Berlin Alexanderplatz

Hofmann (Univ. of Florida) provides a new, nuanced English translation of Döblin's Berlin Alexanderplatz (1929), one of the most influential German novels of the 20th century. The task cannot have been easy, given the linguistic and structural difficulty of the work, but Hofmann has previously translated works by Franz Kafka, Herta Müller, and Jakob Wassermann, not to mention 14 works by Joseph Roth--an admirable record. This extensive experience obviously provided valuable insights into the art of translation. Hofmann's excellent afterword is as much a treatise on the art of translation as it is a discussion of the novel. Rendering in English this modernist portrait of Berlin in the 1920s required much skill, because Döblin's book is an impressionistic view of Weimar Berlin as seen by crooks and the downtrodden. The difficult subject matter is not self-evident even in the original German. Hofmann's most interesting inclusion is explications of opaque phrases. As he writes in the afterword, he considers it "a dereliction of duty for a translation to be baffling," and his intent is to "clarify or interpret or guide." Examples of his addenda include "this section is from the coffee leaflet," "here he is washing the glasses," and "they are on the tram." A major contribution to German literature in English translation. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers --James N. Hardin, emeritus, University of South Carolina

In this translation of a harrowing and sprawling novel of 1920s Germany, the shifting fortunes of a man newly released from prison counterpoint the societal changes of the Weimar Republic. Döblin's (1878-1957) first published the novel in 1929; it showcases the bitter underside of a society wracked by the aftermath of war and on its way toward totalitarianism. The story opens with protagonist Franz Bieberkopf being released from prison and heading to Berlin in hopes of finding a job. He ends up drifting between legal and illegal work, which bears a terrible toll on his body and sets in motion a series of tragic events. Periodically, Franz's story pauses so that other characters can recount stories of their own, which sometimes echo and sometimes contrast with Franz's circumstances. Hoffman's translation moves seamlessly from the personal to the societal and back again, using Anglicisms ("Not if what I want's the silk coat, innit?") that are sometimes jarring. A constant throughout the novel is a sense of political unrest: characters heatedly debate Marxism even as nationalism and anti-Semitism are rarely out of view, hauntingly anticipating the rise of Nazism. This is a damning portrait of violence both personal and societal, with a sense of something terrible on the horizon. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.