Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
March 2020
Poem ‘Dear Homeland Village!’ by Hans Scheib n.d.
On the occasion of World Poetry Day on March 21
© Collection Deutsches Auswandererhaus
Historical Classification
A form of poetry particularly used in Europe is homeland poetry, which arises from naturalism around the mid-19th century and addresses rural, village, and regional themes from a local perspective. This type of poetry is often located through regional dialects or vernaculars. Notable representatives include the German Ludwig Thoma and the Swiss Ernst Zahn. From the mid-20th century onwards, poetry collections in the German-speaking world increasingly lose significance. In the 21st century, new formats like ‘Poetry Slam’ emerge. Lyrical forms are also found in hip-hop or rap.
Short Biography of Hans Scheib
Hans Scheib is born in 1941 in Winterbach near St. Wendel in Saarland. After his military conscription in 1960, he decides to leave his homeland for Canada instead. He is lured by a sense of adventure and stories about the vastness of the land. With the former troop ship ‘Arkadia’, he first travels to Quebec and from there further towards London/Ontario. With little money in his pocket, Hans Scheib manages to become self-employed through hard work. He lives the upward mobility dream of many emigrants. With his wife Heidi Mergenthaler, a woman from Palatinate whom he meets in English class and marries in 1963, Hans Scheib has lived in Canada with two sons and four grandchildren to this day.
Significance of the Object
In the poem “Dear Homeland Village!”, Hans Scheib reflects on his place of origin. He wistfully realizes that all he has left are memories. Many emigrants turn to lyrical forms to process experiences of farewell, separation, and loneliness, or to convey their feelings to family members left behind in their homeland.
To ensure that this special form of communication is remembered as a cultural asset, UNESCO established World Poetry Day in 2000 to raise awareness of this situation and encourage young people to connect on the internet and exchange across language barriers.
Do you also …
… have a story of emigration or immigration in your family to share, and would you like to pass it along with the related objects and documents to the German Emigration Center for its collection? If so, please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau at 0471 / 90 22 0 – 0 or via email at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de
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Do You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de