Alfred Döblin

Berlin Alexanderplatz

Die Geschichte des Transportarbeiters Franz Biberkopf, der, aus der Strafanstalt Berlin-Tegel entlassen, als ehrlicher Mann ins Leben zurückfinden möchte. Das Berlin der zwanziger Jahre wird dabei selbst zum Gegenspieler des Franz Biberkopf. Nach 4 Jahren Haft will Franz Biberkopf ein "neues Leben" beginnen. Doch als seine Freundin umgebracht wird, bäumt er sich gegen sein Schicksal auf.

die Geschichte vom Franz Biberkopf

Ida :)

Der Ball, seht, der fliegt nicht, wie lhr ihn werft und wie man will, er fliegt ungefähr so, aber er fliegt noch ein Stückchen weiter und vielleicht ein großes Stück, weiß man, und ein bißchen beiseite.

Aleksandra Smelianska

I chose to read this book on my recent trip to Berlin, and boy it is a hardcore one. An extraordinary work by Alfred Doblin, written in the 'stream-of-consciousness' style of James Joyce. 
The narration comes as a flood of words, each character's stream of consciousness that also includes newspaper headlines, political slogans, and random scenes of life in Berlin in 1927–28. If you want to know how was it to live in Alexanderplatz in the 1920s, this book is for you.

The story concerns a murderer, Franz Biberkopf, fresh from prison. When his friend murders the prostitute on whom Biberkopf has been relying as an anchor, he realizes that he will be unable to extricate himself from the underworld into which he has sunk. He must deal with misery, lack of opportunities, crime and the imminent ascendency of Nazism. During his struggle to survive against all odds, life rewards him with an unsuspected surprise but his happiness will not last as the story continues.

The Story of Franz Biberkopf

John Balek

I bought this book on a whim two years ago at a used bookstore. I read the first 40 pages and didn't pick it up again until last month. While going through DW Books list of 100 German Must-Reads I was reminded on this book and I'm glad I decided to pick it up again.

Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin is the ultimate novel of the Weimar Republic. Having been written in and dealing with the era. The book is as much about it's main character, Franz Biberkopf, as it is about the city he inhabits; hence the name. Berlin Alexanderplatz is a book full of literary wit and intrigue.

The narrative of the book centers around Franz Biberkopf. He isn't your usual protagonist, he starts out at the bottom and continues to work his way lower. Franz Biberkopf is not someone you root for and his decisions constantly let you down. Just when you think he's hit rock bottom he finds a way to go lower. The narrative explores This downward spiral and how it intertwines with the hard city life of the Berlin in the 1920's.

Beyond the direct narrative of the book, Berlin Alexanderplatz paints a highly detailed picture of Berlin during this time period. Much of this book doesn't even deal with Franz Biberkopf but rather the world around him. Some chapters are a complete aside from the narrative and tell the story of those in cafe, alleys, and windowsill; showcasing the lives they live. Döblin uses news headlines, stock prices, and statistics of the day to really show how the world of the time worked. Pages will all of the sudden transition into the legislation of a specific regional law. These divergent are common, if you are a reader who doesn't like this sort of thing, I would be well aware before going into this.

This hyper focused outlook on Berlin is interesting and admirable on a literary level but it really shines in its historical context. Berlin, probably more than any other city in Europe, was completely changed after WWII. The world that this book portrays and was inspired by doesn't exist anymore. The fact that Döblin does such an amazing job building this time capsule is reason enough to praise this book.

The other highlight of this book is Döblin's writing style. Along with telling this story and portraying Berlin, Döblin also showcases a level of personal writing style I haven't seen from any other writer. This book would be a much bigger drag if it weren't for Döblin's asides where he gives his direct commentary and pokes fun at this own characters.

Berlin Alexanderplatz feels a lot more modern than it is. The way the story plays out is definitely influential on films since then. That being said it is definitely takes influence from Kafka, Dostoevsky, and the Divine Comedy. Joyce is also a clear influence with it's shifting narrative. After reading an enjoying this, as well as The Illuminatus Trilogy!, I really need to plan to read Joyce in the near future.

I read the original English translation by Eugene Jolas, which I felt like was a great take on capturing the personality of Döblin but I can definitely see myself rereading this book in other translations, as well as hopefully someday reading it in the original German. There is so much encapsulated in this book that I only want to experience it from different perspectives to see what I missed on this first read. No wonder there have been so many movie adaptations made. While I'm interested in watching them, I can't imagine them capturing the narrative persona of Döblin quite like reading the book.

nope

The great novel of 1920s Berlin life, in a new translation by Michael Hofmann, translator of Alone in Berlin Franz Biberkopf is back on the streets of Berlin. Determined to go straight after a stint in prison, he finds himself thwarted by an unpredictable external agency that looks an awful lot like fate. Cheated, humiliated, thrown from a moving car; embroiled in an underworld of pimps, thugs, drunks and prostitutes, Franz picks himself up over and over again - until one day he is struck a monstrous blow which might just prove his final downfall. A dazzling collage of newspaper reports, Biblical stories, drinking songs and urban slang, Berlin Alexanderplatz is the great novel of Berlin life: inventing, styling and recreating the city as reality and dream; mimicking its movements and rhythms; immortalizing its pubs, abattoirs, apartments and chaotic streets. From the gutter to the stars, this is the whole picture of the city. Berlin Alexanderplatz brought fame in 1929 to its author Alfred Döblin, until then an impecunious writer and doctor in a working-class neighbourhood in the east of Berlin. Success at home was short-lived, however; Doblin, a Jew, left Germany the day after the Reichstag Fire in 1933, and did not return until 1945. This landmark translation by Michael Hofmann is the first to do justice to Berlin Alexanderplatz in English, brilliantly capturing the energy, prodigality and inventiveness of Döblin's masterpiece.

Mark Pittillo

Sara Käfer 

Hanna Tillmanns 

Jacqueline Englund

Joshua Line

Scordatura

›Berlin Alexanderplatz‹ gehört neben dem ›Ulysses‹ von James Joyce und ›Manhattan Transfer‹ von John Dos Passos zu den bedeutendsten Großstadtromanen der Weltliteratur. Erstmal 1929 im S. Fischer Verlag erschienen, erzählt der Roman die bewegende Geschichte des Franz Biberkopf, der nach seiner Entlassung aus dem Gefängnis in einen Strudel aus Verrat und Verbrechen gerät. Darüber hinaus aber erzählt der Roman auch vom Berlin der zwanziger Jahre und findet zum ersten Mal in der deutschen Literatur eine eigene, ganz neue Sprache für das Tempo der Stadt.

Berlin Alexanderplatz

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