The Graphic Novel
With the graphic novel, Gerald Richter (author) and Marian Kretschmer (illustrator) depict the 20th century through the development of a single person from birth to death. They show how origin, social developments, crises, and wars influenced this life and how Stefan Heym reacted to them.
It becomes clear that neither crises nor wars were predictable, but that nothing is so certain that we won’t be affected by future crises.
Waiting won’t help; we have to act, otherwise life will pass us by. Young people simply have to start getting involved, look for options for themselves – and Heym’s life path can provide creative inspiration for this.
Stefan Heym’s life attempts are a moving contemporary document that is equally enlightening for young people and adults. Marian Kretschmer and Gerald Richter narrate his life in expressive images and numerous original audio excerpts.
Teaching aids and worksheets facilitate the use of the book in upper secondary school lessons. The illustrated double pages can be downloaded for use on digital whiteboards.
Stefan Heym Banners
Gerald Richter and Marian Kretschmer received the Stefan Heym Advancement Award for their school projects in 2021 and 2024. In Chemnitz and Central Saxony, they informed students at secondary schools and grammar schools about the life and work of Stefan Heym and conducted workshop weeks in which banners featuring quotes from Stefan Heym were designed. The banners selected by working groups were produced in lengths of 3 or 7 meters.
The Illustrations
A review of the life and work of the Chemnitz writer Stefan Heym is intended to help young people find their own way and get involved in society.
In the period from 2021 to 2023, over a thousand students from ten grammar schools and secondary schools in Chemnitz and Central Saxony were involved.
Following an introduction by Gerald Richter to Heym’s life and work, school classes in German, history, and art dealt with poems, fairy tales, and excerpts from the novel ‘The Eyes of Reason.’ After choosing a text, the students created illustrations.
Marian Kretschmer provided suggestions on illustration techniques on individual project days. The illustrations have been compiled and published in three brochures so far, and a selection was presented at the Chemnitz Peace Day on the Neumarkt.
The exhibition ‘Discovering Stefan Heym’ for the 2024 Days of Jewish Culture in the Neue Sächsische Galerie Chemnitz presented an initial overview of the works from the ten participating institutions. It will be further developed by 2025 and presented in the corridors of the Volkshochschule during the Capital of Culture year.
In principle, the exhibition is conceived as a traveling exhibition and is intended to tour nationwide together with the originals for the graphic novel. Exhibitions in Berlin and Leipzig are in preparation.
The Film Project
The film project, supported by the Cultural Foundation of Saxony, represents an approach to Stefan Heym from the perspective of today’s young people.
They followed the traces left by the writer, who came from Chemnitz, with a camera, walked across the Kaßberg with city guide Linke, visited the grammar school of the student Helmut Flieg, and the Stefan Heym Library in the Tietz. They traveled to Berlin and Prague, spoke with experts on Heym, and posed their questions to the great writer, which were answered representatively by the Heym puppet from the Chemnitz Puppet Theatre.
This resulted in an insight into Heym’s biography and work, which can be used as an introduction for schools and represents an important addition to the exhibition of illustrations.
A film by Helena, Mia, Stella, Johanna, Nils, Tobias, Felix, Sarah, Jessica and Lena from Fritz-Theater Chemnitz
A production by Aktion © with the Chemnitzer Filmwerkstatt e.V. and the Fritz-Theater Chemnitz
