January 22, 1944
Introduction to the content
The poem “It seems so insignificant” was inspired by a radio lecture in the series “Brennende Fragen” (Burning Questions) on Hilversum 1 radio. Curt Bloch accuses the Germans of responding with complete indifference to the many deaths, the devastated territories, and even the bad news from France and Russia. Or with optimism and lies that no one believes anymore anyway.
For the poem Old Newspapers, Curt Bloch juxtaposed his rhymes with eleven newspaper clippings as if in a dialogue. He looks at old press reports and observes that exactly what was purportedly never going to happen has occurred – and vice versa. Despite the endless lies, Bloch refuses to give up: we “use our minds and search for the truth.” In old newspapers, he probably found the truth more between the lines than within them.
The subject of The Three Monks is a newspaper article about the Catholic Church’s ban on allowing political refugees a safe refuge in monasteries. Bloch vividly imagines “the three Nazi gods” Hitler, Göring, and Goebbels hoping to become monks after the war. Pale with fear, they plead for political asylum, and one of them even dreams of a “job as an abbot.” However, the papal prohibition denies them protection within church walls.
