Kurze Inhaltsangabe
Seit seiner Kindheit träumt John Franklin davon, zur See zu fahren, obwohl er dafür denkbar ungeeignet ist, denn in allem, was er tut, ist er extrem langsam. Doch was er einmal erfasst hat, vergisst er nicht mehr. Er geht zur Marine und erlebt den Krieg. Insgeheim aber träumt er von friedlichen Fahrten auf See und von der Entdeckung der legendären Nordwestpassage. Als Kommandant eines Schiffes begibt er sich auf die Suche … Sten Nadolnys vielfach preisgekrönter Bestseller ist auf den ersten Blick zugleich ein Seefahrerroman, ein Roman über das Abenteuer und die Sehnsucht danach und ein Entwicklungsroman. Doch hat Sten Nadolny die Biografie des englischen Seefahrers und Nordpolforschers John Franklin (1786–1847) zu einer subtilen Studie über die Zeit umgeschrieben. ( )

John Franklin sueña desde niño con el mar, pero no parece destinado a la navegación. Piensa, habla y actúa con excesiva lentitud, aunque capta y recuerda todas las minucias y detalles. John se enrola en la Armada, participa en las batallas de Copenhague y Trafalgar y aprende lo que es la muerte. Pero para él la vida se desarrolla en episodios aislados, como en cámara lenta. Después de llevar a cabo tres expediciones al Ártico, es nombrado gobernador de Tasmania, donde intenta llevar a la práctica sus teorías acerca del delito y los delincuentes. Ya anciano, emprende un último y definitivo viaje al Ártico, descubriendo el paso del Noroeste. Ni él ni ninguno de sus compañeros regresaron con vida.

It's been a long time since I last read a German book, the last one being [b:Die Tage der Sintflut - Roman über die Belagerung Aachens 1248|35905603|Die Tage der Sintflut - Roman über die Belagerung Aachens 1248|Günter Krieger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501766164l/35905603._SY75_.jpg|57430292] by [a:Günter Krieger|6551385|Günter Krieger|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png], in 2017. Read, not heard, in which case [b:QualityLand|36422870|QualityLand|Marc-Uwe Kling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508164790l/36422870._SX50_.jpg|57851826] by [a:Marc-Uwe Kling|2863757|Marc-Uwe Kling|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1358872253p2/2863757.jpg] would be the last, in 2019.

'Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit' (translated as 'The Discovery of Slowness') is a book I bought a few years ago while being on a short holiday in Aachen, Germany. I had seen the book recommended here and elsewhere on the WWW. The blurb was something that spoke to me.

I won't go into detail about the book, there are many other reviewers who've done a very good job at that. It's important to note that this historical fiction revolves around Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer John Franklin, who lived in the 19th century. See Wikipedia for more information on his life, his experiences, his travels, etc.

As I read in one review, part of the story is based on historical facts, another part (Sir John Franklin having been slow in movement and in thought) is fiction. As such, this book isn't so much about John Franklin as it is about the concept of slowness. Slowness in (re)acting, slowness in thinking, slowness in approaching and living life.

From when he was a child, John Franklin was slow, couldn't catch a ball, let alone realise the game was already in a different phase. And so it was when he joined the navy, where he had to learn to adjust to the real world, the world of fast decisions, fast actions, fast talking. Where he had to learn... to stand up for himself, to acknowledge his "problem" or better, try to reverse the roles: instead of him having to adapt to other people's fast behaviour, he would make them adapt to his, otherwise he wouldn't make it in life and when fulfilling certain roles, those other people wouldn't make it either or fail to execute his orders (when he became officer) correctly.

Standing his ground, proving his worth, despite or thanks to his slowness and thus decisions that were well thought through, John Franklin would become one of Britain's most-respected men. As governor of Tasmania he would try to turn the tide for prisoners and perpetrators: re-integrate them into the local society, among the settlers, so that they could improve their lives. Everyone deserves a chance, so was his conviction. Of course, during his years of exploration as well as his years of governing, he would encounter hard resistance and learn how the game of politics is played.

He passed away on his final journey to find the Northwest passage (Wikipedia) in 1847, not the first time he would suffer from the cold and hardship, despite better preparations for his third undertaking.

The book is divided into three parts, starting with Franklin's youth, written in a way that makes you have sympathy for the boy and feel his struggles, how he's an outsider and his friends (or "friends") don't really understand him, mock him. In the later years of his life, he would prove them wrong.

Sten Nadolny has written the story in such a way that it corresponds with the title: this is a not a fast-paced thriller. At all. Read too fast and you'll miss a lot of the subtlety and the message Mr Nadolny tried to convey with regards to slowness.

Especially in this day and age, where our lives are for the most part dominated and regulated by technology, time, clocks, apps, ... a story like this one is an eye-opener or maybe a reminder that each of us needs to slow down every now and then to avoid exhaustion, burn-out, taking the wrong decisions (or deciding to hastily). Fast isn't always good, doesn't always serve the greater good. As Franklin said, when he tried to reform society in Tasmania: not everyone is fast, we all have our own clocks, our own rhythm. This has an impact on how we perceive the world, how "fast" we pick up new things, new skills, new information. Such a characteristic is to be taken into account in school, in workplaces, ...

Long story short: A beautiful story not only about Sir John Franklin, but also tickling you to do some introspection, and reconsider your personal plans/desires/endeavours, the world, society, as it's going through some crises at the moment. ( )

Nadolnys Roman beschreibt das Leben des englischen Kapitäns und Polarforschers John Franklin. Die wesentlichen Stationen von Franklins Karriere sind historisch korrekt wiedergegeben, ebenfalls handelt es sich bei den im Roman auftauchenden Mitstreitern und Gegenspielern um historische Persönlichkeiten. Trotzdem ist "Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit" keine historische Biographie, sondern Fiktion.

Im Gegensatz zum historischen Frankling wird Nadolnys Hauptprotagonist mit einer an Geistesschwäche grenzenden intellektuellen Langsamkeit dargestellt, welche dieser gekonnt ins Positive verwandelt und welche ihm auf seinem Karriereweg wertvolle Dienste leistet. Nadolny thematisiert dabei (vermeintliche) Schwächen und Behinderungen. Durch den ganzen Roman zieht sich die Typisierung seiner Hauptfiguren in "langsame" und "schnelle" Charaktere und die jeweils sinnvolle Anwendung dieser Eigenschaften. Nadolnys Werk ist sohin reich an philosophischen (und manchmal nicht ganz nachvollziehbaren) Überlegungen zur Langsamkeit im positiven Sinn. Daneben ist der Roman aber auch eine fesselnde Abenteuergeschichte über das an Wendungen reiche Leben des berühmten Polarforschers Franklin. ( )

»Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit« ist Seefahrer-, Abenteuer- und Entwicklungsroman zugleich. Unnachahmlich erzählt er von der Langsamkeit als Lebensprinzip. Zum 65. Geburtstag Sten Nadolnys in neuer Ausstattung und mit ausführlichem Nachwort des Autors. Sten Nadolnys vielfach preisgekrönter Roman über den Arktisfahrer John Franklin ist seit seinem Erscheinen 1983 zum Weltbestseller und modernen Klassiker geworden. »Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit« erzählt die abenteuerliche Lebensgeschichte des Seefahrers John Franklin, der von der Entdeckung der legendären Nordwestpassage träumt und dem die Bedächtigkeit zum erfolgreichen Lebensprinzip wird. Bis heute fand Nadolnys zeitloser Roman über die Kunst der Langsamkeit allein in Deutsch­land mehr als 1,5 Millionen Leser.