“My Neighbor” by Urs Von Alex Capus

The young primary school teacher has missed a great opportunity. The “International job placement for Swiss teachers’ offered her a job as a governess of two children in New York. But she gave the single mother – after Humphrey Bogart’s widow Lauren Bacall – a basket and took prefer an English course in Oxford. If she has ever regretted? Certainly not, because on the way to Britain, she met her future husband. Of this we Today do not have something, because their son was born in Normandy in 1961 is, Alex Capus and provides us time and again with such amusing and witty literary stimuli.

1966 attracted mother and son in the provincial town Olten in the canton of Solothurn on the border of Aargau, where Capus today – half a century later, so – is domiciled. But he is therefore already a Olten? Of course not. Between him and this probably only hereditary title of honor are insurmountable obstacles. Even his work (more precisely, “your writing that you as your work designated nest”), then his five boys ( “Even a kid again!” … “Did you actually a factory at home?”) And his undezidierter clothing style ( “just something”) make him great-Olten to a species of special kind Even his first name does not really fit.

Six of his neighbors raise the bar; They welcome all Urs.

But he suffered in this upright circle in “helvetisch-middle-class West End” of Olten already. In the evening we meet on the gravel yard on the outskirts, barbecue, drink beer, tilts to moonshine pear brandy and chat about everything under the sun.

Get quality help now

Marrie pro writer

Verified

Proficient in: Other

5 (204)

“ She followed all my directions. It was really easy to contact her and respond very fast as well. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

What he overheard it – if not the people, then at least speak Urs’ voice – published Capus mixed with own essays from 2,011 to 2,013 as a weekly column in “Stadt Anzeiger Olten” under the title “My neighbor Urs”. Hanser-Verlag now has the texts seventeen gathered in a ribbon.

One knows what to expect from newcomers – has one of the six Urse verbeten in advance any coverage on him , And then there were only five. But his skepticism about a man who watches the neighbors on the mouth, their own views holds against it, and then everything published in black and white, is well founded and is part of a Oltener as the bicycle helmet.

The Olten seeks after perfectionism and risk mitigation (ach was “off any risk Culling eliminate..”); therefore he wears breathable mammoth rain jackets, helmet and gloves when he is away on his bike with dual disc brakes front and rear. The “Lotter Velo” the writer on the other hand builds with its more decorative brakes on “humanity and faith in God” and is therefore neither conform to the system as the tousled hairstyle of Velozipedisten.

Political correctness and fine differentiation respects no one in the Urs-circle. Since Urs, such as the lack of sunlight due to the skin discussed  deficiency Muslim burqa-wearers could be remedied (even nuns are concerned); one Argue via electric bicycles as “outgrowth of mania youth” and the recumbent bicycles only of “pusillanimous, they know better pedant” to be driven; another Urs attracts perk about Chinese one-child parents her that her “idolized elves beings” around the clock “begackern and begluckern” what the suicide rate drives up among Chinese teachers.

A good quarter of about seventeen thousand inhabitants of the interchange are foreigners – Spaniards, Yugoslavs, Italians, Albanians, Turks, Greeks, Belgians, Dutch. Located in the East End and celebrate near the station when “covers the Civil Alt-Olten beyond the Aare his stocking cap and goes to sleep”, and they are frequently the subject of interesting commentary and analysis.

The Urssche core thesis is that connect “the foreigners” especially their mutual hatred. “Xenophobic popular initiatives would have much better chances if the foreigners have voting rights.” They would throw each other out of the country and the Swiss to leave alone. But to “xenophobia of foreigners to correct” the Swiss “fortunately” are still there. They prohibit only what “not too much harm,” such as minarets, “which anyway are hardly any”, and say if it is basically xenophobic, “but after all, just no.” “This is called state political maturity.”

No matter on what topic Urs deal one to five with their neighbors surprises held breath and smile are guaranteed for us listeners. Capus’ dialogue so dry and sharp pointed again that it is laughing; the irony share of course remains difficult to measure, because even non-Urs Capus may well strike Urssche tones. However

The majority of the small text is essayistic nature. Capus plowed Allerweltsthemen from around the world, but all somehow in league with Olten. Furthermore, he talks from the sticks to the baton, weaves facts and episodes from politics, trade and commerce, his family history including leisure and long journeys and proves impressive erudition. Since it verschlug Olten citizens into the distance and into the war, there was a lovable grandfather in France and a personal meeting between the author and Prince Charles and countless other entertaining stories from the other the many Urs could displease, but to be enjoyed with humor.

Charm and stylish smugness make reading for pleasure amusing; we marvel and smile. Capus is unconventional, sometimes sassy, ​​no-gooders, but a likeable, educated and benevolent advocate of freedom and common sense; one who takes back a smile rather than skin on the table. Red pedestrian traffic lights, for example, he ignored like it when far and wide no car in sight. Thus, criticizing the Ursen, he may give children a bad example.

The ideal of “law-abiding citizen” holds Capus countered that children would “be mature, self-responsible citizens” when they learn “to provide its own overview of the actual threat.” And as usual, the Urs discourse extends into funny-abstruse, especially when looking over the fence: People everywhere are still alive, although they disregard Ampelrot (France), or there are no functioning traffic lights (Italy). “Re-education” but it was only in China and Switzerland (and in some way in Germany, where the driver will give full throttle when a pedestrian crosses the road at red).