Alone in Berlin

Hans Fallada

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Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada tells the gripping story of a German couple, the Quangels, who start a brave resistance campaign against the Nazi regime by leaving anonymous postcards around Berlin. The novel is based on the true story of Otto and Elise Hampel, portraying the everyday struggles and quiet courage of ordinary people in wartime Germany. The writing style is described as rough hewn and chilling, with a starkly magnificent impact that captures the brutality and fear of living under Nazi rule.

Characters:

Characters are depicted as relatable yet exaggerated, embodying the struggles of ordinary people grappling with a brutal regime.

Writing/Prose:

The prose blends stark realism and emotional intensity, effectively portraying the harrowing atmosphere of life during the Nazi regime.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative follows a couple's attempt to protest the Nazi regime in a grim setting where their small acts of defiance lead to dire consequences.

Setting:

The setting is a tense and oppressive Berlin, where the terror of the Nazi regime permeates everyday life.

Pacing:

The novel maintains a fast-paced and engaging rhythm, with moments of high tension interspersed with reflective pauses.

The postwoman Eva Kluge slowly climbs the steps of 55 Jablonski Strasse. She’s tired from her round, but she also has one of those letters in her bag that she hates to deliver, and is about to have to...

Notes:

Alone in Berlin is based on true events involving a working-class couple's resistance to the Nazis.

The couple in the novel, Otto and Anna Quangel, are inspired by real-life figures Otto and Elise Hampel.

The novel was published in 1947 but wasn't translated into English until 2009.

Fallada wrote the book in just 28 days while suffering from depression and near the end of his life.

Otto and Anna began their resistance after the death of their son during the war.

They wrote anti-Nazi postcards, hoping to inspire civilian defiance against the regime.

Their actions had little political impact but highlighted their moral courage in a time of oppression.

The book captures the atmosphere of fear and suspicion in Nazi-occupied Berlin.

It gives insight into the psychology of ordinary Germans living under a totalitarian regime.

The narrative alternates perspectives between the couple and the police investigating them, creating a cat-and-mouse dynamic.

Fallada's writing style is described as rough yet powerful, capturing the struggles of everyday life.

The book explores themes of courage, complicity, and moral integrity against a backdrop of severe oppression.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Triggers include themes of death, oppression, violence, and the psychological impact of living under a totalitarian regime.

From The Publisher:

THE ACCLAIMED INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

'One of the most extraordinary and compelling novels written about World War II. Ever' Alan Furst

Inspired by a true story, Hans Fallada's Alone in Berlin is a gripping wartime thriller following one ordinary man's determination to defy the tyranny of Nazi rule

Berlin, 1940, and the city is filled with fear. At the house on 55 Jablonski Strasse, its various occupants try to live under Nazi rule in their different ways: the bullying Hitler loyalists the Persickes, the retired judge Fromm and the unassuming couple Otto and Anna Quangel. Then the Quangels receive the news that their beloved son has been killed fighting in France. Shocked out of their quiet existence, they begin a silent campaign of defiance, and a deadly game of cat and mouse develops between the Quangels and the ambitious Gestapo inspector Escherich. When petty criminals Kluge and Borkhausen also become involved, deception, betrayal and murder ensue, tightening the noose around the Quangels' necks ...

'Terrific ... a fast-moving, important and astutely deadpan thriller'

Irish Times

'An unrivalled and vivid portrait of life in wartime Berlin'

Philip Kerr

'To read Fallada's testament to the darkest years of the 20th century is to be accompanied by a wise, somber ghost who grips your shoulder and whispers into your ear: "This is how it was. This is what happened"'

The New York Times

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About the Author:

Hans Fallada was born in Germany in 1893. His life was checkered by a failed adolescent suicide pact in which his friend died, addiction to morphine and alcohol, periods of incarceration in prison and mental hospitals, and brushes with the Nazi regime. His most famous novels include Little Man, What Now?, The Drinker and Alone in Berlin, written in 24 days. Fallada died weeks before its publication, in February 1947 in Berlin.

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