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Gilgi
The stirring, never-before-translated story of a single, pregnant, and wickedly nervy young secretary making her way through a Germany succumbing to the Nazis.
Irmgard Keun’s first novel Gilgi was an overnight sensation upon its initial publication in Germany, selling thousands of copies, inspiring numerous imitators, and making Keun a household name—a reputation that was only heightened when, a few years later, the nervy Keun sued the Gestapo for blocking her royalties.
The story of a young woman trying to establish her independence in a society being overtaken by fascism, Gilgi was not only a brave story, but revolutionary in its depiction of women’s issues, at the same time that it was, simply, an absorbing and stirring tale of a dauntless spirit. Gilgi is a secretary in a hosiery firm, but she doesn’t intend to stay there for long: she’s disciplined and ambitious, taking language classes, saving up money to go abroad, and carefully avoiding both the pawing of her boss and any other prolonged romantic entanglements. But then she falls in love with Martin, a charming drifter, and leaves her job for domestic bliss—which turns out not to be all that blissful– and Gilgi finds herself pregnant and facing a number of moral dilemmas.
Revolutionary at the time for its treatment of sexual harassment, abortion, single motherhood, and the “New Woman,” Gilgi remains a perceptive and beautifully constructed novel about one woman’s path to maturity. It is presented here in its first-ever translation into English.
Irmgard Keun’s first novel Gilgi was an overnight sensation upon its initial publication in Germany, selling thousands of copies, inspiring numerous imitators, and making Keun a household name—a reputation that was only heightened when, a few years later, the nervy Keun sued the Gestapo for blocking her royalties.
The story of a young woman trying to establish her independence in a society being overtaken by fascism, Gilgi was not only a brave story, but revolutionary in its depiction of women’s issues, at the same time that it was, simply, an absorbing and stirring tale of a dauntless spirit. Gilgi is a secretary in a hosiery firm, but she doesn’t intend to stay there for long: she’s disciplined and ambitious, taking language classes, saving up money to go abroad, and carefully avoiding both the pawing of her boss and any other prolonged romantic entanglements. But then she falls in love with Martin, a charming drifter, and leaves her job for domestic bliss—which turns out not to be all that blissful– and Gilgi finds herself pregnant and facing a number of moral dilemmas.
Revolutionary at the time for its treatment of sexual harassment, abortion, single motherhood, and the “New Woman,” Gilgi remains a perceptive and beautifully constructed novel about one woman’s path to maturity. It is presented here in its first-ever translation into English.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1931
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About the author
Irmgard Keun
28 books145 followersIrmgard Keun (1905 – 1982) was a German novelist. She is noted for her portrayals of the life of women in the Weimar Republic as well as the early years of the Nazi Germany era. She was born into an affluent family and was given the autonomy to explore her passions. After her attempts at acting ended at the age of 16, Keun began working as a writer after years of working in Hamburg and Greifswald. Her books were eventually banned by Nazi authorities but gained recognition during the final years of her life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
January 9, 2020
This is my third book by Irmgard Keun within a week, and now I have run out of supply (German books being rare here generally speaking, and Irmgard Keun even rarer still), so I will give my fellow Goodreaders a break after this review.
Why this compulsive reading of an author who was virtually unknown to me before Christmas?
Gilgi explains it. Keun's first novel, written at the age of 26 in 1931, explores the new conditions for women in the world after the First World War, a world of new rules and possibilities and of old sorrows and problems. Gilgi's dream is to be independent, autonomous, free from the identity-shattering bondage of married life. She navigates the city of Köln in the throes of the financial crisis with open eyes and resilience, watching the poverty and the exploitation of the weak by those who can afford it while celebrating a "room of her own" and a salary to keep her going. Sexuality is both a new bliss and a looming danger, as men still see women as objects to serve their needs rather than as people to share ideas with, but Gilgi and her friend Olga are comfortably aware that they have a deeper solidarity and friendship between them than the lonely men they meet in pubs and in clubs, boasting about their masculinity without feeling true, honest connection in their chosen tribes. In women, the world changes, Gilgi believes.
The one thing that threatens her freedom is her sudden infatuation with irresponsible Martin, who wants her to himself and discourages her from working and staying on track to follow her ideals. Love is the poison that destroys Gilgi's individual goals, while it makes her feel alive and vulnerable like never before.
Finding herself pregnant, without work, and in a relationship with a person who will never take responsibility, she makes the ultimate sacrifice and leaves her town to start afresh on her own, with her child, in Berlin. On the last page, we stand at the station and wave to a young girl who has learned to trust herself more than anyone else, and who is willing to step into the unknown to make life possible for the child she carries.
No wonder Irmgard Keun's female characters were banned by the Nazis a few years later. Such independence of thought and action in a woman was more than threatening to the breeding ideal of a German mother figure: it was an outright rebellion!
Gilgi set an example!
Why this compulsive reading of an author who was virtually unknown to me before Christmas?
Gilgi explains it. Keun's first novel, written at the age of 26 in 1931, explores the new conditions for women in the world after the First World War, a world of new rules and possibilities and of old sorrows and problems. Gilgi's dream is to be independent, autonomous, free from the identity-shattering bondage of married life. She navigates the city of Köln in the throes of the financial crisis with open eyes and resilience, watching the poverty and the exploitation of the weak by those who can afford it while celebrating a "room of her own" and a salary to keep her going. Sexuality is both a new bliss and a looming danger, as men still see women as objects to serve their needs rather than as people to share ideas with, but Gilgi and her friend Olga are comfortably aware that they have a deeper solidarity and friendship between them than the lonely men they meet in pubs and in clubs, boasting about their masculinity without feeling true, honest connection in their chosen tribes. In women, the world changes, Gilgi believes.
The one thing that threatens her freedom is her sudden infatuation with irresponsible Martin, who wants her to himself and discourages her from working and staying on track to follow her ideals. Love is the poison that destroys Gilgi's individual goals, while it makes her feel alive and vulnerable like never before.
Finding herself pregnant, without work, and in a relationship with a person who will never take responsibility, she makes the ultimate sacrifice and leaves her town to start afresh on her own, with her child, in Berlin. On the last page, we stand at the station and wave to a young girl who has learned to trust herself more than anyone else, and who is willing to step into the unknown to make life possible for the child she carries.
No wonder Irmgard Keun's female characters were banned by the Nazis a few years later. Such independence of thought and action in a woman was more than threatening to the breeding ideal of a German mother figure: it was an outright rebellion!
Gilgi set an example!
April 27, 2025
Oh, she's still young, and she's open to all ways of providing for herself, except as a wife, a film actress, or a beauty queen.
First published in 1931 under the twilight of the Weimar Republic before the Nazis came to power in 1933, this is a surprising and tense look at what options for living were available for a young and energetic 'New Woman'. Gilgi turns 21 at the start and is a strikingly self-sufficient young woman: she prioritises economic and erotic freedom - she has a job as a typist and various men with whom she has had relationships - but she isn't searching for a 'career' and there's something a bit stilted about her ambitions epitomised by her rules e.g. about cold showers and the limits she sets on herself. Her more bohemian friend Olga laughs fondly at Gilgi's 'sober soul of the little shopkeeper', her bourgeois longings, and wants her to think bigger and more creatively. But then she introduces Gilgi to Martin... At which point this switches into a different kind of story because Gilgi falls into a crazy kind of self-harming and obsessive love - within minutes, her hard-won independence vanishes and she is left in thrall to this careless man who refuses to take responsibility for anything.
One of the things I like about this book is the way Keun doesn't make it easy for us to navigate it in terms of ideology: Gilgi's idea of 'freedom' was always compromised by her own self-imposed limitations shown, for example, by her accommodations of her lecherous boss who she sweetly manages. Similarly, her proscribed emotional life such as her cool relationship with her parents and her dismissal of various men ends up in a backlash where she goes to the other extreme with Martin - a man loaded with red flags for us as readers.
In the end, Gilgi goes through a crisis , recognises what she has to do to reclaim any kind of independence of mind and life and we are left with an open-ended finish - though internal indications seem to me to more than hint what might happen after the book ends .
This isn't an overtly political book though there are indications of what is happening in the background: hyperinflation is destroying livelihoods and businesses are letting staff go or collapsing; there are street fights between communists and Nazis; there's an especially emotive story that intersects with Gilgi's own and which precipitates her final actions.
But there is no easy moral or message in this book: Gilgi is both adorable and trapped, even self-trapped, and there is no simple way of finding liberation. Of the women in the novel, it's Olga who I loved most, but she has her own implied painful back-story that she carries with her. There are too many other stories sprinkled through the book about women's roles and the careless behaviour of men who, almost always (and the exception is no model to follow), get their own way and, certainly, seem to be free from the sense of responsibility and guilt that Gilgi feels.
For all the fascinating material, it's Keun's writing which really sealed the deal for me: she has mastered an experimental style that switches easily mid-sentence from 1st to 3rd person, jumping in and out of various characters' heads, and without ever making this feel formally 'experimental' or confusing. The result is a dynamic and proactive form of prose that progresses seamlessly - together with the lack of chapters, this feels like a story which advances unstoppably, and which is hard to put down.
It's especially chilling reading this with the hindsight that Keun didn't have: what will happen to Gigli as the Nazis come to power in just two years, and how do the gender roles we see in this book fare under fascist ideologies around the feminine and masculine? It's no surprise to hear that this was one of the books that the Nazi regime decided needed to be burnt.
September 22, 2023
Books like this tempt me to take the path of my GR friend Fionnuala and ditch the star-awarding system altogether. Did I like this book? Yeah. Life-changing? Not really. Was it the story I'd hoped to hear? Not at all. Am I glad I read it? I am, I am.
But I was a bit discomfited at first by the whiffs of Ayn Rand arising from the pages as our plucky 20-year-old heroine, with no apparent irony, delivers a homily for waking up early, cold-water showers (for the simple sake of discipline), working hard in an office and putting away all the money for a long-dreamed-up trip away -- to study the language, not to sit at a cafe falling in love with a dreamy stranger. How....common some people's dreams are!
The writing is fresh and readable, and it's easy to forget that it was written during very tough times, when a large part of the workforce was buried under white crosses or simply squashed into the mud of France or Belgium. A time when wartime reparations rendered the lovely and fun-loving city of Cologne a gray and dismal place. But our heroine Gilgi is unbowed:
The struggle here is really hard-wired into Gilgi's brain, the conflict caused when the slow process of evolution confronts the brutally-fast rise of H. sapiens as change agents supreme of the planet. The latter has created a reward system based on little paper rectangles, and more recently by a bunch of numbers on a screen, that people use to calculate their spot in the social heirarchy and which can be traded for the fruits of others' labor. The former has created a reward system based on skin-to-skin contact, the scent of those close to you and the joy of conversation.
These two reward systems are rarely aligned, and at some level the conflict between the two is what led to all those dead bodies in the mud and to the Gilgi's careful little apple cart of a life being kicked to the curb.
Gilgi is easier to admire than to love, but Keun did a great job of helping me to understand her.
But I was a bit discomfited at first by the whiffs of Ayn Rand arising from the pages as our plucky 20-year-old heroine, with no apparent irony, delivers a homily for waking up early, cold-water showers (for the simple sake of discipline), working hard in an office and putting away all the money for a long-dreamed-up trip away -- to study the language, not to sit at a cafe falling in love with a dreamy stranger. How....common some people's dreams are!
The writing is fresh and readable, and it's easy to forget that it was written during very tough times, when a large part of the workforce was buried under white crosses or simply squashed into the mud of France or Belgium. A time when wartime reparations rendered the lovely and fun-loving city of Cologne a gray and dismal place. But our heroine Gilgi is unbowed:
Gilgi looks out the window. The hopeless people in the streetcar--no, she has nothing in common with them, she doesn't belong with them, she doesn't want to belong with them. They're gray and tired and lifeless. And if they're not lifeless, they're waiting for a miracle. Gilgi isn't lifeless, and she doesn't believe in miracles. She only believes in what she creates and what she earns. She isn't satisfied, but shes' pleased. She's earning money.But it's not all bleak. I like her description of a friend: "A well-disposed God attached a champagne cork to her soul."
The struggle here is really hard-wired into Gilgi's brain, the conflict caused when the slow process of evolution confronts the brutally-fast rise of H. sapiens as change agents supreme of the planet. The latter has created a reward system based on little paper rectangles, and more recently by a bunch of numbers on a screen, that people use to calculate their spot in the social heirarchy and which can be traded for the fruits of others' labor. The former has created a reward system based on skin-to-skin contact, the scent of those close to you and the joy of conversation.
These two reward systems are rarely aligned, and at some level the conflict between the two is what led to all those dead bodies in the mud and to the Gilgi's careful little apple cart of a life being kicked to the curb.
Gilgi is easier to admire than to love, but Keun did a great job of helping me to understand her.
November 2, 2025
It is almost 100 years since the twenty-five years' old Imrgard Keun wrote this book. It is a story based in the latter years of the Weimar Republic but in much of what Gilgi does very much seems and feels current.
Gilgi is Gisela Kron, who works as a stenographer. She is happy in her job and with the independence the wages gives her. Gilgi, who is 21, is able to shop, go out dancing and drinking, and also keep a cross section of friends in various places around town. She is a modern girl, an independent girl who makes her own clothes, and likes to write in her privately rented little work room where she has peace and freedom. Her friends are also men and women who are modern and independent.
As such we move with Gilgi and her thoughts, wants, and worries in post-hyper inflation Cologne/Koln at the very end of the 1920s/1930. Freedom and independence coupled with Gilgi's natural kindness and resourcefulness means she is a busy girl working for the company, working privately in the evenings, and also learning three languages so she can go travelling to Spain, Italy, France and England.
And then her friend Olga introduces Gilgo to Martin.
Martin is a older man in his 30s who travels and lives a life seemingly without worry or care. He has no regular job and isn't a man to sit still in one place for long.
From this point the author allows the reader to see how Gilgi wants to carry on as she is but how she also wants to be with Martin. Her previous plans are tested and we see Gilgi's strengths, weaknesses and directions challenged by those existing things and the lure of the new and different.
For me Irmgard Keun created a fascinating and likeable character in Gilgi. It is also a very modern book as we see Gilgi as a independent and strong young woman who is keen to take her own path in life. The writing was very well done with some fine observations through Gilgi's character and her interactions with others on human behaviours and thoughts. Financial independence looms large, as does sex outside marriage and working to carve out a place within a world of expectations and limitations but with freedoms and opportunity too. Loyalty, duty and kindness are also key themes as Keun helps us understand young German minds before the rise of Hitler and the Nazi state's ideas of ideal women see independence and freedom of choice relegated to serving the Party.
Gilgi is Gisela Kron, who works as a stenographer. She is happy in her job and with the independence the wages gives her. Gilgi, who is 21, is able to shop, go out dancing and drinking, and also keep a cross section of friends in various places around town. She is a modern girl, an independent girl who makes her own clothes, and likes to write in her privately rented little work room where she has peace and freedom. Her friends are also men and women who are modern and independent.
As such we move with Gilgi and her thoughts, wants, and worries in post-hyper inflation Cologne/Koln at the very end of the 1920s/1930. Freedom and independence coupled with Gilgi's natural kindness and resourcefulness means she is a busy girl working for the company, working privately in the evenings, and also learning three languages so she can go travelling to Spain, Italy, France and England.
And then her friend Olga introduces Gilgo to Martin.
Martin is a older man in his 30s who travels and lives a life seemingly without worry or care. He has no regular job and isn't a man to sit still in one place for long.
From this point the author allows the reader to see how Gilgi wants to carry on as she is but how she also wants to be with Martin. Her previous plans are tested and we see Gilgi's strengths, weaknesses and directions challenged by those existing things and the lure of the new and different.
For me Irmgard Keun created a fascinating and likeable character in Gilgi. It is also a very modern book as we see Gilgi as a independent and strong young woman who is keen to take her own path in life. The writing was very well done with some fine observations through Gilgi's character and her interactions with others on human behaviours and thoughts. Financial independence looms large, as does sex outside marriage and working to carve out a place within a world of expectations and limitations but with freedoms and opportunity too. Loyalty, duty and kindness are also key themes as Keun helps us understand young German minds before the rise of Hitler and the Nazi state's ideas of ideal women see independence and freedom of choice relegated to serving the Party.
February 6, 2017
Gilgi (full title, Gilgi, One Of Us) has been presented in a new English translation as part of Melville House Publishing's Neversink Library collection. First published in its original German in 1931, Irmgard Keun's debut novel, published when she was just twenty-six, has been rendered into the most beautiful English prose by Geoff Wilkes. In Germany, Gilgi became an overnight sensation, and Keun was driven to sue the Gestapo several years afterwards for blocking her royalties.
The protagonist of Gilgi is Gisela Kron, a 'disciplined and ambitious secretary' in a hosiery business. Immediately admirable with her hardworking stubbornness, she is desperately 'trying to establish her independence in a society being overtaken by fascism'. Falling in love, however, is a 'fateful choice' which will 'unmoor' Gilgi from her own position in the world, that which she has fought for so long to uphold. Gilgi is essentially a coming-of-age novel; whilst Gilgi is biologically older than a character whom we might expect to undergo such a formative transformation, she learns much about the world around her, and about herself, as the novel progresses. She is made aware of her own strengths and weaknesses, and the place which she occupies in both public and private spheres in her home city of Cologne.
Keun's choice of opening is fascinating, and very much sets the tone for the whole: 'She's holding it firmly in her hands, her little life, the girl Gilgi. She calls herself Gilgi, her name is Gisela. The two i's [sic] are better suited to slim legs and narrow hips like a child's, to tiny fashionable hats which contrive mysteriously to stay perched on the very top of her head. When she's twenty-five, she'll call herself Gisela. But she's not at that point quite yet.' She is a cool-headed character, and faced with many of the challenges as she is, many other protagonists would have inevitably had some sort of breakdown or existential crisis. Not Gilgi. She is a firm believer in dealing with everything thrown at one, and she does so largely flawlessly.
Gilgi's familial situation is exposed to the reader almost immediately: 'No one speaks. Everyone is earnestly and dully occupied with their own concerns. The complete lack of conversation testifies to the family's decency and legitimacy. Herr and Frau Kron have stuck together through years of honorable tedium to their silver wedding anniversary. They love each other, and are faithful to each other, something which has become a matter of routine, and no longer needs to be discussed, or felt'.
Gilgi is very of its time; Keun is never far away from inserting snippets of social history, or the economic struggles which many around Gilgi faced on a daily basis. So many issues which are still of much importance in our modern society are tackled here - patriarchy, sexual relations, pregnancy out of wedlock, and the very concept of womanhood. It is an astoundingly frank work, both 'piercingly perceptive and formally innovative'. Gilgi is told on the morning of her twenty-first birthday, for instance, that her parents are not biologically hers, and then given the details of her birth mother.
Gilgi herself provides a contrast to the societal norms held for women during the period; she is proactive, has her own job, and pays for her own things: 'I want to work, want to get on, want to be self-supporting and independent... At the moment I'm learning my languages - I'm saving money...'. She may still live at home with the Krons who raised her, but she makes clear that her biggest aim in life is to fund her own apartment.
Until she meets Martin, the idea of being a kept woman repulses her; indeed, even with Martin, Keun has allowed Gilgi her independence. The pair move in with one another to the vacant apartment of one of Martin's friends; he is unshakeable in his existence and largely lives hand to mouth, so it is up to Gilgi to work and pay for everything. Again, tradition is eschewed here, and Keun demonstrates to a point that a woman of the period could make things work by herself. Gilgi's grand ambitions still live within her, even when she becomes conscious that they are not perhaps achievable due to the pregnancy which befalls her naive self.
I was put in mind of reading Dorothy Richardson's Pilgrimage at several points during the novel; the narrative voice which Keun has crafted simultaneously weaves the first and third person perspectives together in a beguiling manner. There is a wonderful stream-of-consciousness approach to the whole in places. Gilgi is a fascinating, deeply complex, and thoroughly realistic character. Each individual consequence which she has to face is tackled with the utmost verisimilitude. Gilgi is a stunning novel, with prose echoes of Hans Fallada and Stefan Zweig. It is absolutely wonderful, and sure to delight those with a fondness for strong female characters, or who want to read a striking piece of translated literature.
The protagonist of Gilgi is Gisela Kron, a 'disciplined and ambitious secretary' in a hosiery business. Immediately admirable with her hardworking stubbornness, she is desperately 'trying to establish her independence in a society being overtaken by fascism'. Falling in love, however, is a 'fateful choice' which will 'unmoor' Gilgi from her own position in the world, that which she has fought for so long to uphold. Gilgi is essentially a coming-of-age novel; whilst Gilgi is biologically older than a character whom we might expect to undergo such a formative transformation, she learns much about the world around her, and about herself, as the novel progresses. She is made aware of her own strengths and weaknesses, and the place which she occupies in both public and private spheres in her home city of Cologne.
Keun's choice of opening is fascinating, and very much sets the tone for the whole: 'She's holding it firmly in her hands, her little life, the girl Gilgi. She calls herself Gilgi, her name is Gisela. The two i's [sic] are better suited to slim legs and narrow hips like a child's, to tiny fashionable hats which contrive mysteriously to stay perched on the very top of her head. When she's twenty-five, she'll call herself Gisela. But she's not at that point quite yet.' She is a cool-headed character, and faced with many of the challenges as she is, many other protagonists would have inevitably had some sort of breakdown or existential crisis. Not Gilgi. She is a firm believer in dealing with everything thrown at one, and she does so largely flawlessly.
Gilgi's familial situation is exposed to the reader almost immediately: 'No one speaks. Everyone is earnestly and dully occupied with their own concerns. The complete lack of conversation testifies to the family's decency and legitimacy. Herr and Frau Kron have stuck together through years of honorable tedium to their silver wedding anniversary. They love each other, and are faithful to each other, something which has become a matter of routine, and no longer needs to be discussed, or felt'.
Gilgi is very of its time; Keun is never far away from inserting snippets of social history, or the economic struggles which many around Gilgi faced on a daily basis. So many issues which are still of much importance in our modern society are tackled here - patriarchy, sexual relations, pregnancy out of wedlock, and the very concept of womanhood. It is an astoundingly frank work, both 'piercingly perceptive and formally innovative'. Gilgi is told on the morning of her twenty-first birthday, for instance, that her parents are not biologically hers, and then given the details of her birth mother.
Gilgi herself provides a contrast to the societal norms held for women during the period; she is proactive, has her own job, and pays for her own things: 'I want to work, want to get on, want to be self-supporting and independent... At the moment I'm learning my languages - I'm saving money...'. She may still live at home with the Krons who raised her, but she makes clear that her biggest aim in life is to fund her own apartment.
Until she meets Martin, the idea of being a kept woman repulses her; indeed, even with Martin, Keun has allowed Gilgi her independence. The pair move in with one another to the vacant apartment of one of Martin's friends; he is unshakeable in his existence and largely lives hand to mouth, so it is up to Gilgi to work and pay for everything. Again, tradition is eschewed here, and Keun demonstrates to a point that a woman of the period could make things work by herself. Gilgi's grand ambitions still live within her, even when she becomes conscious that they are not perhaps achievable due to the pregnancy which befalls her naive self.
I was put in mind of reading Dorothy Richardson's Pilgrimage at several points during the novel; the narrative voice which Keun has crafted simultaneously weaves the first and third person perspectives together in a beguiling manner. There is a wonderful stream-of-consciousness approach to the whole in places. Gilgi is a fascinating, deeply complex, and thoroughly realistic character. Each individual consequence which she has to face is tackled with the utmost verisimilitude. Gilgi is a stunning novel, with prose echoes of Hans Fallada and Stefan Zweig. It is absolutely wonderful, and sure to delight those with a fondness for strong female characters, or who want to read a striking piece of translated literature.
April 30, 2025
There's some books where the cover serves so much cunt i'll buy it just to post it to my instagram. This was a must read anyway because I'm fascinated by the Weimar republic, and overall I found Gilgi memorable, the story has a rhythm to it that I really enjoyed.
However I did find myself feeling disappointed when she met a man and proceeded to throw away everything she'd built for him, and I found the ending unsatisying. The men in this story are constantly forgiven for all kinds of wrongs as well.
However I did find myself feeling disappointed when she met a man and proceeded to throw away everything she'd built for him, and I found the ending unsatisying. The men in this story are constantly forgiven for all kinds of wrongs as well.
December 31, 2021
я боялася, що ця книжка розіб'є мені серце, тому читала її три роки.
і вона таки розбила мені серце, однак у зовсім несподіваний спосіб, і туга від неї залишилася цілковито прекрасна.
і вона таки розбила мені серце, однак у зовсім несподіваний спосіб, і туга від неї залишилася цілковито прекрасна.
September 28, 2021
Gilgi is 21. She lives in Cologne in 30s Germany. She has hopes and ambitions and is working towards them. She has a relatively safe job and studies languages after work to improve herself.
Then shit happens - just as it always does. In close succession she finds out that she was adopted and she falls hopelessly in love. She moves in with her boyfriend, a drifter with immaculate connections but always short of money. Before long she is workless, pregnant and about to leave her lover.
A gentle, almost twee, insight into a precarious world. I suspect that this book was considered daring when printed (1931) but is tame by modern standards.
An entertaining diversion but not really my thing. I enjoyed The Artificial Silk Girl better
Then shit happens - just as it always does. In close succession she finds out that she was adopted and she falls hopelessly in love. She moves in with her boyfriend, a drifter with immaculate connections but always short of money. Before long she is workless, pregnant and about to leave her lover.
A gentle, almost twee, insight into a precarious world. I suspect that this book was considered daring when printed (1931) but is tame by modern standards.
An entertaining diversion but not really my thing. I enjoyed The Artificial Silk Girl better
August 13, 2023
What a pleasant surprise to come across Irmgard Keun's vivid prose full of life and characters being human. On top of that this feels more timely than ever, making the fact that it's been written almost one hundred years ago absolutely insane to me.
Gilgi was my first reading experience of Keun's work. It's the novel that made the author famous when published in Germany back in the 30s and tells the story of a young woman who is trying to establish her independence. Working as a secretary and roaming the streets of Cologne, the single lady moves through life handling romancing entanglements next to her ambitions and hopes for the future. When she meets Martin, she decided to indulge in domestic bliss that turns out to not be that peaceful after all.
Gilgi is a fascinating character representing Germany of the 30s. This particular period of time must have been so singular an experience to grow up in – the people coming of age that decade will either remember WWI or were born into the aftermath of the war. That particular zeitgeist is very present on these pages: Gilgi is a confused dreamer, one who feels hope for her personal future, but at the same time an omnipresent sense of being lost. Keun creates a sober and serious depiction of Germany at the time and her depiction of I'Cologne feels true and alive.
There's a notion of reality in every sentence – the sentences flow in an almost stream of consciousness effort and the plot rather happens than builds up. It took me a bit to accept that nothing major was going to happen, but that we'd just spend time with Gilgi as she goes on about her days, meets people, runs errands. And only after you finished reading his entire thing will you realise that you did witness a life here, just like in our own reality we rarely identity true plot points or story beats. It's an interesting reading experience.
I'm super intrigued by Irmgard Keun as an author now, even more so knowing that this was her first literary effort – she already had such a distinct authorial voice and assured way of phrasing her ideas. Makes me more interested in her other works for sure!
Gilgi was my first reading experience of Keun's work. It's the novel that made the author famous when published in Germany back in the 30s and tells the story of a young woman who is trying to establish her independence. Working as a secretary and roaming the streets of Cologne, the single lady moves through life handling romancing entanglements next to her ambitions and hopes for the future. When she meets Martin, she decided to indulge in domestic bliss that turns out to not be that peaceful after all.
Gilgi is a fascinating character representing Germany of the 30s. This particular period of time must have been so singular an experience to grow up in – the people coming of age that decade will either remember WWI or were born into the aftermath of the war. That particular zeitgeist is very present on these pages: Gilgi is a confused dreamer, one who feels hope for her personal future, but at the same time an omnipresent sense of being lost. Keun creates a sober and serious depiction of Germany at the time and her depiction of I'Cologne feels true and alive.
There's a notion of reality in every sentence – the sentences flow in an almost stream of consciousness effort and the plot rather happens than builds up. It took me a bit to accept that nothing major was going to happen, but that we'd just spend time with Gilgi as she goes on about her days, meets people, runs errands. And only after you finished reading his entire thing will you realise that you did witness a life here, just like in our own reality we rarely identity true plot points or story beats. It's an interesting reading experience.
I'm super intrigued by Irmgard Keun as an author now, even more so knowing that this was her first literary effort – she already had such a distinct authorial voice and assured way of phrasing her ideas. Makes me more interested in her other works for sure!
April 17, 2020
This book is a masterpiece plain and simple. Like the three other books by Keun I've read, it has a strong female narrator. In this instance, the narrator is a bright and hard-working woman who learns foreign languages in her spare time to improve her employment prospects. On her 21st birthday, her petit-bourgeois parents spring on her the surprise that she isn't their biological child. Although they adopted her from a servant, the story is even more complex because the servant herself was paid by an upper-class family to pass her off as her baby, so as to spare the young lady of the house the stigma of being an unwed mother. All these revelations shake up Gilgi, making her vulnerable enough to fall in love with an older man, Martin, an esthete who's never done an honest stroke of work in his life, apart from writing a couple of books. Gilgi promptly moves in with Martin, whom she loves and desires with frightening and crippling intensity. Initially she tries to make him work and save money, but she quickly realizes that this is futile and will only make him drop her. It is easier for her to adapt herself superficially to his life-style, except that it makes her deeply miserable and ashamed of herself, apart from plunging them ever deeper into debt. Eventually, her salvation comes from an old boyfriend of hers, who now has a family he can't support. In a desperate attempt to save Hans and Hertha, Gilgi finally gets to meet her biological mother. Although her friends commit suicide before she brings them the money they need, Gilgi has learnt her lesson, and finds the strength to leave Martin and flee to Berlin, where she is determined to give birth to the child she carries, and bring up the baby by herself, with the help of her friend Olga. There are many powerful scenes in this novel, including the reunion between Gilgi and her mother. While so many writers pad their coming-of-age narratives with scores of irrelevant episodes, there isn't one superfluous word in "Gilgi", and she gets it all in too. This book articulates a deeply humanist philosophy, and it is a real tragedy that the Nazis were eventually able to silence such a powerful voice. The last scene, when Gilgi is waiting for the train to Berlin and sees an orange lying between the rails is an obvious allusion to "Anna Karenina". Gilgi would have just as many reasons as Anna to kill herself - but she doesn't. No matter at what cost, she will fight for human dignity.
February 19, 2020
3.5 stars
June 25, 2011
dieses buch und das kunstseidene mädchen sind die besten von irmgard keun. gilgi, eine geschichte um eine junge frau, die zu den "typischen" jungen frauen der 20er gehört, hat keun berühmt gemacht und das völlig berechtigt. nicht nur literarisch ein wertvolles buch, sondern auch geschichtlich (zum thema lebensgefühl der "neuen frauen" in den 20ern). sprachlich hervoragend!!!
December 22, 2019
Romanzo di formazione con un’ottima resa delle tribolazioni della protagonista.
February 18, 2021
Yes, Gilgi is one of us. Thoroughly, timelessly modern. Self reliant, tough, hard working, fun loving, soft hearted, unwise in love but too practical to wind up like that little orange on the railway tracks.
Not sure if I prefer this or THE ARTIFICIAL SILK GIRL by Irmgard Keun, but I like both more than CHILD OF ALL NATIONS - which is also very good.
File alongside Jean Rhys' novels for the picture they contribute to of the lone young woman walking through the cities the flâneurs thought they owned
Not sure if I prefer this or THE ARTIFICIAL SILK GIRL by Irmgard Keun, but I like both more than CHILD OF ALL NATIONS - which is also very good.
File alongside Jean Rhys' novels for the picture they contribute to of the lone young woman walking through the cities the flâneurs thought they owned
July 15, 2024
3.8/5
I find myself conflicted about this novel, It took me a whole week just to collect my thoughts and organize them before writing this review. While there were moments I enjoyed, much of the novel felt flat and uneven. And this novel is not even that long, however it took me longer to finish than expected due to its erratic plot and pacing.
The novel is undeniably a character-driven story, centered on Gilgi as she navigates the challenges of work, relationships, and societal norms. However while Gilgi is a well developed protagonist, the side characters lack the complexity one would expect in a character-driven narrative. For instance, Hans who is supposed to play a pivotal role in Gilgi’s life, comes across as awfully flat and unconvincing. Perhaps only Olga, Gilgi's best friend, is given enough depth to feel real and multi-dimensional.
The pacing of the novel was another issue for me. It felt uneven with some sections dragging and meandering. The emphasis on introspection and internal monologues which I usually appreciate, often detracted from the momentum of the plot. While I enjoy introspection and stream-of-consciousness techniques, here they seemed to drag on too long.
Other than the narrative structure, I am not a fan of fragmented narratives unless they are executed well (and I've read some books with this style which I actually enjoyed) but unfortunately in this case, it did not work for me. The narrative jumps between scenes and thoughts in a way that feels disjointed, rather than adding to the story's depth. And I KNOW this style is intended to mirror the chaotic, fast-paced life of Gilgi and the tumultuous socio-political environment, it came off as inconsistent and inconvenient.
The frequent monologues which can be effective when done well, felt abrupt and nonlinear, disrupting the flow of the narrative. The blurring of lines between dialogue and inner thoughts often made it difficult for me to distinguish between what characters were saying and what they were thinking, leading to confusion in understanding character interactions and intentions.
Additionally, while the narrative primarily focuses on Gilgi, the occasional shifts to other characters perspectives were sudden and unexpected. These shifts along with the numerous jumps between scenes, made the story feel fragmented and gave me a headache at times :|
On a side note, I know it's an innovative narrative style (especially at that time) but its narrative structure and blending of thoughts and dialogue were polarizing and lacking cohesiveness.
On the positive side:
1. The novel is notable for its exploration of themes such as female autonomy, the struggle for self-identity, and the impact of socio-economic factors on personal aspirations (I really loved the projection of the last point in the story) It also highlights many prominent issues that were ahead of their time and, sadly, remain timeless, such as the anti-abortion law case, which women still face today.
2. The protagonist is such an unprecedented character for that time and still now. Gilgi's determination to carve out her own path and assert her autonomy, still resonates with modern readers, making the novel a significant timeless work, especially in feminist literature.
3. I LOVED the social commentary. I did a quick research prior reading to familiarize myself with the historical aspects in the book, and I've seen that Keun's was praised and highly regarded for her sharp social commentary on the Weimar Republic, its socio-economic issues, and the challenges faced by women in a patriarchal society.
4. Keun's writing was surprisingly witty! and engaging with beautiful prose and many remarkable quotes. I suppose this made the unconventional structure appealing to some degree.
I find myself conflicted about this novel, It took me a whole week just to collect my thoughts and organize them before writing this review. While there were moments I enjoyed, much of the novel felt flat and uneven. And this novel is not even that long, however it took me longer to finish than expected due to its erratic plot and pacing.
The novel is undeniably a character-driven story, centered on Gilgi as she navigates the challenges of work, relationships, and societal norms. However while Gilgi is a well developed protagonist, the side characters lack the complexity one would expect in a character-driven narrative. For instance, Hans who is supposed to play a pivotal role in Gilgi’s life, comes across as awfully flat and unconvincing. Perhaps only Olga, Gilgi's best friend, is given enough depth to feel real and multi-dimensional.
The pacing of the novel was another issue for me. It felt uneven with some sections dragging and meandering. The emphasis on introspection and internal monologues which I usually appreciate, often detracted from the momentum of the plot. While I enjoy introspection and stream-of-consciousness techniques, here they seemed to drag on too long.
Other than the narrative structure, I am not a fan of fragmented narratives unless they are executed well (and I've read some books with this style which I actually enjoyed) but unfortunately in this case, it did not work for me. The narrative jumps between scenes and thoughts in a way that feels disjointed, rather than adding to the story's depth. And I KNOW this style is intended to mirror the chaotic, fast-paced life of Gilgi and the tumultuous socio-political environment, it came off as inconsistent and inconvenient.
The frequent monologues which can be effective when done well, felt abrupt and nonlinear, disrupting the flow of the narrative. The blurring of lines between dialogue and inner thoughts often made it difficult for me to distinguish between what characters were saying and what they were thinking, leading to confusion in understanding character interactions and intentions.
Additionally, while the narrative primarily focuses on Gilgi, the occasional shifts to other characters perspectives were sudden and unexpected. These shifts along with the numerous jumps between scenes, made the story feel fragmented and gave me a headache at times :|
On a side note, I know it's an innovative narrative style (especially at that time) but its narrative structure and blending of thoughts and dialogue were polarizing and lacking cohesiveness.
On the positive side:
1. The novel is notable for its exploration of themes such as female autonomy, the struggle for self-identity, and the impact of socio-economic factors on personal aspirations (I really loved the projection of the last point in the story) It also highlights many prominent issues that were ahead of their time and, sadly, remain timeless, such as the anti-abortion law case, which women still face today.
2. The protagonist is such an unprecedented character for that time and still now. Gilgi's determination to carve out her own path and assert her autonomy, still resonates with modern readers, making the novel a significant timeless work, especially in feminist literature.
3. I LOVED the social commentary. I did a quick research prior reading to familiarize myself with the historical aspects in the book, and I've seen that Keun's was praised and highly regarded for her sharp social commentary on the Weimar Republic, its socio-economic issues, and the challenges faced by women in a patriarchal society.
4. Keun's writing was surprisingly witty! and engaging with beautiful prose and many remarkable quotes. I suppose this made the unconventional structure appealing to some degree.
January 2, 2024
La scrittura di Irmgard Keun non ha nulla di artefatto e, proprio per questo, è in grado di parlare al nostro lato più fragile e riposto, quell’angolo oscuro e terrorizzante che vorremmo nascondere a noi stessi e agli altri.
È vero, così come dice il titolo del romanzo, che Gilgi è una di noi, una ragazza giovane e inesperta, che crede che il lavoro sia l’unico modo per poter mettere ordine nella propria vita, per poter creare una routine capace di irregimentarla, imparando nuove lingue, progettando viaggi all’estero e traducendo romanzi in tedesco.
Insieme alla sua fida macchina da scrivere Erika, Gilgi si ritira nella sua mansarda affittata per centocinquanta marchi al mese e trascorre lì ore di beata solitudine, ore nelle quali le sembra possibile forgiare la sua personalità, la sua forza, la sua capacità di affrontare il mondo. Niente le sembra più importante di quelle ore passate in quella piccola stanza tutta sua, in cui il suo impegno sembra acquisire finalmente un senso, una ragione.
Ma nulla di tutto quello che ha imparato dalle ore di intenso studio, dal tempo trascorso in ufficio o con la sua amica Olga, può prepararla all’incontro con Martin, scrittore squattrinato deciso a vivere la vita intensamente, alla giornata, senza nessuna preoccupazione.
Continua a leggere qui: https://parlaredilibri.wordpress.com/...
È vero, così come dice il titolo del romanzo, che Gilgi è una di noi, una ragazza giovane e inesperta, che crede che il lavoro sia l’unico modo per poter mettere ordine nella propria vita, per poter creare una routine capace di irregimentarla, imparando nuove lingue, progettando viaggi all’estero e traducendo romanzi in tedesco.
Insieme alla sua fida macchina da scrivere Erika, Gilgi si ritira nella sua mansarda affittata per centocinquanta marchi al mese e trascorre lì ore di beata solitudine, ore nelle quali le sembra possibile forgiare la sua personalità, la sua forza, la sua capacità di affrontare il mondo. Niente le sembra più importante di quelle ore passate in quella piccola stanza tutta sua, in cui il suo impegno sembra acquisire finalmente un senso, una ragione.
Ma nulla di tutto quello che ha imparato dalle ore di intenso studio, dal tempo trascorso in ufficio o con la sua amica Olga, può prepararla all’incontro con Martin, scrittore squattrinato deciso a vivere la vita intensamente, alla giornata, senza nessuna preoccupazione.
Continua a leggere qui: https://parlaredilibri.wordpress.com/...
December 16, 2023
Libro molto godibile. Una storia in apparenza semplice, ma che nasconde tematiche impegnate quali la maternità, l’aborto e l’emancipazione. Solo qualche riserva sullo stile che non mi porta a mettere la quarta stellina. Con la sua penna ironica, Irmgard Keun fa emergere tutta la particolarità di Gilgi, vivace protagonista con una vita abitudinaria in cui le piace abitare. Tuttavia, lo stile è ricco di pause scandite da un importante utilizzo della punteggiatura e tendenzialmente preferisco narrazioni più fluide. Ma ne consiglio la lettura, anche per scoprire la voce di quest’autrice, le cui opere furono censurate dai nazisti negli anni Trenta perché ritenute inopportune.
October 31, 2017
Martin er en idiot
January 11, 2022
I loved this novella, a striking portrayal of a determined young woman set in Weimar-era Cologne. First published in 1931, and subsequently banned by the Nazi authorities, Gilgi (One of Us), was Irmgard Keun’s debut novel, announcing its author as a powerful new voice in German literature.
The novella revolves around Gisela Kron, affectionally known as ‘Gilgi’, a twenty-one-year-old secretary living and working in Cologne. Gilgi is smart, resourceful and efficient. She works hard during the day, barely stopping to catch her breath; then at night she studies languages to improve her prospects, diligently applying herself to each task at hand. Despite living at home with her rather conservative adoptive parents, Gilgi rents a place elsewhere, a room of her own where she can study, be herself and work on her translations.
Idleness is anathema to Gilgi. She has little time for those who appear bored or lifeless. For Gilgi, progression is everything – she wants to work, to get on, to be ‘self-supporting and independent’. Hopefully she’ll save enough money to have her own apartment in a few years’ time, maybe even start her own business if everything goes well. Whatever it takes, Gilgi has the tenacity to succeed – even where men are concerned, or so she thinks…
Gilgi is an experienced girl. She knows men, and what they variously want and don’t want, and how this is betrayed by the tone of their voices, their expressions, and their movements. If a man and a boss like Herr Reuter speaks in an uncertain voice, he’s in love, and if he’s in love, he wants something. Sooner or later. If he doesn’t get what he wants, he’s surprised, offended, and angry. (p. 10)
One day, just when she’s least expecting it, into her life comes Martin, a charismatic free spirit in his early forties. In many ways, Martin seems the complete opposite to Gilgi; he is something of a vagabond, an idler who lacks ambition, viewing work as a means to an end, a way of funding his travels in a rather haphazard way. And yet, despite her fierce sense of independence, Gilgi is attracted to him, hoping that he might stay, preferably for a while.
To read the rest of my review, please visit:
https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2022...
The novella revolves around Gisela Kron, affectionally known as ‘Gilgi’, a twenty-one-year-old secretary living and working in Cologne. Gilgi is smart, resourceful and efficient. She works hard during the day, barely stopping to catch her breath; then at night she studies languages to improve her prospects, diligently applying herself to each task at hand. Despite living at home with her rather conservative adoptive parents, Gilgi rents a place elsewhere, a room of her own where she can study, be herself and work on her translations.
Idleness is anathema to Gilgi. She has little time for those who appear bored or lifeless. For Gilgi, progression is everything – she wants to work, to get on, to be ‘self-supporting and independent’. Hopefully she’ll save enough money to have her own apartment in a few years’ time, maybe even start her own business if everything goes well. Whatever it takes, Gilgi has the tenacity to succeed – even where men are concerned, or so she thinks…
Gilgi is an experienced girl. She knows men, and what they variously want and don’t want, and how this is betrayed by the tone of their voices, their expressions, and their movements. If a man and a boss like Herr Reuter speaks in an uncertain voice, he’s in love, and if he’s in love, he wants something. Sooner or later. If he doesn’t get what he wants, he’s surprised, offended, and angry. (p. 10)
One day, just when she’s least expecting it, into her life comes Martin, a charismatic free spirit in his early forties. In many ways, Martin seems the complete opposite to Gilgi; he is something of a vagabond, an idler who lacks ambition, viewing work as a means to an end, a way of funding his travels in a rather haphazard way. And yet, despite her fierce sense of independence, Gilgi is attracted to him, hoping that he might stay, preferably for a while.
To read the rest of my review, please visit:
https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2022...
November 8, 2022
Was für eine toll erzählte Geschichte!
Es geht um Gilgi, ein junges Mädchen Anfang 20 in Köln in den 1930er Jahren. Sie ist strebsam, hat ihre Ziele vor Augen und ihre Ansichten im Kopf. Doch das Leben lässt sich nun mal nicht immer planen, und man findet sich in Situationen und Umständen wieder, in denen man sein eigenes Verhalten kaum wiedererkennt - das zu realisieren und zu ändern, ist nicht immer leicht und mit Thema dieses Romans.
Ich empfand Gilgi als sehr runden, plastischen Charakter. Ihre Gefühle, die Veränderung ihrer Person, alles war emotional und nachvollziehbar geschildert. Der Gedankensteom gibt der Geschichte einen Sog, sodass man kaum aufhören kann. Wunderbar mitnehmend erzählt!
Ich hatte wohl auch Glück, das Hörbuch, welchem ich lauschte, war von Camilla Renschke eingesprochen (wohl eher eingeschauspielert). Wahnsinnig toll, wie sie Gilgi ihre Stimme gegeben hat und es zu einem Genuss machte, den doch oft unvollständigen Sätzen zu lauschen. Grandios! Die Mischung aus toller Erzählerin und fantastischer Geschichte hat mir unglaublich gut gefallen. Faszinierend, wie aktuell Gilgis Gedanken, Probleme und Wünsche heute auch noch sind und wie leicht ich mich darin zurechtfinden konnte.
Sehr empfehlenswert, für mich ein kleines Highlight.
Es geht um Gilgi, ein junges Mädchen Anfang 20 in Köln in den 1930er Jahren. Sie ist strebsam, hat ihre Ziele vor Augen und ihre Ansichten im Kopf. Doch das Leben lässt sich nun mal nicht immer planen, und man findet sich in Situationen und Umständen wieder, in denen man sein eigenes Verhalten kaum wiedererkennt - das zu realisieren und zu ändern, ist nicht immer leicht und mit Thema dieses Romans.
Ich empfand Gilgi als sehr runden, plastischen Charakter. Ihre Gefühle, die Veränderung ihrer Person, alles war emotional und nachvollziehbar geschildert. Der Gedankensteom gibt der Geschichte einen Sog, sodass man kaum aufhören kann. Wunderbar mitnehmend erzählt!
Ich hatte wohl auch Glück, das Hörbuch, welchem ich lauschte, war von Camilla Renschke eingesprochen (wohl eher eingeschauspielert). Wahnsinnig toll, wie sie Gilgi ihre Stimme gegeben hat und es zu einem Genuss machte, den doch oft unvollständigen Sätzen zu lauschen. Grandios! Die Mischung aus toller Erzählerin und fantastischer Geschichte hat mir unglaublich gut gefallen. Faszinierend, wie aktuell Gilgis Gedanken, Probleme und Wünsche heute auch noch sind und wie leicht ich mich darin zurechtfinden konnte.
Sehr empfehlenswert, für mich ein kleines Highlight.
January 5, 2025
Stunning . Who knew young women were the same nearly a hundred years ago . Stream of consciousness at it's best , immediate and entertaining, this small melodrama is both of it's time and of now .
A bright determined hardworking young woman from a dull middle class family in Cologne has a goal focused approach to life and the discipline to succeed until ... until ... No plot spoilers , just read the book .
Keun refuses to heap shame on our protagonist as she experiences passion , makes mistakes , struggles to reconcile her ambition with the demands of her love affair . The way Keun captures the overwhelming madness of lust is masterful . Gilgi has no chance .
When this novel was published " bad girls " in film and print usually ended up dead or broken . Not these days . Keun ahead of her time . The turmoil of pre war Germany rumbles along in the background, and it's economic realities surface like icebergs throughout the story, but this is a story focused on Gilgi : self centered , confused and utterly believable .
A bright determined hardworking young woman from a dull middle class family in Cologne has a goal focused approach to life and the discipline to succeed until ... until ... No plot spoilers , just read the book .
Keun refuses to heap shame on our protagonist as she experiences passion , makes mistakes , struggles to reconcile her ambition with the demands of her love affair . The way Keun captures the overwhelming madness of lust is masterful . Gilgi has no chance .
When this novel was published " bad girls " in film and print usually ended up dead or broken . Not these days . Keun ahead of her time . The turmoil of pre war Germany rumbles along in the background, and it's economic realities surface like icebergs throughout the story, but this is a story focused on Gilgi : self centered , confused and utterly believable .
July 10, 2023
Ég tengdi mikið við þessa. Irmgard Keun skrifar svo góðar kvenpersónur! Gilgi, aðalpersóna sögunnar, minnti mig mjög á Doris - aðalpersónuna úr The Artificial Silk Girl (Irmgard Keun, 1932). Ungar stelpur, klárar, djúpar, sjálfstæðar en samt barnalega einlægar og drepfyndnar. Margar línur í þessari bók sem ég strikaði undir. Læt eina fylgja með.
“...But anyone who resolves not to get angry already is angry, and anyone who wouldn’t get upset for anything in the world already is upset.”
“...But anyone who resolves not to get angry already is angry, and anyone who wouldn’t get upset for anything in the world already is upset.”
April 25, 2020
A short yet thought-provokingly brilliant work of feminist fiction, Gilgi, One of Us portrays the fragility of women independence at its inception. This independence slowly collapses from ingrained preconceived notions on supposed gender roles in a heterosexual relationship. Financially independent and full of aspirations, Gilgi finds herself torn between making her man happy and making a life for herself. Strong but also submissive, gentle but also unyielding, a hopeless romantic but also a realist, she is constantly tugged by two opposite emotions; puzzled and frustrated between how women should be by society's standards and how women can be outside of these rigid, caging standards. And whilst there are more opportunities for women as they become part of the workforce, albeit often out of necessities, the expectations of them at home remain the same. Men, meanwhile, still have the utmost control of their own lives, their relationships, and their women. Amidst its social and gender commentary which are still intriguingly and unfortunately observed in the present lives of women, what with how women's roles shift depending on social class yet, stripping it off, they are often fraught with intersecting, somehow similar difficulties under the patriarchy, it spices itself with family drama and self-discovery peppered with the numbing political air during the Weimar Republic. Truly an often ignored classic.
June 13, 2023
It's an interesting book. For about the first half I was avidly reading and wanting to see more of the world. For this I am super grateful to my secret Santa who sent me this book. Once she meets the man she becomes so bland, cliche and boring that it was no fun at all...but the ending is not too terrible. I think part of the problem is I am not really cut out for romance novels (although sometimes I enjoy them when the man is less awful or when there is no man).
January 31, 2024
Love the writing, hate the plot:)
3.5*
3.5*
January 20, 2018
Autrice: tedesca (1905-1982). Romanzo 1931
Il romanzo ebbe grande successo, fu apprezzata da grandi scrittori dell’epoca, meno dal governo nazista che ritirò i suoi libri e le impedì di pubblicare, una storia d’amore con Roth negli anni della fine, una notizia falsa sulla sua morte le permise di trascorrere in Germania, nascosta, gli anni della fine della guerra, per morire sola, alcolizzata e ospite di cliniche psichiatriche.
Una meteora in quattro righe.
E leggendo questo romanzo si capisce perché non piacesse alla bruna poltiglia della censura tedesca.
Con uno stile leggero che si ferma un attimo prima di diventare rosa o di scatenare lacrime femminili, racconta di una ragazzina che adora una vita precisa e ordinata, il lavoro, la piccola casa in affitto che si paga di nascosto, gli abiti che si cuce, la bella amica di marzapane, la prospettiva di una vita da donna autonoma. Lontana da lei l’immagine della vita famigliare borghese, della madre che si droga di dolci.
Riesce anche a barcamenarsi di fronte alle avances del capufficio, ma si troverà a dover affrontare una rivelazione sul suo passato, la morte di un amico sconfitto, un amore devastante.
Il tutto in una narrazione dove lei è la sottile ballerina che danza sola, o quasi, riuscendo miracolosamente a non perdere di vista il suo futuro di donna.
Quasi troppo bello per essere vero nella Germania del 1931.
07.06.2017
Il romanzo ebbe grande successo, fu apprezzata da grandi scrittori dell’epoca, meno dal governo nazista che ritirò i suoi libri e le impedì di pubblicare, una storia d’amore con Roth negli anni della fine, una notizia falsa sulla sua morte le permise di trascorrere in Germania, nascosta, gli anni della fine della guerra, per morire sola, alcolizzata e ospite di cliniche psichiatriche.
Una meteora in quattro righe.
E leggendo questo romanzo si capisce perché non piacesse alla bruna poltiglia della censura tedesca.
Con uno stile leggero che si ferma un attimo prima di diventare rosa o di scatenare lacrime femminili, racconta di una ragazzina che adora una vita precisa e ordinata, il lavoro, la piccola casa in affitto che si paga di nascosto, gli abiti che si cuce, la bella amica di marzapane, la prospettiva di una vita da donna autonoma. Lontana da lei l’immagine della vita famigliare borghese, della madre che si droga di dolci.
Riesce anche a barcamenarsi di fronte alle avances del capufficio, ma si troverà a dover affrontare una rivelazione sul suo passato, la morte di un amico sconfitto, un amore devastante.
Il tutto in una narrazione dove lei è la sottile ballerina che danza sola, o quasi, riuscendo miracolosamente a non perdere di vista il suo futuro di donna.
Quasi troppo bello per essere vero nella Germania del 1931.
07.06.2017
July 16, 2025
tragische aber doch unterhaltsame Geschichte einer jungen Frau, die durch die Liebe ihren Antrieb, ihre Klarheit und Perspektive verliert/aufgibt und immer mehr lebt, wie es ihr eigentlich nicht gefällt und zuwider ist, der Liebe zuliebe. mit letzter Kraft schafft sie es, sich endlich von Martin zu lösen, und es bleibt offen, ob es ihr gelingen wird, sich und ihr Kind alleine zu versorgen. Gilgi ist eine komplexe Figur, die ich sehr lieb gewonnen habe, eine moderne Frau, die selbstbestimmt und unabhängig sein will, die fleißig und sozial intelligent ist, sich aber zugleich von Martin ausbremsen lässt und ihn so liebt und geliebt werden will, dass sie sich ihm anpasst und sich selbst und ihre Ideale und Lebensweise vernachlässigt. so, wie Martin beschrieben wird, ist mir überhaupt nicht klar geworden, was sie an ihm findet, er ist 21 Jahre älter, „es macht ihm Spaß, mit ihr zu hantieren wie mit einer Puppe”, ist faul, macht ständig Schulden usw ..
Der Stil, der zwischen auktorialem und personalem Erzählen changiert und teilweise Richtung Bewusstseinsstrom geht, macht die Erzählung sehr unterhaltsam und schnelllebig, man bekommt meist sehr gute Einblicke in Gilgis vielschichtige Gefühlswelt, teils aber auch in die anderer Figuren.
Zitate:
„Hübsch ist das, so still nebeneinander zu liegen. Man denkt und spricht sich nicht auseinander, man atmet sich zusammen.” (79)
„Vielleicht will man zuviel. Man will sein ganzes bisheriges Leben behalten, mit seiner Freude am Weiterkommen, seiner gut geölten Arbeitsmethode, mit seiner harten Zeiteinteilung, seinem prachtvoll funktionierenden System. Und man will noch ein anderes Leben dazu, ein Leben mit Martin, ein weiches, zerflossenes, bedenkenloses Leben. Und das erste Leben will man nicht, das zweite kann man nicht aufgeben.“ (81)
„Gilgi kriecht immer tiefer in ihre Ecke.
Sie ist todunglücklich, aber es gefällt ihr, daß er so wütend ist. Noch tausendmal lieber hat sie ihn jetzt, vorausgesetzt, daß das überhaupt möglich war.
‚Na, nun heul nicht.’ Schon besänftigt kommt Martin näher. Wundert sich selbst, daß er das drollige, dumme kleine Ding so ernst nimmt. Er hebt sie aufs Fensterbret, es macht ihm Spaß, mit ihr zu hantieren wie mit einer Puppe. Sie zieht sich eine breite Haarwelle übers Gesicht.” (85 f.)
„Und Gilgi schwimmt im Strom der überflüssigen Gefühle. Überflüssig? War's einmal, schien's einmal. Ist sie nicht glücklich? Doch. Oft. Aber die glücklichen Stunden sind teuer. Prompt wird die Rechnung präsentiert. Bezahlen! Womit? Mit Angst und kleinen Schmerzen. Nein, der Preis ist mir nicht zu hoch, find' nur die Münze merkwürdig. Angst - Schmerz! Wem zahl' ich? Wer gewinnt durch diese komische Münze? Gilgi fühlt das Unpersönliche in Martins Liebe. Gewiß - er hat sie lieb, nimmt sie sogar ernst - auf seine Art. Aber es fehlt was, es fehlt die Gemeinsamkeit inneren und äußeren Lebens. Gilgi grübelt, denkt nach - eine schwere und ungewohnte Arbeit.” (86)
„was ist denn mit mir? Warum habe ich keine Worte - für Martin - und für mich auch nicht? - Da sind zwei Schichten in mir - und die obere, die diktiert - alltägliche Worte, alltägliche Handlung - kleines Mädchen, kleines Maschinenmädchen, kleines Uhrwerkmädchen - drunter die untere Schicht - immer ein Wollen, immer ein Suchen, immer Sehnsucht und Dunkel und Nichtwissen - kein Wissen um Wohin - kein Wissen um Woher. Ein Denken ohne Worte, ein Wissen hinter den Worten - ein Wachsein im Schlaf - hinter Lachen ein Weinen - - - die undurchschnittene Nabelschnur - Band an die dunkle Welt. Und die graue Welt und die helle Welt kennt man und weiß man - und die dunkle Welt wollte man nicht wahrhaben und versucht, sie immer noch fortzulügen. Aber sie ist da - für jede - jeden. Und einer sagt Leid und einer sagt Schmerz und einer Verbrechen - Schmutz - oder Gott - kein Wort trifft zutiefst hinein.
Was - bin - ich - denn - nur? Alles Böse und alles Gute - das ist ein Mensch - und Himmel und Hölle - das ist ein Mensch - das Traurigste und Lächerlichste - ein Mensch. Das Verschlossenste und Bereiteste - ein Mensch. Und Krieg und Frieden - das ist ein Mensch - und Mordbegier und Mariawunsch, zu gebären - ein Mensch. Fremdestes senkt sich in dich hinein, läßt Eigenstes aufstehn - in dir, in dir - alles in dir - alles, alles, alles in dir. Und was dein Gedanke will, liebt dein Körper - und was dein Körper liebt, will dein Gedanke. Ist eine steile Flamme, das blasse Mädchen - hat Augen, die sprechen, Augen, die schreien - ist eine wie alle - weiß viel von sich, weiß nichts von sich.” (141)
Der Stil, der zwischen auktorialem und personalem Erzählen changiert und teilweise Richtung Bewusstseinsstrom geht, macht die Erzählung sehr unterhaltsam und schnelllebig, man bekommt meist sehr gute Einblicke in Gilgis vielschichtige Gefühlswelt, teils aber auch in die anderer Figuren.
Zitate:
„Hübsch ist das, so still nebeneinander zu liegen. Man denkt und spricht sich nicht auseinander, man atmet sich zusammen.” (79)
„Vielleicht will man zuviel. Man will sein ganzes bisheriges Leben behalten, mit seiner Freude am Weiterkommen, seiner gut geölten Arbeitsmethode, mit seiner harten Zeiteinteilung, seinem prachtvoll funktionierenden System. Und man will noch ein anderes Leben dazu, ein Leben mit Martin, ein weiches, zerflossenes, bedenkenloses Leben. Und das erste Leben will man nicht, das zweite kann man nicht aufgeben.“ (81)
„Gilgi kriecht immer tiefer in ihre Ecke.
Sie ist todunglücklich, aber es gefällt ihr, daß er so wütend ist. Noch tausendmal lieber hat sie ihn jetzt, vorausgesetzt, daß das überhaupt möglich war.
‚Na, nun heul nicht.’ Schon besänftigt kommt Martin näher. Wundert sich selbst, daß er das drollige, dumme kleine Ding so ernst nimmt. Er hebt sie aufs Fensterbret, es macht ihm Spaß, mit ihr zu hantieren wie mit einer Puppe. Sie zieht sich eine breite Haarwelle übers Gesicht.” (85 f.)
„Und Gilgi schwimmt im Strom der überflüssigen Gefühle. Überflüssig? War's einmal, schien's einmal. Ist sie nicht glücklich? Doch. Oft. Aber die glücklichen Stunden sind teuer. Prompt wird die Rechnung präsentiert. Bezahlen! Womit? Mit Angst und kleinen Schmerzen. Nein, der Preis ist mir nicht zu hoch, find' nur die Münze merkwürdig. Angst - Schmerz! Wem zahl' ich? Wer gewinnt durch diese komische Münze? Gilgi fühlt das Unpersönliche in Martins Liebe. Gewiß - er hat sie lieb, nimmt sie sogar ernst - auf seine Art. Aber es fehlt was, es fehlt die Gemeinsamkeit inneren und äußeren Lebens. Gilgi grübelt, denkt nach - eine schwere und ungewohnte Arbeit.” (86)
„was ist denn mit mir? Warum habe ich keine Worte - für Martin - und für mich auch nicht? - Da sind zwei Schichten in mir - und die obere, die diktiert - alltägliche Worte, alltägliche Handlung - kleines Mädchen, kleines Maschinenmädchen, kleines Uhrwerkmädchen - drunter die untere Schicht - immer ein Wollen, immer ein Suchen, immer Sehnsucht und Dunkel und Nichtwissen - kein Wissen um Wohin - kein Wissen um Woher. Ein Denken ohne Worte, ein Wissen hinter den Worten - ein Wachsein im Schlaf - hinter Lachen ein Weinen - - - die undurchschnittene Nabelschnur - Band an die dunkle Welt. Und die graue Welt und die helle Welt kennt man und weiß man - und die dunkle Welt wollte man nicht wahrhaben und versucht, sie immer noch fortzulügen. Aber sie ist da - für jede - jeden. Und einer sagt Leid und einer sagt Schmerz und einer Verbrechen - Schmutz - oder Gott - kein Wort trifft zutiefst hinein.
Was - bin - ich - denn - nur? Alles Böse und alles Gute - das ist ein Mensch - und Himmel und Hölle - das ist ein Mensch - das Traurigste und Lächerlichste - ein Mensch. Das Verschlossenste und Bereiteste - ein Mensch. Und Krieg und Frieden - das ist ein Mensch - und Mordbegier und Mariawunsch, zu gebären - ein Mensch. Fremdestes senkt sich in dich hinein, läßt Eigenstes aufstehn - in dir, in dir - alles in dir - alles, alles, alles in dir. Und was dein Gedanke will, liebt dein Körper - und was dein Körper liebt, will dein Gedanke. Ist eine steile Flamme, das blasse Mädchen - hat Augen, die sprechen, Augen, die schreien - ist eine wie alle - weiß viel von sich, weiß nichts von sich.” (141)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2021
Dutiful, stupid, bourgeois child - your work will make your face like a cobweb - why?
One morning, a young woman named Gilgi is told by her parents that she is, in fact, adopted. This revelation drives Gilgi to seek out her biological mother through a series of surprising connections. Gilgi is a practical ‘new woman’ whose ambitions are undeterred by the Great Depression. She ultimately rebels against her conservative adoptive family to forge a life of her own.
Irmgard Keun’s debut novel shows the reader the beginnings of the conversational writing style and perceptive social commentary Keun developed over the course of her writing career. Döblin’s influence on Keun’s prose is very noticeable in Gilgi; the prose includes many stream of consciousness passages, as well as true-to-life dialogue complete with interruptions and illogical sentences. Most memorable is Hertha’s damning monologue towards the end of the book.
Gilgi didn’t captivate me quite as much as Doris from The Artificial Silk Girl, who dreams bigger and falls harder. To be fair, it would be difficult to write an ending as staggering as that of Keun’s second novel. Gilgi, like Doris, is a deeply dynamic character who left me wondering if the naïve young girl from the first pages was the same person as the wise soul from the final pages.
Gilgi is a must read for fans of Irmgard Keun and anybody who is interested in this time period.
One morning, a young woman named Gilgi is told by her parents that she is, in fact, adopted. This revelation drives Gilgi to seek out her biological mother through a series of surprising connections. Gilgi is a practical ‘new woman’ whose ambitions are undeterred by the Great Depression. She ultimately rebels against her conservative adoptive family to forge a life of her own.
Irmgard Keun’s debut novel shows the reader the beginnings of the conversational writing style and perceptive social commentary Keun developed over the course of her writing career. Döblin’s influence on Keun’s prose is very noticeable in Gilgi; the prose includes many stream of consciousness passages, as well as true-to-life dialogue complete with interruptions and illogical sentences. Most memorable is Hertha’s damning monologue towards the end of the book.
Gilgi didn’t captivate me quite as much as Doris from The Artificial Silk Girl, who dreams bigger and falls harder. To be fair, it would be difficult to write an ending as staggering as that of Keun’s second novel. Gilgi, like Doris, is a deeply dynamic character who left me wondering if the naïve young girl from the first pages was the same person as the wise soul from the final pages.
Gilgi is a must read for fans of Irmgard Keun and anybody who is interested in this time period.
January 7, 2024
Ho trovato questo libro spassoso e leggero, ma il finale prende una nota pirandelliana di umorismo che lo rende un libro su cui riflettere e non semplicemente una storia divertente, senza comunque appesantire il racconto. Mi è piaciuta la scrittura che tende a modificarsi durante l'evoluzione della protagonista Gilgi. Pulita e chiara nella prima parte, per poi diventare caotica e riportare sempre più i pensieri confusi della ragazza, in un modo che diventa quasi angosciante ma che sicuramente ben esprime il turbine di sentimenti che investe Gilgi. L'ho trovato anche un interessante spunto di riflessione sull'amore romantico, che nel libro è descritto come distruttivo e obnubilante, e ho apprezzato molto il finale anche per la sintesi che Gilgi riesce a fare tra i suoi sentimenti appassionati e il bisogno di avere una vita degna e di seguire i suoi sogni.
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