Customer Reviews

The Adventures of Private Faust

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In my opinion Hans Hulmut Kirst is the most talented historical novelists of this century. I litererly cannot put down his books once I get started reading, I have always enjoyed going back and reading the same books again.

Hans H. Kirst is a Vetran of WWII, he saw and writes from the German perspective, and tell his story, keeping the reader spellbound, and the reader on the edge of their seat, all the while giving valuable historical information.

Perhaps Private Faust is really Hans himself, Hans writes about Faust in other novels, progressing him thrugh the military ranks.

This or any other book by Hans Helmut Kirst is well worth the time, money, and effort to aquire and read. Thank You!

The Adventures of Private Faust is a classic book which makes me laugh every time I pick it up. Hans Hellmut Kirst is a German WWII veteran, giving the book a perspective not normally availible today. The setting for this book is a North African British POW camp, holding German prisoners after the end of the war. But that doesn't mean the book is a dry read; far from it. Every page brings another laugh, from the ingenious escape attempts of (German) Private Faust, to Command Sergeant Major's (German) Scottish pipe band.

If you liked Catch-22, you'll love this book.

In The Adventures Of Private Faust, Kirst creates one of his favorite characters- a fellow that in normal times, would be considered the 'eccentric'- the thinker, the loner, the dreamer. We see characters like him in The Wolves, Hero in the Tower, Night of the Generals. He's not like everybody els - can't think like them or act like them- and, in Nazi Germany, that's as good as being a traitor- lack of community spirit, etc. Faust can't tow the line, and he's found himslef very far away from home, where he has a mission - to get back to Germany and avenge the deaths of his parents. Surrounded by British in a POW camp, his own people- fellow soldiers from the Afrika Corps- find him suspisious as well. His numerous escape attempts, obvious lack of respect for authority and quick mind all make him a target. Blackmailed by a British profiteer, accused of being a ultra-fanatical Nazi by his fellows, he finds himself alone against the pack.

And, this is what Kirst, I believe, wants to get across. He joined the Nazi party himself- "I confused the party with nationalism"- and felt betrayed and confused, himself. In characters like Faust, he can re-write history- his personal history. Faust is how he sees himself, how he wishes he had been. And, you can rely on Kirst to set the correct tone for the times. He was there, and these fellows are passing on quickly. Soon, few alive will remember what it was like.
If you are interested in reading what a survivor, a soldier (Lt) and a Nazi that repented thought, as well as good writing and lots of fun (If you don't find a Scottish Sgt Major trying to teach German POW's how to play the HIghland Pipes, this isn't your kind of humor)this is for you. And in the end, we have a lot in common. And, a lot of differences! Let him show you human nature and entertain you at the same time.

Hans Helmut Kirst is at his best in "The Adventures of Private Faust." Kirst, known for his "The Night of the Generals" and his Gunner Asch series, is at the top of his usually excellent form in this story of an Afrika Korps POW in a camp 40 miles (60 km) outside Cairo near the end of World War II.

Private Heinrich Faust is everyman, Feldgrau, Tommy, or G.I. All he really wants is to just get through life -- find love, maybe have children, and enjoy a lttle good beer. Standing in his way is barbed wire, disconnected British guards, and a group of Nazis trying to re-evangelize the helpless POWs. As in most of Kirst's books, good wins.