An Apocalyptic Vision from 1924
The 100th Anniversary of Alfred Döblin’s Novel „Berge Meere und Giganten“
In January 1924, German psychiatrist and writer Alfred Döblin (1878 – 1957) published the novel "Berge Meere und Giganten" (Mountains Seas and Giants), preceding his later acclaimed work "Berlin Alexanderplatz" by five years. However, despite his subsequent success, Döblin's remarkably unusual vision of the future from 1924 has largely remained obscure. While Franz Biberkopf’s story is rooted in Berlin of the time, "Mountains Seas and Giants" presents a narrative spanning humanity's journey up to the 27th century. This panoramic view of the future unfolds with astonishing narrative force but demands much from its readers.
Döblin's work, characterized by unconventional language and narrative style, often devoid of recognizable characters, delves into major upheavals in the future history of mankind. It explores humanity's struggle with itself and with nature, touching on themes that resonate with contemporary issues: from the proliferation of mega-weapons to the production of artificial food in factories, and even the melting of Greenland as a colossal geoengineering project reminiscent of today's climate change crisis. Eventually, the pursuit of scientific and technological advancements leads to the emergence of enormous monsters, countered by artificially created "giants" wielded by humanity.
One challenge for readers lies in the absence of a familiar narrative perspective. There is no clear authorial narrator, and the settings and dimensions of the narrative constantly shift: at times focusing on a triangular relationship involving the consul Marduk, his comrade-in-arms turned enemy Jonathan, and "the balladeuse," while at others, it explores the activation of gigantic machinery triggering geological upheavals.
Döblin doesn’t shy away from presenting drastic episodes, such as Marduk orchestrating the consumption of his enemies by a mutated forest—a scene not for the faint-hearted and a test even for aficionados of Döblin’s uncompromising epic prose.
Deciphering what aspects of the novel reflect Döblin's idiosyncratic natural philosophy, developed further in his later work "Das Ich über der Natur" (1928), and what can be related to contemporary concerns, poses a challenge. Nevertheless, Döblin's central question—"What will become of man if he continues to live like this?"—resonates profoundly in our time, rendering the novel a captivating read.
The current edition published by Fischer-Verlag contains the revised text of the out-of-print annotated critical edition from 2006 and is preferable to older editions. An English translation has recently become available (Alfred Döblin, Mountains Oceans Giants, translated by Chris Godwin, Galileo Publisher, Cambridge 2021).
Alexander Pawlak
(Editor of “Physik Journal”, the membership journal of the German Physical Society)