NIGHTMARE IN BERLIN (First edition in English - first impression)

Hans Fallada (Translated from the German by Allan Blunden)

ISBN 10: 192522838X / ISBN 13: 9781925228380

Published by Scribe Publications, London, 2016

About this Item

First impression of the first edition in English. Translated from the German by Allan Blunden. Originally published in German by Aufbau as "Der Alpdruck" in 1947. ***Near fine in black paper-covered boards with white titles to the spine. The boards are clean and unmarked. Head and tail of spine slightly creased. Corners sharp. No reading lean to the binding. Spine tight. Internally also near fine with no inscriptions. Pages clean and bright with no foxing and no creases or tears. ***In a near fine colour illustrated dustwrapper, which is unpriced by the publisher. The dustwrapper is complete without any loss, but there is some rubbing and creasing to the edges, mainly along the top edge. No chips or tears. No fading. Dustwrapper bright. ***218mm x 144mm. xvi preliminary pages comprising a seven-page German publisher's foreword to this edition by Nele Holdack and Rene Strien, Berlin April 2014, and an author's two-page foreword written Berlin, August 1946. 271 pages including a Brief Biography, an Editorial Note and a Note about the Translator at the back of the book. ***'Written with Fallada's distinctive power and vividness, "Nightmare in Berlin" captures the demoralised and desperate atmosphere of post-war Germany in a way that has never been matched or surpassed.' (Quote taken from the front flap of the dustwrapper) ***Hans Fallada was one of the best-known German writers of the twentieth century. Born in 1893 in Greifswald, north-east Germany, as Rudolf Wilhelm Adolf Ditzen, he took his pen-name from a Brothers Grimm fairytale. His most famous works include the novels "Little Man, What Now?" and "The Drinker". Fallada died in 1947 in Berlin.' (Wiki) ***'Fallada is a genius' - Beryl Bainbridge (Quote taken from the front panel) *** First impression of the first edition in English, in its original dustwrapper, in very nice condition. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc.

Seller Inventory # 8665

Bibliographic Details

• Title: NIGHTMARE IN BERLIN (First edition in English - first impression)
• Publisher: Scribe Publications, London
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 192522838X
• ISBN 13: 9781925228380
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition in English
• Printing: First Impression
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • First Editions
  • Literature in Translation

About this title

Synopsis

Available for the first time in English, here is an unforgettable portrayal by a master novelist of the physical and psychological devastation wrought in the homeland by Hitler’s war.

Late April, 1945. The war is over, yet Dr Doll, a loner and ‘moderate pessimist’, lives in constant fear. By night, he is haunted by nightmarish images of the bombsite in which he is trapped — he, and the rest of Germany. More than anything, he wishes to vanquish the demon of collective guilt, but he is unable to right any wrongs, especially in his position as mayor of a small town in north-east Germany that has been occupied by the Red Army.

Dr Doll flees for Berlin, where he finds escape in a morphine addiction: each dose is a ‘small death’. He tries to make his way in the chaos of a city torn apart by war, accompanied by his young wife, who shares his addiction. Fighting to save two lives, he tentatively begins to believe in a better future.

Written with Fallada’s distinctive power and vividness, Nightmare in Berlin captures the demoralised and desperate atmosphere of post-war Germany in a way that has never been matched or surpassed.

The translation of this work was supported by a grant from the Goethe-Institut which is funded by the German Ministry of the Arts.

About the Author

Hans Fallada (1893-1947) was the pen name of German author Rudolf Ditzen, whose books were international bestsellers on a par with those of his countrymen Thomas Mann and Hermann Hesse.