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Hans Keilson

Life Goes On: A Novel Paperback – October 30, 2012

by Hans Keilson (Author), Damion Searls (Translator)

16 ratings

3.5 on Goodreads

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Published when the author was just twenty-three, Life Goes On was Hans Keilson's literary debut, an extraordinary autobiographical novel that paints a dark yet illuminating portrait of Germany between the world wars. It is the story of Herr Seldersen―a Jewish store owner modeled on Keilson's father, a textile merchant and decorated World War I veteran―along with his wife and son, Albrecht, and the troubles they encounter as the German economy collapses and politics turn rancid.

The book was banned by the Nazis in 1934. Shortly afterward, following his editor's advice, Keilson emigrated to the Netherlands, where he would spend the rest of his life.

Life Goes On is an essential volume for readers of Keilson's later work. At the age of one hundred, with his one copy of the first edition of Life Goes On in hand, Keilson told The New York Times that he would love to see his first novel reissued, and translated as well. "Then you would have my whole biography," he told them. He died at the age of one hundred and one.

Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date

October 30, 2012
Dimensions

5.48 x 0.68 x 8.33 inches
ISBN-10

0374191956
ISBN-13

978-0374191955
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Hans Keilson
54
Paperback
47 offers from $1.43

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In this autobiographical first novel, Keilson captures the mood of Germany after WWI as the country’s economy collapses, its politics turn ugly, and the prospects for its citizens darken. Herr Seldersen returns unharmed from the Great War to continue operating his textile shop only to find his customers losing jobs and his trade dwindling. Despite his strict financial management, the shopkeeper’s business continues in a downward spiral, and his despair deepens. Meanwhile, Seldersen’s son, Albrecht, a university student in Berlin who suffers with his parents and watches the repeated failures of his best friend, feels adrift in the world and comes to believe that his only escape from a sense of shame is to become political. Banned in Germany in 1934, the year after it was published, this novel is unrelentingly depressing in describing the climate in which Nazism began to flourish. Together with Keilson’s other two novels (Comedy in a Minor Key,1947, and The Death of the Adversary, 1959), reprinted in English translation in 2010, this book illuminates the entire life of the renowned author, who died, at age 101, in 2011. --Michele Leber

Review

"…Life Goes On is an important and heartbreaking novel, and not only because it lets us hear the power of Keilson's young voice just before it was silenced for more than a decade...Moreover, as grim as the material is, the prose is a pleasure. Keilson has a lovely, easy style, a gentle tone and an analytic mind. He depicts complicated human interactions…with a precocious mastery of nuance and full comprehension of what can't be said."―The New York Times Book Review

"Stunningly accomplished and self-assured for such a young writer this novel, published initially in 1933 when Keilson was in his early 20s, gives a haunting portrait of Germany between the two world wars."―Publishers Weekly

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Reprint edition (October 30, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0374191956
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0374191955
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.48 x 0.68 x 8.33 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,320,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,005 in Jewish Literature & Fiction
- #8,411 in Biographical Fiction (Books)
- #126,768 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
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Top reviews from the United States

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jshuston

Well Worth the Read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 25, 2019

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This is a touching and poignant memoir that will have you laughing and crying. Thomas' work helps to ensure that the Forgotten War stays in the memories of generations to come.

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sirod

the Holocaust from a different point

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 20, 2013

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Hans Keilson has written a beautiful and moving story of the Holocaust from the viewpoint of a young man and his family in the time after WW 1, and prior to the onset of the Nazi rise to power. The description of life as it was for most of the German population makes the horror that became the Nazi Movement predictable!

One person found this helpful

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Amy S. Khoudari

Excellent

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 10, 2013

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This is an amazing book. It is a beautiful elegy of a sad and dangerous time. The afterword makes it evident that this work is largely autobiographical. A fascinating read for anyone interested in the challenges of the interwar years and the rise National Socialism. Furthermore, it is amazingly relevant to our current economic circumstances in Europe and the US.

3 people found this helpful

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margie tut

Very Moving

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 22, 2013

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Well written but I have trouble finding my place with the Kindle version on my ipad. Each time I have to go back to Amazon to figure out how to read it!

One person found this helpful

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Rocco

Boring

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 13, 2013

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I got seasick half way through and stopped reading , it started off with promise but dissolved quickly from there.

One person found this helpful

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Gaby Chapman

No Wonder

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 27, 2014

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This autobiographical account of Germany between world wars, makes it clear why WWII was inevitable. What an excrutiating and tragic time to live in.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 12, 2013

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A gift for an 80 year old who needs nothing. He loved it and found it so interesting! A good choice for a world war enthusiast!

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Edward R. Muller

Excellent quasi autobiographical novel

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 20, 2012

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Wonderfully written with a terrific afterward by Keilson written 50 years after he wrote the book. The very end of the afterward is magnificent.

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

T. Hamp

Outstanding

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 1, 2014

Verified Purchase

I read this for a glimpse into pre-Nazi Germany, and was not disappointed. I have purchased Keilson's other books on Kindle.

I would recommend as precursor reading "The Downfall of Money" which lays the foundation of what happens in this book, during the Weimar inflationary period and beyond. Also available on Kindle.

Cheers,
Tom

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