The inspiration for Rainer Werner Fassbinder's epic film and that The Guardian named one of the
"Top 100 Books of All Time " Berlin Alexanderplatz is considered one of the most important
works of the Weimar Republic and twentieth century literature. Berlin Alexanderplatz the
great novel of Berlin and the doomed Weimar Republic is one of the great books of the
twentieth century gruesome farcical and appalling word drunk pitchdark. In Michael
Hofmann's extraordinary new translation Alfred Döblin's masterpiece lives in English for the
first time. As Döblin writes in the opening pages: The subject of this book is the life of
the former cement worker and haulier Franz Biberkopf in Berlin. As our story begins he has
just been released from prison where he did time for some stupid stuff now he is back in
Berlin determined to go straight. To begin with he succeeds. But then though doing all
right for himself financially he gets involved in a set-to with an unpredictable external
agency that looks an awful lot like fate. Three times the force attacks him and disrupts his
scheme. The first time it comes at him with dishonesty and deception. Our man is able to get to
his feet he is still good to stand. Then it strikes him a low blow. He has trouble getting
up from that he is almost counted out. And finally it hits him with monstrous and extreme
violence.
