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.
