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Brothel in Rosenstrasse and Other Stories
The second part of Gollancz's definitive collection of Moorcock's short fiction, this selection features some of his finest work.
From 'The Brothel in Rosenstrasse' to 'The Surrealist Sporting Club', the stories here are incredibly varied in their style, execution and subject matter.
265 pages, Paperback
First published November 13, 2014
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About the author
Michael Moorcock
1,209 books3,750 followersMichael John Moorcock is an English writer primarily of science fiction and fantasy who has also published a number of literary novels.
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine.
During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine.
During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 6, 2018
The second volume of Moorcock's short fiction is dominated by The Brothel in Rosenstrasse - a novella that reads like a mix of hardcore erotic fantasy and Bulgakov's "The White Guard".
The whole thing is a memoir of Count Richard (Ricky) von Bek, about his youthful escapades in the city of Mirenburg- a germanized Slavic city somewhere in Central Europe (between Austria-Hungary, Prussia and Russia) in 1897. Richard recounts his seduction of a 16-year old Alexandra, as he educates her in sexual experiences, while the city and the surrounding principality devolves into civil war as a result of the machinations of the Great Powers.
The novella is interesting because of its descriptions of the city and the changes within it- although Ricky is at first oblivious to these, as he is helplessly besotted with Alexandra, catering to her whims. Her pursuit of new expereinces leads him to introduce her to the titular high-class brothel- and eventually, as the war intensifies, and the city is besiegied, they seem permanent shelter there. In a typical Moorcock fashion, there's a lot of sex- but looking past that, the descriptions of the city and the time period make the work worth reading, imho. The parallels between the ignorance of Richard and the City as a whole make for an interesting literary device as well.
Of the other, shorter works, "London Bone" and "Doves in the Circle" make for interesting explorations and descriptions of the particularities and local quirks of London and New York, respectively, with the underlying character plots being secondary, although pretty-well written.
The whole thing is a memoir of Count Richard (Ricky) von Bek, about his youthful escapades in the city of Mirenburg- a germanized Slavic city somewhere in Central Europe (between Austria-Hungary, Prussia and Russia) in 1897. Richard recounts his seduction of a 16-year old Alexandra, as he educates her in sexual experiences, while the city and the surrounding principality devolves into civil war as a result of the machinations of the Great Powers.
The novella is interesting because of its descriptions of the city and the changes within it- although Ricky is at first oblivious to these, as he is helplessly besotted with Alexandra, catering to her whims. Her pursuit of new expereinces leads him to introduce her to the titular high-class brothel- and eventually, as the war intensifies, and the city is besiegied, they seem permanent shelter there. In a typical Moorcock fashion, there's a lot of sex- but looking past that, the descriptions of the city and the time period make the work worth reading, imho. The parallels between the ignorance of Richard and the City as a whole make for an interesting literary device as well.
Of the other, shorter works, "London Bone" and "Doves in the Circle" make for interesting explorations and descriptions of the particularities and local quirks of London and New York, respectively, with the underlying character plots being secondary, although pretty-well written.
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July 27, 2025 Well written, and actually has some insightful connections to the other Von Bek books if you read it carefully and consider the characters and theming. I find Ricky's memories of lost Mirenberg as the best time in his life particularly haunting [5/5].
July 15, 2024
One of the first books where I saw Michael moorcock stretch his wings and fly. A time of expanding horizons
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews