Literature and Music: Thomas Sarbacher reads Flaubert

Lust, lies and literature intertwine in Flaubert's "Madame Bovary", a classic of world literature that is re-read by every generation. Stefan Zweifel reveals erotic secrets in his introduction: Seduced by the fine art of novels, Emma Bovary dreams of romantic lovers in her provincial nest. Under the pretence of taking piano lessons, she sneaks off to the nearest town to her fiery lover and lies to her husband. This leads to one of the most famous "sex scenes" in world literature: In Rouen, a carriage carrying Madame Bovary and her lover rattles through the alleyways of the town, reaching a garden of plants symbolising pubic hair behind "islands" that rise up in the reader's mind like breasts; two horses "dangle" in front of the carriage, drenched in sweat; finally, a naked hand throws the torn white shreds of a letter out of the carriage window, signs of male lust turned into writing... This scene was so disreputable that the book was taken to court. The glorification of Emma's lies and lust should not be allowed to spread. But the book and Flaubert were acquitted, and soon even in Berlin the carriages for secret lovers were called Bovarys. Thus the lie of literature became a lustful reality. Thanks to Elisabeth Edl's translation, Flaubert's famous three-bar sentence rhythm can now also be heard in German. Thomas Sarbacher reads excerpts from the novel between the musical pieces.

Translated with DeepL.com