Text and the City

Our literary map of Germany lets you sample the diverse cities of Germany from the literary perspectives of a selection of German writers.

Jürgen Becker

Reiseland MP3, 1:30 Min.

Jürgen Becker

Travel Destination

Westphalian hills, the Breisgau then 
Dresden . . . not a week
for picture postcards and sleepy royal residences; leaf fall, low
cloud cover between Elbe and Rhein.

Engagements shunted around, short leavings; what are you looking for
in the south? In the dining car I thought of my father
and how he travelled in the thirties . . . Excelsior,
Majestic. The boy at the window doesn’t understand what
the adults are saying: Marienborn, at that time the Zone -

Between bits of fencing barren terrain; two crows flap
around a remaining tower. Hand
near your heart, reaching for your passport; some habits
the train sends onwards. Careless
travellers leave their newspapers behind.

Look outside. The nearness of this landscape
that can be yours again. A chance that is repeated
every hour. Hong Kong slowly drops away.