November 2001 - Nr. 11
Kafkaesque?
Frankfurt Prison Becomes Backdrop for Twisted Justice Tale
TWIG - One of Germany’s most prominent film actors went to prison this week. After spending the better part of his career playing bad guys, Mario Adorf finally entered Frankfurt’s Institute for the Execution of Justice on Sunday (October 14) - to give a reading of Franz Kafka’s "In the Penal Colony." Adorf’s literary appearance is to be the first in a year-long series sponsored by the Kafka Research Center of Wuppertal, the S. Fischer publishing company and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, in which well-known actors in unusual settings read works by the celebrated writer from Prague.
Most inmates didn’t believe it when they were told the famous screen thug was visiting, says prison director Werner Packert. But when Adorf showed up, attendance was strong. The actor says it isn’t the first time he has given a reading behind bars. "We’re all afraid of making contact here, but life doesn’t end inside," says Adorf, whose best known films include Volker Schloendorff’s The Tin Drum and The Lost Honor of Katharine Blum.
One purpose of the series is to combat Kafka’s reputation for dark and depressing prose. Kafka has his comic side too, says organizer Christian Watty, and to convey it, his work is best read aloud. Several other film stars have agreed to take part, adds Watty. Although the program is still being worked out, it may include corpulent sitcom star Dirk Bach reading "The Hunger Artist" at Frankfurt’s Maggi cooking studio.
