Scan barcode
mavenbooks's review
3.0
An interesting view of Hans Fallada's experiences in Nazi Germany, including how he was considered an "undesirable writer" by the Nazis, faced a great deal of trouble from this and minor scuffles with Party members, and how his work was affected over the years.
That said, this book would probably only be of interest to someone who has read at least some of Fallada's work, and is curious about him as a person as well as a writer. It gives a glimpse into how he crafted his stories and characters, sometimes borrowing from real life. But it also shows the fallibility of human memory and what motivates us, as the editors note the inaccuracies and adjustments Fallada made as he wrote and later edited this diary.
That said, this book would probably only be of interest to someone who has read at least some of Fallada's work, and is curious about him as a person as well as a writer. It gives a glimpse into how he crafted his stories and characters, sometimes borrowing from real life. But it also shows the fallibility of human memory and what motivates us, as the editors note the inaccuracies and adjustments Fallada made as he wrote and later edited this diary.
chalicotherex's review
4.0
In 1944, during a an argument with his sort-of ex-wife Anne, Rudolf Ditzen aka Hans Fallada fired his pistol in anger. Both testified that he hadn't aimed at her, and Fallada was taken into protective custody, where he stayed the rest of the war. He was given an allotment of 92 sheets or paper, upon which he was supposed to be writing an anti-semitic novel for Goebbels, who was a fan of his [b:Wolf Among Wolves|3386324|Wolf Among Wolves|Hans Fallada|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402730389s/3386324.jpg|3426089], and who may have inadvertently protected him from the wrath of Rosenberg. At any rate, Fallada wrote a novel about his problem with drugs and booze, [b:The Drinker|674260|The Drinker|Hans Fallada|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365195151s/674260.jpg|660272]. He wrote it in a tiny script because he had no where to hide it from prison guards. Then he turned the paper upside down and wrote this book in the spaces.
In some ways it's a very brave book, denouncing the Nazis from inside their very own prison. It's also a struggle to come to terms with his naïveté about the regime. He had always considered them brutes, but didn't realize just how bad things were until an elderly Nazi couple had him arrested on false charges so that they could steal his house. It's also an attempt to justify his 'inward emigration'. And while it's true that he experienced actual tragedy while Thomas Mann et al were sitting in opera boxes, he didn't publicly resist the Nazis in any way, and even changed the ending to Iron Gustav at their request.
Mostly though, it's a serious Fallada novel, where his friends become heroes for their resistance, and a rural village comes apart at the seems.
It's worth it for the story of his first arrest by the Nazis: he buys a house from some old, penniless Nazis and let's them stay on as tenants. They report him out of maliciousness. The brownshirts come with one regular cop to make it look official. Fallada doesn't have time to warn the Jewish girl who's staying at their house, but he can hear her slipping from one room to the next as the house is searched. They find a page marked 'machine gun' and assume he's a communist revolutionary. They ask where he's buried the armaments. He points out that it's for his upcoming jail novel, and it's actually prison slang for when the inmates gang up on one guy on his bunk. One of the younger Nazis shouts excitedly that they use the exact same slang for the exact same thing. The cop gets fed up and leaves, but the brownshirts trump up some charges and arrest him. On the drive to Berlin, they pull over for a 'rest stop'. But Fallada refuses to get out. He knows if he does they'll shoot him for resisting arrest. He refuses to get out of the car, and the brownshirts start pulling him by the legs when Fallada's doctor happens to drive by. Fallada explains he's arrested and the doctor offers condolences, waves goodbye but doesn't leave. The Brownshirts realize they can't shoot him now with a witness here, so they take him to prison after all. Fallada's publisher still has some clout, gets him a lawyer and gets him out of jail, but the old Nazi tenants get to keep the house. Fallada's pissed, but the lawyer explains that you just can't bring a lawsuit against a party member. There's some funny business in the jail, too, with guards who belong to different factions who let him play cards with other prisoners as long as he doesn't tell the other faction who are also letting him out to play cards.
Also check out this story on the book's publication history: http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/how-hans-fallada-s-memoir-finally-made-it-from-prison-into-print-1.2077119
In some ways it's a very brave book, denouncing the Nazis from inside their very own prison. It's also a struggle to come to terms with his naïveté about the regime. He had always considered them brutes, but didn't realize just how bad things were until an elderly Nazi couple had him arrested on false charges so that they could steal his house. It's also an attempt to justify his 'inward emigration'. And while it's true that he experienced actual tragedy while Thomas Mann et al were sitting in opera boxes, he didn't publicly resist the Nazis in any way, and even changed the ending to Iron Gustav at their request.
Mostly though, it's a serious Fallada novel, where his friends become heroes for their resistance, and a rural village comes apart at the seems.
It's worth it for the story of his first arrest by the Nazis: he buys a house from some old, penniless Nazis and let's them stay on as tenants. They report him out of maliciousness. The brownshirts come with one regular cop to make it look official. Fallada doesn't have time to warn the Jewish girl who's staying at their house, but he can hear her slipping from one room to the next as the house is searched. They find a page marked 'machine gun' and assume he's a communist revolutionary. They ask where he's buried the armaments. He points out that it's for his upcoming jail novel, and it's actually prison slang for when the inmates gang up on one guy on his bunk. One of the younger Nazis shouts excitedly that they use the exact same slang for the exact same thing. The cop gets fed up and leaves, but the brownshirts trump up some charges and arrest him. On the drive to Berlin, they pull over for a 'rest stop'. But Fallada refuses to get out. He knows if he does they'll shoot him for resisting arrest. He refuses to get out of the car, and the brownshirts start pulling him by the legs when Fallada's doctor happens to drive by. Fallada explains he's arrested and the doctor offers condolences, waves goodbye but doesn't leave. The Brownshirts realize they can't shoot him now with a witness here, so they take him to prison after all. Fallada's publisher still has some clout, gets him a lawyer and gets him out of jail, but the old Nazi tenants get to keep the house. Fallada's pissed, but the lawyer explains that you just can't bring a lawsuit against a party member. There's some funny business in the jail, too, with guards who belong to different factions who let him play cards with other prisoners as long as he doesn't tell the other faction who are also letting him out to play cards.
Also check out this story on the book's publication history: http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/how-hans-fallada-s-memoir-finally-made-it-from-prison-into-print-1.2077119
rowe's review against another edition
5.0
Incredibly interesting - but recommend this unpolished diary is only read after enjoying Fallada's masterpiece Alone in Berlin, and The Drinker
More...