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Rubble and a Shovel - Hugo Portisch
Rubble and a Shovel - Hugo Portisch
Hugo
Portisch, the popular Austrian broadcaster and journalist, brought
out his autobiography at the end of last year. And, this book is as
exciting as its title. And, its title: *It Was Always Exciting.
In
his book, Hugo Portisch talks about people he encountered,
events that he witnessed and other great moments of
true historical importance. And, it was there amongst the Marshal
Plan, the Berlin airlift, the occupation of Austria and much, much
more that I stumbled upon a very short anecdote
that very clearly highlighted the hardships
and struggles that were part of everyday life as it
was at the time.
It
was just after the war. Hugo Portisch wanted to study. But, that
was no easy thing. The University of Vienna was in ruins, and there
were only three functioning lecture halls. The building
was covered in rubble. But, there was a solution.
And, the solution was the students' association led by Karl Schubert
and Willhelm Czerney. Together, these two young men organized the
clearing of rubble and the repair of the building.
And, they did this in a very original way. In order to be admitted to
the university, every prospective student had to
commit him or herself to two weeks of hard work
clearing the rubble. Everyone was given a shovel.
And, it worked. Within just a short space of time the university was
ready and studying could begin once again. Together, the students
worked and together they won.
Of
course, there is much more to this story than just that, and Hugo
Portisch explains it brilliantly well in his book. And, this book is
a must. In it you will find many answers to many unasked questions,
and by reading this book you will understand life as it is now. And,
maybe, you may even find yourself, too. In many ways, Hugo
Portisch's life is your life as well! It's a journey we're all
taking together.
*Hugo
Portish's book is published in German. Title: Aufregend war es immer.
Verlag Ecowin.
ISBN
978-3-7110-0072-9
Vocabulary
anecdote – Anekdote
commit – verpflichten
encountered – begegnet
hardships – Hartumstände
highlighted – hervorheben
lecture hall –
Vortragssaal
prospective – künftig
rubble – Schrott
shovel – Schaufel
solution – Lösung
struggle - ringen
stumbled upon – stolpert
darüber
witnessed – beobachtet
Questions
What
does Hugo Portisch talk about in his book?
What
is the short anecdote about?
When
did this story take place?
Who
were the two student leaders?
How
well can you imagine this time?
Why
is it important to understand this time?
Why
are journalists and historians important?
