes, setting: Gorizia, Milan
34 pp. Act iii 8 scenes, setting: Gorizia, Stresa, Switzerland (border station, mountains near Montreux, Lausanne)
18 Not included from Bk. i are the lyrical introductory chapter with its symbolic descriptions of the changing seasons; Henry's encounter with the deserter in Ch. v; ambulance mechanics Manera and Passini; the battle action, including Passini's death and the wounding of Frederic Henry.
19 Zuckmayer and Hilpert exclude Henry's outings in Milan and make no mention of his contracting jaundice. The following minor characters are omitted: 3 doctors, Mr. and Mrs. Meyers, the war hero Ettore Moretti, American opera singers Ralph Simmons and Edgar Saunders, Crowell Rodgers, Viceconsul McAdams, the British major, and George, the barman.
20 Hemingway, “In Another Country,” Men without Women (New York: Scribners, 1927). In “Kat” the quoted passages read (a) “mit meinem Knie werden Sie nochmal Fussballchampion!” (b) “Man soll sich nie in eine Stellung begeben, in der man Verluste erleiden kann.”
21 Missing are Hemingway's lengthy account of the retreat from Caporetto (Chs. xxvi-xxxii), Frederic Henry's return to Milan, the flight across Lake Maggiore, and the outings near Montreux.
22 A notable alteration occurs in Sc. v. Zuckmayer and Hilpert give names and distinct identities to the rather nondescript Swiss officers in the novel, and while preserving the humor implicit in the original dialogue, they have the officers speak in Swiss dialect (Schwyzerdütsch). Reviewers agreed that this was the most successful exchange in the play, and Sc. v thereby provided Act iii with comic relief similar to that in Sc. v of Act i and Sc. iii of Act ii.
23 Ihering See Herbert, “Siebzig Jahre Deutsches Theater,” 70 Jahre Deutsches Theater, 1883-1953 (Berlin: VEB Berliner Bruckhaus, n.d.), pp. 7–20; Heinrich Braulich, Max Reinhardt: Theater zwischen Traum und Wirklichkeit (Berlin: Henschel, 1966), pp. 12-122.
24 Fröhlich appeared frequently in silent films throughout the 1920's before making the successful transition to sound in 1929; at the time Hilpert recruited him for “Kat,” he was performing the young hero's role in 8 current releases in Germany. Now in his seventies, Fröhlich still engages in part-time acting and directing on the German stage. In Frankfurt's Komödie Theater on 27 May 1974, I spoke with him about his role in “Kat.” Although he enjoyed playing Frederic Henry, Fröhlich stated that in 1931 he was not entirely at ease in the role of a callous, heavy-drinking soldier. One of his favorite recollections, however, concerns the autographed copy of A Farewell to Arms which he received from Hemingway after the opening performance. The inscription reads, “To Gustav Fröhlich—and I hope you didn't ruin your digestion drinking so much tea during that play!” It was Hilpert, according to Fröhlich, who had sole responsibility for the direction of the play, and he credited Zuckmayer for the major part of the adaptation. He remembered clearly the opening scene in the officers' mess and the Swiss border scene from Act iii: “Such scenes,” he observed, “were typical Zuckmayer touches.”
25 The preliminary assignments are listed in Hilpert's production book, but several significant changes occurred before the play opened. Originally, Hilpert indicated Gustav Gründgens would play Rinaldi, Frieda Richard, Miss Van Campen, and Annemarie Seidel, Miss Gage. Sometime before the premiere, Paul Hörbiger took over the role of Rinaldi, Elizabeth Bechtel replaced the well-known Frieda Richard, and Ilse Fürstenberg substituted for Annemarie Seidel.
26 Ihering See, Von Joseph Kainz bis Paula Wessely (Berlin: Verlagsanstalt Hüthig, 1942), pp. 167–69; also Ludwig Berger, Käthe Dorsch (Berlin: Rembrandt, 1957), pp. 7-20. The title role in “Kat” offered Dorsch an outlet for the versatile talent she displayed throughout the 1920's. More specifically, it called for a combination of the “süsse, ganz natürliche Frau” (ii.vi.64) and the noble heroine. It was similar to the role she played successfully in Zuckmayer's Schinderhannes 4 years earlier, and according to Zuckmayer himself, she was eager to play Hemingway's Catherine.
27 Prior to the performance of “Kat,” Hörbiger and Fröhlich had appeared together in the silent film Asphalt (released by Ufa, 12 March 1929) and in the musical Der unsterbliche Lump (Ufa, 22 Feb. 1930).
28 Von Winterstein, who chose to remain in East Germany following World War ii, celebrated his 70th year on the German stage with a special performance in Lessing's Nathan der Weise in the Deutsches Theater in 1959.
29 One year earlier the American dramatization of A Farewell to Arms by Laurence Stallings had met with little success. Produced by A. H. Woods in the National Theater in New York, the play had its premiere on 22 Sept. 1930 and ran for 24 performances.
30 Werner, “Premiere von Gestem,” Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, 2 Sept. 1931, p. 1. The translation is mine. Other reviews of “Kat”: Werner, “'Kat,'” Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, 3 Sept. 1931, Beiblatt, p. 1; Monty Jacobs, “ 'Kat' im Deutschen Theater: Hemingway in Zuckmayers Bühnenform,” Vossische Zeitung, 3 Sept. 1931, Unterhaltungsblatt, p. 3; Willy Haas, “Die Kriegsgeneration und die Kriegsbücher. Aus Anlass der Berliner Uraufführung von Hemingway-Zuckmayers 'Kat,'” Die literarische Welt, 7 (Sept. 1931), n. pag.; Ernst Degner, “Carl Zuckmayer und Heinz Hilpert: 'Kat,' ” Das deutsche Drama in Geschichte und Gegenwart, ed. Richard Elsner (Berlin: Heyer, 1933), IV, 238 (excerpt from a review published in Vorwärts, Sept. 1931); Alfred Kerr, “Zuckmayer und Hilpert, 'Kat' (nach Hemingway). Deutsches Theater,” Berliner Tageblatt, 2 Sept. 1931 (Abendausgabe), p. 4; Kurt Pinthus, “Roman als Drama. ‘Kat’ im Deutschen Theater,” 8-Uhr Abendblatt, Sept. 1931. Pinthus' review has been preserved in the Archives of the Deutsches Theater; specific date and page reference were not available.
31 As quoted from Zuckmayer's Pro Domo by Arnold John Jacobius, Motive und Dramaturgie im Schauspiel Carl Zuckmayers, Schriften zur Literatur, No. 19 (Frankfurt am Main: Athenäum, 1971), p. 45. The translation is mine. —
32 Baker See Carlos, Ernest Hemingway-: A Life Story (New York: Scribners, 1969), pp. 43–45.
33 As quoted from Pro Domo by Jacobius, p. 46. The translation is mine.
34 See Engelsing-Malek, pp. 15, 188, n. Engelsing-Malek alludes briefly to several similarities between Zuckmayer and Hemingway. She is incorrect, however, in stating that “Kat” is a translation of Laurence Stallings' dramatized version of A Farewell to Arms.
35 Zuckmayer, Gesammelte Werke (Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer, 1969), iii.
36 For a fuller discussion of Zuckmayer's depiction of military life, see Bauer Arnold, Carl Zuckmayer, Köpfe des xx. Jahrhunderts, No. 62 (Berlin: Colloquium, 1970), pp. 18–22; and Jacobius, pp. 43-46.
37 See Rühle Günther, Theater fur die Republik, 1917-1933: Im Spiegel der Kritik (Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer, 1967), pp. 25–56.
38 Lind Emil, “Die künstlerische Situation des deutschen Theaters,” Deutsches Bühnen-Jahrbuch: Theatergeschichtliches Jahr- und Adressenbuch, 41 (1930), 59. The translation is mine.
39 Lange See Rudolf, Zuckmayer, Friedrichs Dramatiker des Welttheater, No. 33 (Velber bei Hannover: Friedrich, 1969), p. 33.
40 Friedrich See Otto, Before the Deluge: A Portrait of Berlin in the 1920's (1972; rpt. New York: Avon, 1973), p. 343.
41 See Shirer William L., The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (1959; rpt. New York: Fawcett, 1960), p. 192.
42 During the previous year, pressure from National Socialists forced the German Board of Film Review to ban further showings of All Quiet on the Western Front, an American film based on Erich Maria Remarque's antiwar novel Im Westen Nichts Neues. Zuckmayer opposed the ban in a public address in Berlin on 3 Feb. 1931.
43 Lind, “Theaterwirtschaft,” Deutsches Bühnen-Jahrbuch: Theatergeschichtliches Jahr- und Adressenbuch, 44 (1933), 62.
44 Orlow See Dietrich, The History of the Nazi Party: 1919-1933 (Pittsburgh: Univ. of Pittsburgh Press, 1969), pp. 227–31.
45 “Der Weltbühnen-Prozess,” Die Weltbühne, 27 (Dec. 1931), 810. The translation is mine. For a further discussion of Ossietzky's trial, see Koplin Raimund, Carl von Ossietzky als politischer Publizist (Berlin: Annedore Leber, 1964), pp. 184–205.
46 Apparently, Hemingway himself, a lifelong opponent of fascism, was not in a position to comprehend fully the significance of the production. His conduct during the premiere suggests that he was living up to his public image, which had already caught the fancy of German readers and critics.
47 On Hilpert's direction of the Deutsches Theater from 1933 to 1945, see Ruppel Karl Heinz, Grosses Berliner Theater (Velber bei Hannover: Friedrich, 1962), pp. 8–9; Hans-Geert Falkenberg, Heinz Hilpert: Das Ende einer Epoche (Göttingen: Vanderhoeck, 1968), pp. 9-10; Hans Knudsen, Deutsche Theater-Geschichte, 2nd. ed., rev. (Stuttgart: Alfred Kröner, 1970), pp. 14-15; Ihering, “Siebzig Jahre Deutsches Theater,” p. 19.
48 In 1950 Hilpert founded the Deutsches Theater in Göttingen, where he remained as director until shortly before his death in 1967. He directed the premiere performances of Zuckmayer's Barbara Blomberg (1949), Gesang im Feuerofen (1950), Ulla Winblad (1953), and Die Uhr schlägt Eins (1961).