Berlin Alexanderplatz: The Story of Franz Biberkopf (Paperback)

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Novel by Alfred Doblin, published in 1929. It appeared in English under the original title and as Alexanderplatz, Berlin. It tells the story of Franz Biberkopf, a Berlin proletarian who tries to rehabilitate himself after his release from jail but undergoes a series of vicissitudes, many of them violent and squalid, before he can finally attain a normal life. The book is notable for its interior monologue (in colloquial language and Berlin slang) and somewhat cinematic technique. -- The Merriam-Webster Encylopedia of Literature --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Berlin in the 1920s. Franz Biberkopf has just been released from prison after serving four years for violence that resulted in the death of a girlfriend. He returns to his old neighbourhood, Alexanderplatz, vowing to live a decent life. What he finds are unemployment lines, gangsters, prostitutes, petty thieves, and neophyte Nazis. In this sordid world there are new women: devoted Eva, vulnerable young Mieze and the dangerous, near psychotic Reinhold, who befriends him. As Franz struggles to survive, fate teases him with a little luck, a little pleasure, then cruelly turns on him. "Berlin Alexanderplatz" is one of the masterpieces of European literature. The first German novel to adopt the technique of James Joyce, it excited and overwhelmed critics and readers everywhere as it was translated into other languages. One of its greatest admirers was a brilliant young German director. Rainer Fassbinder saw in the novel "a huge part of myself, decisive into determining the course of my life." One of Fassbinder's last projects was an impressive fifteen-hour film version of Berlin Alexanderplatz. Some of the stills from that epic adaptation - remarkably faithful to the Doblin novel - are included here.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 635 pages
• Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group (May 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826414877
• ISBN-13: 978-0826414878
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,215,927 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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48 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the masterpieces of German literature, June 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Berlin Alexanderplatz: The Story of Franz Biberkopf (Paperback)

If you're looking for simple dialogue, simple characters, and a simple, enjoyable story, then the Hardy Boys should be right up your alley. If you want to be challenged by one of the great novels of the 20th century - expressionism at its most compelling - then settle in with Doblin. I'm a little tired of the carp "stream of consciousness" when it's nothing of the kind. The diversions into slaughterhouse techniques, newspaper ads, etc. all combine to create a visceral rendering of Berlin of the 1920's. That's the point. It's meant to jar, to attack, to disorient. That's it's genius. If you think that might bore you (or be beyond you) don't read it. You won't get it. It's not meant to be an assigment. It's meant to be an experience. If you're up to it, dive in. It'll change the way you read from then on.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Use of Literary Devices Proves to be Efficient, February 11, 2001

By	"renaissancemanls" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Berlin Alexanderplatz: The Story of Franz Biberkopf (Paperback)

Doblin describes pre-Nazi Germany through the life of Franz Biberkopf in such a fashion that even the lax historian can get a feel for what it was like. The reader is constantly bombarded with highly symbolic analogies that quite clearly paint a portrait of rough standards of living amongst the proletariat and a highly controlling, highly nervous government. The life of Franz Biberkopf, as mentioned before, is the foundation of the story. Franz is released from prison, after having served a four year sentence for the murder of his girlfriend, only to suffer shell shock at being immediately subjected to the outside world. He soon decides to be straight and live the life of a working man. He starts on his journey which has its impediments: he is consumed by sexual desire and manipulates the women in his life, he goes into hiding at times, he has fits of jealous rage in unwarranted scenarios, and he is a member of the National Socialists. He meets many people along the way - "Fat" Lina who is his lover for a period, betraying Reinhold, loyal Eva, a friend who helps Franz, and Mieze, Franz's love - who help to change him into Franz Karl Biberkopf, a new Franz who is conscious of his country and his life. Franz's epiphany doesn't come without a price, however; he will feel the pain of loss every step of the way. Mixing Franz's episodic life story with narrations closely resembling radio news broadcasts ingeniously and gracefully lifts the veil of time and politics to give present day readers a glimpse of pre-Nazi Berlin. In Book Four the narrator intricately describes the slaughtering of pigs. Through deception, the pigs are led to the slaughter house and made to suffer as their deceptors watch trying to justify their actions. Using symbolism Doblin illustrates a disillusioned people searching so hard for stability they settle for oppression. These analogous illustrations are speckled throughout the novel. Through irony and symbolism Doblin gives the reader a unique view of pre-Nazi Germany. This was a confusing time when Germany was still wounded from World War I and it left them open to tyranny. This novel serves to place the reader in pre-Nazi Germany to experience the manipulation and politics of the working class that existed at that time.

27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best German Novel, May 23, 2002

By	S. Foster "Caustic" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Berlin Alexanderplatz: The Story of Franz Biberkopf (Paperback)

This is the best German novel; mordant, dark, hilarious, packed with the fascinations of Modernism and modern urban life... Joycean literary technique applied by a historical realist to the social life in one of the world's great cities at a critical turning point in its history, it's as close as the German novel can get to Rabelais, Brecht, Joyce and Dickens at the same time. Here's to Franz Biberkopf!