F: With his first major novel, Reuter returned to the days of his childhood in Stavenhagen: the time around 1813, when Napoleon's retreating army passed through Mecklenburg. Reuter was barely three years old during the occupation, but he later listened carefully to the old folk of Stavenhagen and wove their stories into a riotous tale about Weber the chief administrator, Voss the miller, Friedrich the farmhand and Onkel Herse the impressive notary:
M: One day a marauding French soldier turns up in Stavenhagen. The good citizens don't know what to do with him and start by getting him drunk – to buy time. Stolen valuables are found on the legless Frenchman, putting everyone in a tricky situation. Because when Napoleon's troops actually do march in to Stavenhagen, the French deserter is no longer to be found, unlike the stolen goods.
At that point, a French officer has all Stavenhagen's dignitaries arrested. Friedrich the farmhand hastily sets off in search of the sozzled Frenchman and is ultimately able to prove that the stolen goods were found on him, and achieve the release of his fellow citizens.
F: Fritz Reuter peppered this action-packed tale with plenty of situational comedy and an affectionate view of the canny townsfolk. "Ut de Franzosentid" was published in 1859 by the Hinstorffsche Hofbuchhandlung and it sold well. It resulted from a perfect meeting of the minds: Reuter struck the right note, and Dethloff Carl Hinstorff had the right publishing instinct. "Ut de Franzosentid" was the prelude to a highly successful, decades-long collaboration that turned Reuter into the author with the highest circulation figures in all of Germany.
All depictions: © museum.de
