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Berlin Stories (1985)

by Robert Walser(Favorite Author)

3.84 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1590174542 (ISBN13: 9781590174548)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

New York Review Books Classics

review 1: This really isn't a book of stories or even essays as much as it is a collection of 2-3 page vignettes giving you a glimpse of Robert Walser's pre-WWI Berlin life. I feel bad giving it such a low rating because it's one of those "it's not you, it's me" situations - in the same way that I don't enjoy reading poetry, I don't enjoy reading books that have no plot or character development or actual story. Then again, if you are one of the many readers like me that enjoys those kinds of things, you probably won't like this book either.
review 2: I read this to prepare for a vacation to Berlin, as a way of getting acquainted with the city and its history. Walser's stories were perfect for this purpose. They capture a slice of life around the turn of the century, befo... morere war and Soviet occupation transformed the landscape and the culture. Some of the stories, like "In the Electric Tram" or "Fire" describe aspects of modernity that can still be observed today. Most, however, recall a city lost to the past. In terms of style and content, I found the collection rather uneven -- passages of brilliance followed by the uninspired. I'm not sure whether to chalk this up to Walser or to the translation, but there was enough brilliance to make it worthwhile. less

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