Maren Bohm
My book premieres in Bremen take place in this beautiful room of the Central Library.
VITA
Maren Bohm (Dr. Birthe Maren Kreibohm)
Even during my school years, I had a burning interest in literature and religion. After graduating from high school in Hamburg-Blankenese, I went to Israel for half a year and worked on a kibbutz. Back in Germany, I began my studies in Heidelberg, Berlin and Bremen. I studied German language and literature, theology and history.
After graduation, I took a job as a teacher of German and religion at a high school and engaged myself as chairperson for the subject of philosophy. During this time I wrote a doctoral thesis on Heinrich Böll (Dr. phil.) and wrote, on the one hand, the children's and young people's book "Die Synagoge brennt" and, on the other hand, the contemporary novel "Berlin 21.03 Uhr". For the Kirchentag in Bremen I also worked on the "Himmelsrevue" and performed the play on stage.
I was preparing a post-doctoral thesis on the subject of: "Futility in the life and work of Klaus Mann". After some deliberation, however, I finally decided against teaching and began writing books professionally.
As a freelance writer, I first published the two historical novels "Die Pilgerin von Passau" and "Die Rückkehr der Pilgerin", which took several years of research. Subsequently, I wrote the philosophical novels "Heloisa oder Die Vertreibung aus dem Paradies" and "Hermann Hesse's wundersame Geschichte".
Despite the decision for the literary work, I did not stay completely away from teaching. At the Institute for Historical Studies at the University of Bremen, I gave various lectures and led discussions on the topic of "historical designs".
Together with the actor Christian Bergmann, himself the Hamlet actor of the bremer shakespeare company, I have created numerous staged readings for all my books.
I am married and have two daughters and a son.
"For me, being an author means: I relate dialogically to the characters in my novels. Each one has its own voice."
BOOKS
Hermann Hesses wundersame Geschichte
Publisher Karl Alber, 2020
"For in seeking to realize himself with the gifts given him by nature, a man does the highest and only meaningful thing he can do", is the message of Narcissus in Hermann Hesse's novel "Narcissus and Goldmund".
But what does this insight mean for Narcissus himself?
How Narcissus searches for and finds the meaning of his own life is visualized in the continuation of Hermann Hesse's novel.
The leading Hermann Hesse connoisseur Volker Michels wrote me about it: "You are expanding a novel by Hermann Hesse.“ Moreover, he thanked me for the "life story of Narcissus imagined with astonishing empathy and expertise.“
(Personal correspondence, Offenbach am Main on 04.02.2020)
Heloisa oder Die Vertreibung aus dem Paradies
(Heloisa or the expulsion from paradise)
Publisher Karl Alber, 2018
Heloisa and Abaelard are the most famous and poignant lovers of the Middle Ages.
The question of authenticity, combined with the author's responsibility, arises all the more vehemently and indispensably when writing about people who really lived, and certainly in the case of incomparably outstanding personalities like Heloisa and Abaelard. Heloisa was highly educated and honored as a magistra by the Abbot of Cluny in the male-dominated scholarly world of the time.
To us, Heloisa is a role model in that she did not consider anyone better because they had wealth and power. Heloisa teaches us that only a person's moral worth is valid. She acted according to this and even defied the Pope.
Abaelard, whose work was twice condemned in heresy trials, is nevertheless the founder of scholasticism and teacher of three popes. The science of theology owes its name to him. Like hardly any other philosopher before Kant, Abaelard fought for reason as the path to knowledge.
For 900 years, people have been wondering who Heloisa's father could be. In the appendix of the book, a new theory is proposed that shows the events in an unexpected but plausible light.
Die Pilgerin von Passau / Die Rückkehr der Pilgerin
Publisher Gmeiner, 2013 / 2016
„Die Pilgerin von Passau“ und „Die Rückkehr der Pilgerin“. Die beiden historischen Romane spielen zwischen 1096 und 1124. Sie bilden eine Einheit, sind jedoch auch unabhängig voneinander zu lesen.
The world of that time around 1100 did not let go of me, which was as much in upheaval as the last decades of the mighty Salier dynasty, which fell with the year 1125.
I was moved by the question: How did people think and feel almost 1000 years ago? Can we know anything about it, although we are mostly only dependent on documents? Starting from a precise research of the historical material, including the latest research results, I thought about what the historical events, what the First Crusade, the struggle between emperor, pope and princes for power mean for the characters of the novels. How do they use, suffer, shape the social coming from outside for their goals, for their lives?
In "The pilgrim of Passau" and "The return of the pilgrim", I was interested in exploring how personal will and realization were possible within the framework of the society of the time. In the process, historical events are inextricably and irrevocably intertwined with the decisions of the protagonists.
Both books contain detailed historical documentation in the appendix. In addition, the fictional characters are located in their time as possible.
Die Pilgerin von Passau bei Amazon
Die Rückkehr der Pilgerin bei Amazon
Berlin 21.03 Uhr
Publisher Book and Media, 2006
"Who then is happy?", is provocatively asked in Goethe's "Torquato Tasso".
The question is the motto of my novel. My aim was to illuminate the potential for happiness in our time in literary terms.
Editor Peter Groth wrote about it at 14.08.2007 in the WESER-KURIER:
"A very everyday woman's story. Author Birthe Kreibohm from Bremen about the difficulties of combining career and family.
A changeable love as well as the incompatibility of job and family - that's the stuff a novel can be made of. From these ingredients, Bremen author Birthe Kreibohm has developed a story of two people who lose each other, find each other again years later, and have to deal with the vagaries of spatial distance and a late desire to have children [...] Birthe Kreibohm describes how Renate and Christian master their difficult life circumstances like a play from real-life Germany, with all the hurdles on the way to reconciling career and family."
With the permission of the WESER – KURIER
Die Synagoge brennt
Publisher Aussaat, 2000
"The aim of this book was to make the events of the Third Reich comprehensible to children and young people by means of narration and documentation, and thus to prevent them from being forgotten.“
Based on an eyewitness account, I tell the story of the burning of a synagogue in November 1938, the escape of the Jewish teacher, and the subsequent riots against Jewish citizens in a way that is suitable for children. A historical documentation of the concrete events using the example of a small town in northern Germany (Jever) follows. In this way, the events are brought from the distant past into the present day.
To awaken an interest in this, to stimulate the question: "What happened in my town?", I would like to make a contribution to this, especially through the documentary part.
Nurit Gothelf, Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of the State of Israel, assessed the book:
"This difficult subject has been handled very sensitively and lovingly."
Nurit Gothelf, Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of the State of Israel, evaluated the book "The synagogue is burning":
"This difficult subject was handled very sensitively and lovingly."
PROJECTS
Himmelsrevue
(Heavenly Revue)
The lessons of my advanced course in religion were described in the bremen church newspaper as a "lesson in tolerance "*.
The course was intercultural and interreligious in the truest sense of the word: 17 of the 30 students came from other countries, Shiite and Sunni Muslims were represented as well as Christians of Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox denominations.
*Matthias Dembski, bremer kirchenzeitung, August 2009
A special highlight was the performance of the “Heavenly Revue" at the Bremer Kirchentag 2009. The project offered the great opportunity not only to get to know and discuss positions on faith, but also to realize the “Heavenly Revue", written by me, with commitment, joy and creative ideas, which extraordinarily fostered our community.
Talking to Mr. Dembski about the Kirchentag and our performance, I said: "Intercultural and interreligious projects offer unique opportunities to promote dialogue and peaceful coexistence, integration happens intensively and very practically in the classroom and in joint projects."
The "Heavenly Revue" enjoyed great success: it was performed in schools as well as in Bremen's City Hall on the occasion of the opening event of Bremen's Integration Week.
"The extraordinary thing about the event was:
We were the only group at the Kirchentag Bremen in which Muslims participated."
International Project:
Translation into English
Together with Richard Keith Murray (Philadelphia) I have worked out a concept for the publication of my novel "Hermann Hesse's wondrous story" in America. Richard Murray is the America correspondent for the website www.hhesse.de and intends to translate the novel into English. In America the work of Hermann Hesse finds an enthusiastic resonance and so we expect a broad interest of my continuation of Hesse's novel "Narcissus and Goldmund", which has the imagined life of Narcissus as its theme.
DISSERTATION
Heinrich Böll's Utopia - the Movens of his Social Imagination.
I think that combining literature and theology is an exciting undertaking. In this context, I had Heinrich Böll in particular in mind, who deals with religion like hardly any other contemporary author. The decisive stimulus for my dissertation came from Karl-Josef Kuschel's conversations with writers about religion and literature, published in the book: "Weil wir uns auf dieser Erde nicht ganz zu Hause fühlen". This title is taken from the interview with Heinrich Böll and guided the conception of my dissertation on Christian existence in Heinrich Böll's work:
Heinrich Böll's Utopia - the Movens of his Social Imagination. On the Question of Christian Existence Today in Heinrich Böll's Late Work. Investigation on the basis of the novels "Fürsorgliche Belagerung" and "Frauen vor Flußlandschaft".
On the occasion of Heinrich Böll's 100th birthday, the dissertation was among the selected secondary literature of the Free University of Berlin.
In the Wikipedia article about Heinrich Böll's novel "Frauen vor Flußlandschaft" the dissertation is listed under secondary literature:
Birthe Kreibohm: Heinrich Böll's Utopia - the Movens of his Social Imagination. (...) Investigations based on the novels „Fürsorgliche Belagerung“ und „Frauen vor Flußlandschaft“. University of Bremen, Bremen 1996, DNB 951703927.
READINGS
Readings 2022/23
March 18, Hermann Hesse's wondrous story, Kulturraum Bremen Horn - Lehe
May 20, Hermann Hesse's wondrous story, Manizheh Saboori's intercultural salon, Bremen
July 14, Heloisa or The Expulsion from Paradise, reading for the port birthday, Bremen-Vegesack
August 27, Hermann Hesse's wondrous story, Berlin-Zehlendorf
September 2, The return of the pilgrim, Hubertusburg
September 10, Hermann Hesse's wondrous story, Flensburg - Niehus
September 19, Hermann Hesse's wondrous story, Fürstenhof, Bad Eilsen
September 29, Hermann Hesse's wondrous story, Schiffweiler
October 18, , Hermann Hesse's wondrous story, Nienburg Historical Society
October 21, Hermann Hesse's wondrous story, European Library Passau
November 4, Hermann Hesse's wondrous story, bookshop Otto & Sohn, Bremen
November 14, Hermann Hesses wundersame Geschichte, bremer shakespeare company im Falstaff, Bremen
March 6, 2023, Hermann Hesse's wondrous story, Association for Bremen Church History
12. Mai 2023, Criminale, Quickie-Lesung, Die Rückkehr der Pilgerin, Künstlerkeller, Darmstadt
06. Juni 2023, Hermann Hesses wundersame Geschichte, Café Zettel´ Traum, Leverkusen
27. September 2023, Hermann Hesses wundersame Geschichte, Schloss Jever
06. Oktober 2023, Hermann Hesses wundersame Geschichte, Eröffnungsveranstaltung der
Hermann – Hesse-Tage Gaienhofen mit dem Schauspieler Christian Bergmann
18. Oktober 2023, Heloisa oder Die Vertreibung aus dem Paradies, Historische Gesellschaft,
Nienburg
CONTACT
Düsseldorferstraße 61
28327 Bremen, Germany
Tel: +49(0)176 569 48720
bohmmaren@gmail.com
www.maren-bohm.com