Berlin Alexanderplatz
 Reproduction of the 1st edition cover | |
| Author | Alfred Döblin |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | George Salter |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | German |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | S. Fischer Verlag, Berlin |
Publication date | 1929 |
Berlin Alexanderplatz (German: [bɛɐˈliːn ˌalɛˈksandɐplats]) is a 1929 novel by Alfred Döblin. It is considered one of the most important and innovative works of the Weimar Republic.[1] In a 2002 poll of 100 noted writers the book was named among the top 100 books of all time.[2]
Summary
The story concerns a murderer, Franz Biberkopf, fresh from prison. When his criminal mentor 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.
Focus and narrative technique
The novel is set in the working-class neighborhoods near the Alexanderplatz in 1920s Berlin. Although its narrative style is sometimes compared to that of James Joyce's, critics such as Walter Benjamin have drawn a distinction between Ulysses’ interior monologue and Berlin Alexanderplatz's use of montage.[3][4] It is told from multiple points of view, and uses sound effects, newspaper articles, songs, speeches, and other books to propel the plot forward.
English translation
The novel was translated into English in 1931 by Eugene Jolas, a friend of James Joyce. It was not well received; in particular it was criticized for the way in which it rendered everyday working-class speech.[5]
Film adaptations
The novel has been adapted twice for film, the first time in 1931 in a movie directed by Piel Jutzi.[6] Döblin worked on the adaptation, along with Karl Heinz Martin and Hans Wilhelm. Berlin Alexanderplatz starred Heinrich George, Maria Bard, Margarete Schlegel, Bernhard Minetti, Gerhard Bienert, Albert Florath and Paul Westermeier.
The second adaptation, Berlin Alexanderplatz was directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Produced for and shown on German television in 1980, it has also been shown theatrically. It runs for 15½ hours. Upon its release in New York City, ticket holders were required to come to the theatre for three consecutive nights to see the entire film. Berlin Alexanderplatz is considered by many to be Fassbinder's magnum opus.
Both films were released in November 2007 by the Criterion Collection in the US in a multi-disc DVD set. A Region 2 edition of the Fassbinder version was released in the UK by Second Sight in October that year.
See also
- List of fiction set in Berlin
- Museum of Modern Literature, in which the original manuscript is held.
- Best German Novels of the Twentieth Century
References
Notes
- ↑ Jelavich 2006, p. xii; Schoeller 2011, p. 339; Sander 2001, p. 9, 180; Bernhardt 2007, p. 88–9
- ↑ The top 100 books of all time, Guardian Unlimited, May 8, 2002
- ↑ Benjamin, Walter (1999). Michael Jennings; Howard Eiland; Gary Smith, eds. Selected Writings, vol. 2. Cambridge, MA: Belknap. p. 301.
- ↑ Fore, Devin (2006). "Döblin's Epic: Sense, Document, and the Verbal World Picture". New German Critique. 33 (3): 189. doi:10.1215/0094033x-2006-015.
- ↑ Köpke, Wulf (2003). The Critical Reception of Alfred Döblin's Major Novels. Camden House.
- ↑ Berlin Alexanderplatz (1931) on IMDb
Bibliography
- Bernhardt, Oliver (2007). Alfred Döblin (in German). Munich: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-423-31086-4.
- Jelavich, Peter (2006). Berlin Alexanderplatz: Radio, Film, and the Death of Weimar Culture. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-25997-3.
- Sander, Gabriele (2001). Alfred Döblin (in German). Stuttgart: Reclam. ISBN 3-15-017632-8.
- Schoeller, Wilfried F. (2011). Alfred Döblin: Eine Biographie (in German). Munich: Carl Hanser. ISBN 3-446-23769-0.
Further reading
- Dollenmayer, David B. The Berlin Novels of Alfred Döblin: Wadzek's Battle with the Steam Turbine, Berlin Alexanderplatz, Men Without Mercy, and November 1918. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988. Print.
- Dollenmayer, David B. (May 1980). "An Urban Montage and its Significance in Döblin's Berlin Alexanderplatz". The German Quarterly. 53 (3): 317–336. doi:10.2307/404909.
- Hermes, Manfred (2014). Hystericizing Germany. Fassbinder, Alexanderplatz. Berlin: Sternberg Press. ISBN 978-3-9567-9004-1.
- Jelavich, Peter (2009). Berlin Alexanderplatz: Radio, Film, and the Death of Weimar Culture. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-25997-3.
- Ryan, Judith (November 1981). "From Futurism to 'Döblinism'". The German Quarterly. 54 (4): 415–426. doi:10.2307/405005.