Mr. Zed’s Reflections

Herrn Zetts Betrachtungen, oder Brosamen, die er fallen ließ, aufgelesen von seinen Zuhörern (2013)

Mr. Zed’s Reflections is Enzensberger’s riposte to Bertolt Brecht, whose Stories of Mr. Keuner are well known to readers of Brecht. At first glance, there are many similarities between the two characters. Both have names which are negations: ‘Keuner’ recalls the word ‘keiner’ (meaning ‘nobody’), and ‘Zett’ is to be understood as ‘zero’. Both are thinkers. Both enjoy Jaroslav Hašek’s novel, The Good Soldier Švejk (section 70). Like Brecht/Keuner, Mr. Zed has a relaxed attitude to intellectual property (section 209). However, their politics are very different. Mr Keuner is a progressive who thinks that ‘everything in the world can be improved except human beings’ (see Brecht, Geschichten vom Herrn Keuner, Frankfurt/Main: Suhrkamp, 1971, p. 79). In contrast, Mr. Zed is much more conservative. He says that people should not get carried away by the Zeitgeist, and prefers a good dose of anachronism (section 47). In section 181, Mr. Zed quotes the Spanish saying ‘Que no haya novedad!’ | ‘Hoffentlich gibt es nichts Neues.’ (Hopefully, nothing new will happen!). In section 143 he expresses his own fundamental pessimism:

‘Er selber halte es eher mit dem berühmten Murphyschen Gesetz, dem zufolge alles, was schiefgehen könne, früher oder später schiefgehen werde [...]’ (Enzensberger, Herrn Zetts Betrachtungen, Section 143, p. 115).

He holds with the famous Murphy’s Law, according to which everything that can go wrong will go wrong sooner or later.

Although he is profoundly pessimistic, Mr Zed has many admirable qualities. He is clever and funny. He likes diversity: ‘Von seiner Neigung zur Vielfalt war Z. schwer abzuringen.’ (Enzensberger, Herrn Zetts Betrachtungen, Section 27, p. 25). ‘It was hard to make Z. drop his preference for diversity.’ Mr. Zed’s intellectual independence is more important to him joining any political party. He quotes Alexander Herzen: ‘Ehrlichkeit und Unabhängigkeit sind meine einzigen Götzen. Ich möchte weder unter die eine noch unter die andere Fahne treten, die von irgendwelchen Parteien aufgepflanzt wird.’ (Herrn Zetts Betrachtungen, Section 244, p. 207). ‘My only idols are honesty and independence. I do not want to step under a flag if it is planted by any party.’

It is noticeable that many of Mr. Zed’s points are directed against the political left. For example, in section 56 he says that most people are anti-social and that we have ‘not got very far’ in terms of solidarity. And in section 183, Mr. Zed even defends financial speculators. He points out that:

Ein speculum zeigt immer nur, was der Fall ist, und genau dasselbe tut die Spekulation. Sie hält der Realität den Spiegel vor. Kein Wunder, daß sie mit ihren Ratings wenig Beifall findet. (Herrn Zetts Betrachtungen, Section 183, p. 145).

A speculum only ever shows what is the case, and speculation does exactly the same thing. It holds up a mirror to reality. No wonder that its [credit] ratings are not well received.

As in his first book of poetry, Enzensberger is once again ‘defending the wolves’, suggesting that financial speculators serve a useful purpose.

Mr. Zed is perhaps at his most engaging when he admits that he has no idea what the future will bring:

Ein kräftiger Mann [...] rief: ‘Und wie soll es jetzt weitergehen? [...] Mit Europa, mit China, mit der Krise.’ Z. der schlecht geschlafen hatte, gähnte, hielt sich die Hand vor den Mund und sagte so leise, daß ihn niemand verstand: ‘Woher soll ich das wissen?’ (Herrn Zetts Betrachtungen, Section 142, p. 114).

A burly man [...] called out: ‘And what’s going to happen now? With Europe, with China, with the crisis.’ Z., who had slept badly, yawned, put his hand over his mouth and said so quietly that no one understood him: ‘How should I know?’

Comparing the length of the two books, it is significant that there are 121 Mr Keuner texts and 259 Mr Zed texts. Enzensberger’s book lacks the concision of Brecht’s. In terms of the titles, it is noticeable that Mr. Keuner features in stories: although he is a thinker, he actively participates in life. In contrast, Mr. Zed merely reflects: he dispenses wisdom, but refrains from active political engagement. Despite these key differences, this is a fascinating little book that shows Enzensberger in debate with Brecht.

German Edition

Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Herrn Zetts Betrachtungen, oder Brosamen, die er fallen ließ, aufgelesen von seinen Zuhörern (Berlin: Suhrkamp, 2013)

English Translation

Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Mr. Zed’s Reflections, trans. by Wieland Hoban (London and Calcutta: Seagull Books, 2015)