Youth without God

Venue: Kammer - “What kind of generation will that be? A hard one or just a raw one?”

In a world characterized by totalitarian ideology and moral coldness, Ödön von Horváth's novel Youth Without God (1937) tells an oppressive story about guilt, responsibility, and loss of value. A teacher comes into conflict between his own moral stance and the social expectations of his time. When he refuses to accept the racist and inhuman views of his students, he is increasingly isolated. During a camp dedicated to the military education of young people, events come to a head: A murder takes place and the teacher unintentionally becomes an accessory in a web of betrayal, suspicion and guilt. In his search for truth and moral action, he is confronted with the question of how you can assert yourself in a world full of inhumanity — and what it means to take responsibility for your own participation in an injustice.

Youth without God is a timeless parable about the manipulability of people and the need for civil courage. Horváth's work remains shockingly up to date and asks us the pressing question: What happens when societies give up their values and moral action becomes a risk?