Erich kstner fabian ebook

The skills and timing of a professional scriptwriter are apparent throughout Going to the Dogs. In ways, Fabian is an Everyman, the observer faced with decline and change. Girl of Nine Jumps from Window. Election of Premier — Another Fiasco. Negotiations in Moscow. The usual thing. Nothing special. It is a wickedly barbed portrait of the time between the wars, the death of Weimar and the rise of National Socialism.

Graham Greene admired the book, and it is one of those classics that succeed in being both of their time and of all times. Fabian counts his pennies in a desperate city full of strident, amoral women. The already poor become increasingly destitute and the rich tend to get found out. It all seems very simply done; it is not. Please update your payment details to keep enjoying your Irish Times subscription.

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Sign In. A sense of purposelessness and loneliness pervades the book much more than the sense of a political tract. I think the book takes a more traditional view of gender and gender roles than the view which is held by many contemporary readers. This book is a provocative, troubling masterwork. Kastner's Preface to the German edition and his original Epilogue to the novel are included. They are both eloquently written and helped me to think about this novel.

Robin Friedman View all 6 comments. The frenetic pace of the city is represented in detail: night clubs, brothels, prostitutes, gambling, political turmoil. Jacob Fabian is a decent 32 year old man who works in advertising. He is highly educated but he works at a low paid, menial job. He is not alone in this, many people are in a similar situation because there is rising unemployment and a looming financial crisis.

Fabian feels frustration. He is a moralist in a world of dissipation. He wonders: how can you find true love in a city of loose morals? How can you raise a family in the face of uncertain working conditions?

Well, he will find love, and he will lose it. He will also lose his job and his best friend, who will commit suicide. In the end, he will lose even more. This book was very controversial at the time it was published and it was criticized, mostly by the early Nazis, who considered it decadent and immoral.

It was an instant bestseller. Later, however, when the Nazis were in power, his books were burned publicly as were Heinrich Mann's books as well because of "their affront to discipline and morality in the family and the State". They seemed to miss the strong didactic element of his writing. This is one of the must read German novels included in the DW list.

My booty on a recent trip to Berlin was more yarn than print, but this was one of the books that made it into my bag for the trip home. I bought it from St George's English bookshop and if you would like more detail about the wonderful bookshops in Berlin, I wrote something about them here. It has a quote on the back from The Times Literary Supplement Damned for its improper subject matter, Going to the Dogs showed the crumbling Berlin of Christopher Isherwood's stories with something of Isherwood My booty on a recent trip to Berlin was more yarn than print, but this was one of the books that made it into my bag for the trip home.

It has a quote on the back from The Times Literary Supplement Damned for its improper subject matter, Going to the Dogs showed the crumbling Berlin of Christopher Isherwood's stories with something of Isherwood's sharp intelligence, but a far more tragic sense of implication.

It's a comparison I'm looking forward to making for myself, having acquired the relevant Isherwood volume, also a slim affair, at the same time. In he is well aware that he is watching the downfall, the disintegration, the degeneration of Europe.

It's horrifying to be aware, reading it now, and seeing the ways in which it compares with Europe now, that there was no hindsight on the author's. He was calling it as he saw it day by day. View all 7 comments. Funny, smart, provocative. Yes, that was the entire review. Live with it. View all 3 comments. Very reminiscent of Isherwood's Berlin Stories, except this one is much bleaker and from a German. The great thing about this book is it is not really a witness to the rise of Nazism, though it of course is, because it is so absurd, and the narrator is so cynical, while reading it is hard to trust what he Fabian is telling us.

In fact one almost suspects Fabian himself doesn't believe what he sees and recounts. And who can blame him, Weimar Berlin must have been a pretty surreal place to live. And it reminds me of Alexanderplatz in that it is not totally a political novel but one interested in the actions and psychology of the characters.

And what are we to make of Fabian? Well, at heart he is a moralist, and proves it in the end. Any reading of this book as a critique of the passivity of German liberalism in the wake of Nazism, and definitely it like in Isherwood is here, is totally wrong. Does Fabian know how to fix his country or city?

No he bloody well doesn't. Do you? Should he have tried harder? Perhaps, but this book was written in , before the extent of the evil to come was known and the most common "action" among leftist intellectuals like Fabian was probably to flee.

Fabian doesn't know what to do, and he sees the evil even in his best friends. I'm no Arendt expert but could the banality of evil be represented by a young girlfriend sleeping with an ugly old movie producer to get a break and make some dough? This kind of stuff is depressing. It's one thing to rail against the political powers, another to hear the awful compromising and downright immorality of your friends, colleagues, and age group. And Fabian sees a lot of this everywhere he goes.

But though Fabian is a moralist, he is not perfect. And though he might damn those who sell their bodies for money, he isn't much better himself. And knows it. This book does feel like Grosz or Ernst or whatever Neue Sachlichkeit painter is in vogue at the moment. It really is a literary expression of the same thing.

Gross but clear. Absurd but honest. Humans doing inhuman things to each other. This book is a true literary classic of the Weimar era.

I'm surprised it's not more popular. I do not find this book funny, although many people around here mention just that about it. I found it sad, and terrible, and great, and I loved Fabian, I can totally understand his view. I found it may things but not really funny. Maybe something is wrong with me, or maybe I find that te world is in crisis, my country is in crisis, life has a different value now, and this book describes a crisis which happens in a very different moment in the world, but maybe not so far from things that happen I do not find this book funny, although many people around here mention just that about it.

Maybe something is wrong with me, or maybe I find that te world is in crisis, my country is in crisis, life has a different value now, and this book describes a crisis which happens in a very different moment in the world, but maybe not so far from things that happen now. This book has many descriptions of sexuality, that to me is the least important part, but I can understand that when it was published it was a really big deal, and maybe took some value away from what it is trying to say.

What I can recognise is maybe the lack of value one gives to life, when there is a crisis, call it economic, or political, call it social tension, call it what you like.

It is more of a sad book, and maybe I find it sad, because in this very moment the world seems dark to me in many ways, and this book describes what happens to people when they really don't know where to go, or when everything they do really seems not to make any difference in the large scheme of things. Very recommend read. I've had to read several books for the university so far, but I enjoyed this the most.

It's cleverly done and I feel that it could be applied to today's society as well, so it has a sense of timelessness to it. A child falls into the water, and Fabian goes to save the child, very heroic. And then: "Fabian I've had to read several books for the university so far, but I enjoyed this the most. And then: "Fabian ertrank.

Er konnte leider nicht schwimmen. Sadly, he couldn't swim. I was just sitting there like: ".. View 1 comment. In this case, the protagonist, Fabian, is a recent college graduate without much direction who finds himself mixed up with the teeming underbelly of Berlin society. From prostitutes to beggars to corrupt politicians, Fabian observes those around him with a degree of distance.

From there, his idea of a moral life is challenged repeatedly, and he must come to terms with his own beliefs. In a bordello one evening, Fabian meets Cornelia Battenberg, a spurned woman who is pessimistic about love.

They fall into bed together that night and begin a cautious, but passionate relationship. Fabian is constantly confronted with signs of failing social norms: he watches as newspapers print blatant lies daily; is offered a job writing for a right-wing news organization; and sees how the film industry is controlled by those with money and power.

Fabian is one of the only society novels of the late s, which makes it unique. It documents the rise of Nazism by describing the decline of empathy and moralism. Some were translated, but their popularity never really took off in the US. He watched as his books, including Fabian, were labeled degenerate and burned outside of libraries across the country. He watched the country rebuild itself from the ashes. And still, he stayed.

It is a fast read, and one full of symbolism. A great portrait of the city Berlin during the Weimar Republic! The book is set right before the downfall fo the Weimar Republic, with all the political tensions and the morals slowly collapsing, women who gave up on love and just use sex, men without work, just coffee houses and brothels. And right in the middle, there is Jakob Fabian, an unemployed germanist and moralist.

For me, this book delivers a great and impressive portray of the desperate time after the global economic crisis from A A great portrait of the city Berlin during the Weimar Republic! All the characters seemed kinda helpless and without perspective. While reading, I started to feel their desperation and could fully understand why extremism grew in this city. I could imagine every monument they passed and after reading had a better impression of Berlin which I last visited in and never in the 30's, of course.

I also loved how women were presented in the book. While at first they seemed strong, confident and liberated, you saw that this was just a mask and in reality they were disappointed by life and men. I especially loved the end and how it all fit together. In addition I liked the style of writing and even in sad occasions, and there are many in this book, I had to laugh because of the sarcastic tone the book is set in.

If you love Berlin, I definitly recommend this book. I was really excited before reading it if it would differ from his children books. And I was not disappointed. His work is highly developed in style, sarcastic in tone and criticises the society in a way that makes you laugh at first and then think.

I have been reading German fiction in translation and this novel by the author of Emil and the Detectives appeared on one of those "If you have read this then you might be interested in Weimar Germany has fascinated me since I saw Cabaret as an impressionable teen in , so I picked up the novel eager for an insider view of the period.

I didn't read the introduction until after finishing the book which turned out to be a wise decision because it contains major spoile I have been reading German fiction in translation and this novel by the author of Emil and the Detectives appeared on one of those "If you have read this then you might be interested in I didn't read the introduction until after finishing the book which turned out to be a wise decision because it contains major spoilers, though it has useful background and criticism.

Kastner shows the decadence of Weimar Berlin hurtling towards destruction. The novel is suffused with a sense that something awful is about to happen- it was published in which makes this quote the context is a dream chillingly prescient: In front of them towered a machine as vast as Cologne Cathedral. Before it were standing workmen, stripped to the waist.

They were armed with shovels, and were shoveling hundreds of thousands of babies into a huge furnace where a red fire was burning. Fabian the main character observes what is happening around him as his own life lurches from struggling, as a poorly paid, under-appreciated advertising copywriter, to hopelessness when he is cast into the rapidly swelling ranks of unemployed: German society rewards cynics and opportunists not the decent and kind.

He is a likeable character for all his faults, a good friend and dutiful son. Not a lighthearted novel but easy to read and quite funny, though overall quite a sad book. Definitely something to look for if you have any interest in this period. View 2 comments. Jan 19, h. Shelves: classics , reviewed , historical , ger-literature , read-in-ger.

I always intend to read more books that are written by German authors, and Fabian. Die Geschichte eines Moralisten was one that reinforced that resolution of mine, because it was a highly worthwhile and intellectually rewarding read. His portra I always intend to read more books that are written by German authors, and Fabian. His portrayal of society is honest, blunt, outspoken—and often a bit scandalous, but immensely entertaining.

That being said, you have to be in the right mood to read this book, because it's not the easiest to get through, and I had to put it aside more than once. A little warning beforehand: Don't let the ending upset you like it did me. I wish I could give this book 10 stars. I can confidently say that this is my favourite book. Set in Berlin during the late days of the Weimar republic, this book has it all: - A great original title Der Gang Vor Die Hunde, meaning the "road to the dogs" that was changed by the publisher to something more "friendly" and "commercial" - Vivid images of s' Berlin - An equal sense of romance and decay - The feeling of the end of days - Funny moments, cause life is not tragedy, it's a comedy where ev I wish I could give this book 10 stars.

Set in Berlin during the late days of the Weimar republic, this book has it all: - A great original title Der Gang Vor Die Hunde, meaning the "road to the dogs" that was changed by the publisher to something more "friendly" and "commercial" - Vivid images of s' Berlin - An equal sense of romance and decay - The feeling of the end of days - Funny moments, cause life is not tragedy, it's a comedy where everyone is laughing to the misery of others.

It could be 90 minutes old as well. In the end, no matter what you think, you are wasting your life away. Some just so it in the less popular or accepted way.

An unsettling book to read right now. I started it while traveling in Germany--in Dusseldorf, which in is very different than Berlin of the 20s. But the book feels very familiar, with its chaotic background and Fabian, the narrator, struggling to support himself and find meaning. Towards the end, he's back home and runs into an old classmate who's joined up with the Stahlhelm I think it's a nationalistic pre An unsettling book to read right now.

Towards the end, he's back home and runs into an old classmate who's joined up with the Stahlhelm I think it's a nationalistic precurser to the Nazis. When he tells the friend they will fail and bring down Germany with them, the friend responds, "Then we shall all go under, and to hell with it.

As someone who was born and raised in today's Berlin, I can say that the novel offers a very interesting portray of the city and its past.

I read this book for a philosophy class. Although it is not a lighthearted book, "Fabian" is very smart and gives you an insight into this generation and the problems they faced. I know, books have to be read in their historical context, but this is too much and it probably was too much even back then. Satirical description of the life in Berlin and more general around I am not sure of the date now, but published before He travels incessantly through the center of the city by foot, by car, and by train, with a carefully-described geographical accuracy that is impressive to anyone who knows the city.

That was for me one of the book's special pleasures, living, as I do, within the center of Fabian's stomping ground. Fabian reminded me a bit of Stephen Daedelus in Ulysses - over-educated and unter-utilized, adrift in a city that he loves but which has little use for him, cherishing the commonplace and mistrusting the grand, and watching, always watching.

But this book is no Ulysses. Marcel Reich-Ranicki describes him as a "minor master," and warns his readers not to overlook him on that account, for Germany is a land that "loves Bach but undervalues Offenbach," and has little use for minor masters. I appreciated the style and the craft of the prose for the most part, which vividly conveyed impressions and ideas, but I found myself largely unmoved by the larger points the book sought to make, such as they were.

Many of the conflicts set up by the book failed to resolve in a way that communicated anything of significance. In particular, the most important action that takes place in the book depends entirely on something done by a character that I found completely unbelievable. No one would do what that character did, and if it was intended as satire, its point was completely opaque to me, other than the rather trivial point that great spirits are often destroyed by the petty actions of bureaucrats.

A low-point for me was his depiction of a lesbian bar in Berlin, and his obnoxious observation that most lesbians are straight women who are angry with men. This book is often described as a social satire, but it's hard for me to see it as such - I don't recognize the target of his satire, because I don't recognize the characters or their world as anything actual. I liked the portrait of late s Berlin's life. The story itself was nice, but nothing groundbreaking the end was a bit too abrupt for my liking.

I liked that his political attitude was clearly visible. Sometimes going for the sarcastical remark rather than a more complex argument felt like him taking the easy way which feels a bit unfair towards someone who saw his books burned on pyres just two years later. It was a fast read that I guess I'll pick up again someday and will enjoy again. He is a 32 year old with excellent education but permanently condemned to a low-paid job without security.

He finds himself stuck in the rising of unemployment and spiritual depression of the country. Despite the hopeless situation, Fabian and friends make the best of it. They enjoy cabarets and plays in the evenings while making sharp observations on politics, life, and love.

Labude shook his head. One man uses it for his own advantage, another for that of his family, one for his fellow supertax-payers, another for people with fair hair, a fifth for those over six feet tall, a sixth in order to test some mathematical formula on humanity.

To hell with money and power! It does not describe what things were like; it exaggerates them. There were flowers on the table, and a letter. He opened it. A twenty-mark note dropped out, and a scrap of paper. There was his mother in the train; very soon she would find the twenty-mark note he had slipped into her handbag. Mathematically considered, the result equaled nothing.

For both were now as poor as they had been before. But good deeds are beyond book-keeping. The moral and the arithmetical equations work out differently. Written in , the idea is still very relevant today. I feel like shit now. Can be enjoyable no matter what your political inclinations. Sexual degeneracy and its consequences are well depicted also. I did not like the way he ended this book he pretty much left it without an ending. Will read more of his books for grown-ups.