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Ο Ηττημένος
Το τολμηρό πρώτο μυθιστόρημα του νεαρού Peter Ustinov Φλωρεντία 1944: Για πρώτη φορά στη ζωή του, ο Γερμανός αξιωματικός Χανς Βίντερσιλντ ερωτεύεται παράφορα - μια δεκαεξάχρονη Ιταλίδα πόρνη. Όμως είναι ακόμη πόλεμος και τα γερμανικά στρατεύματα οπισθοχωρούν. Ο Χανς χάνει έτσι το κορίτσι από τη ζωή του και τότε μια απελπισμένη αναζήτηση της χαμένης ευτυχίας αρχίζει... Ένα καθηλωτικό, αναιδές, ίσως κι αστείο αντιπολεμικό μυθιστόρημα και ταυτόχρονα μία ενδιαφέρουσα και συναρπαστική ερωτική ιστορία.
335 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
3 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Peter Ustinov
149 books55 followersSir Peter Alexander Ustinov, CBE, was a English actor, writer and dramatist.
He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, director, stage designer, screenwriter, comedian, humorist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter.
A noted wit and raconteur, he was, for much of his career, a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits, as well as a respected intellectual and diplomat who, in addition to his various academic posts, served as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and President of the World Federalist Movement.
Ustinov was the winner of numerous awards over his life, including Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, Golden Globes and BAFTA Awards, as well the recipient of governmental honours from, amongst others, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. He displayed a unique cultural versatility that has frequently earned him the accolade of a Renaissance Man.
He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, director, stage designer, screenwriter, comedian, humorist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter.
A noted wit and raconteur, he was, for much of his career, a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits, as well as a respected intellectual and diplomat who, in addition to his various academic posts, served as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and President of the World Federalist Movement.
Ustinov was the winner of numerous awards over his life, including Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, Golden Globes and BAFTA Awards, as well the recipient of governmental honours from, amongst others, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. He displayed a unique cultural versatility that has frequently earned him the accolade of a Renaissance Man.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 25, 2012
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this review, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)
(In autumn 2012 CCLaP auctioned off a first-edition copy of Peter Ustinov's The Loser through its rare-book selling service [cclapcenter.com/rarebooks]. Below is the description I wrote for its listing.)
Don't let anyone tell you any different -- Peter Ustinov was a great writer. And the reason some might say otherwise is of course that this British second-generation German/Russian immigrant was known primarily in his lifetime as an award-winning actor, while otherwise being literally the classic, slightly insulting definition of "dilettante" -- someone who dabbles in everything but isn't good at anything, including in Ustinov's case doing a children's album, penning a series of stage plays, directing several operas, being a fixture on American talk shows, starring in an improv radio comedy for the BBC, collecting rare cars, learning six languages, color-commenting on Formula One races, working for UNICEF, and being the passionate president of a prominent "world government" organization. And among these Renaissance Man activities, Ustinov was the author of a handful of novels, including 1960's The Loser, his very first; and for a man who was known by so many for his more wacky roles, he couldn't have picked a more serious subject to tackle for his first novel, charting the entire rise and fall of Germany's Nazi Party through the story of a random twenty-something citizen who got convinced to be one. After all, this came just 15 years after the end of World War Two, and right at the beginning of the countercultural, twentieth-anniversary "naked new look" at exactly what had happened back then; so this was suddenly a very hot topic among society at large at the time Ustinov wrote this, a yearning among the generation right after the war (i.e. the Baby Boomers) to look at these events from their parents' youth, and to speak of both the complexities and atrocities in a way that the older generation simply didn't have the emotional capacity to do.
And that's why I call Ustinov a deceptively great writer, because he takes a surprisingly complex look at what exactly went wrong in Germany in the 1920s and '30s to lead to so many millions succumbing so heavily to the dark side, not exactly sympathetic but more showing that any country back then could've suffered the same fate; in fact, that's where this multifaceted book starts, is with a hefty indictment of all the parties involved with the apocalyptic farce known as World War One, which both the winners and the losers had treated at first like any other of the six-month regional skirmishes they were constantly fighting throughout the Victorian Age, but then with neither side willing to eat crow and finish the damn thing once casualties reached the millions because of the unforeseen innovations that the Industrial Age brought to mass killing. Wounded as a nation, then, overly punished by the winning Allies, with a fascist-friendly culture that had been obsessed with the military and nationalism for an entire half-century, the main narrator of The Loser is a typical young German named Hans symbolically born right at the end of the Great War, literally raised since birth in a culture that could easily breed a party of thugs like the Nazis, with the rest of this novel basically a look at what exactly developed among society there back then to make things turn first as ugly then as nihilistic as they did. A sweeping saga that takes us through several battlefronts before delving into surprising plot turns in Italy, Ustinov's dry, sometimes harrowing novel ends with the question of whether any German raised in such a way would ever have the capacity to be normal, productive members of society again; and the dark answer here is, "Eh, not really," an assessment that panned out in the real world as well, in that Germany was unable to rise even incrementally as a cultural, economical and humanitarian force in the world again until all the way in the 1970s, not coincidentally when all the middle-agers who had lived through the war started dying off, and their positions of power taken over by an entire new generation of radically liberal, green-friendly children. Ustinov was pretty brilliant to be able to lay all this out in such a simple yet powerful way, and this surprisingly great novel will be a welcome treat to those interested in the war, German history, and forgotten gems of Mid-Century Modernist literature.
(In autumn 2012 CCLaP auctioned off a first-edition copy of Peter Ustinov's The Loser through its rare-book selling service [cclapcenter.com/rarebooks]. Below is the description I wrote for its listing.)
Don't let anyone tell you any different -- Peter Ustinov was a great writer. And the reason some might say otherwise is of course that this British second-generation German/Russian immigrant was known primarily in his lifetime as an award-winning actor, while otherwise being literally the classic, slightly insulting definition of "dilettante" -- someone who dabbles in everything but isn't good at anything, including in Ustinov's case doing a children's album, penning a series of stage plays, directing several operas, being a fixture on American talk shows, starring in an improv radio comedy for the BBC, collecting rare cars, learning six languages, color-commenting on Formula One races, working for UNICEF, and being the passionate president of a prominent "world government" organization. And among these Renaissance Man activities, Ustinov was the author of a handful of novels, including 1960's The Loser, his very first; and for a man who was known by so many for his more wacky roles, he couldn't have picked a more serious subject to tackle for his first novel, charting the entire rise and fall of Germany's Nazi Party through the story of a random twenty-something citizen who got convinced to be one. After all, this came just 15 years after the end of World War Two, and right at the beginning of the countercultural, twentieth-anniversary "naked new look" at exactly what had happened back then; so this was suddenly a very hot topic among society at large at the time Ustinov wrote this, a yearning among the generation right after the war (i.e. the Baby Boomers) to look at these events from their parents' youth, and to speak of both the complexities and atrocities in a way that the older generation simply didn't have the emotional capacity to do.
And that's why I call Ustinov a deceptively great writer, because he takes a surprisingly complex look at what exactly went wrong in Germany in the 1920s and '30s to lead to so many millions succumbing so heavily to the dark side, not exactly sympathetic but more showing that any country back then could've suffered the same fate; in fact, that's where this multifaceted book starts, is with a hefty indictment of all the parties involved with the apocalyptic farce known as World War One, which both the winners and the losers had treated at first like any other of the six-month regional skirmishes they were constantly fighting throughout the Victorian Age, but then with neither side willing to eat crow and finish the damn thing once casualties reached the millions because of the unforeseen innovations that the Industrial Age brought to mass killing. Wounded as a nation, then, overly punished by the winning Allies, with a fascist-friendly culture that had been obsessed with the military and nationalism for an entire half-century, the main narrator of The Loser is a typical young German named Hans symbolically born right at the end of the Great War, literally raised since birth in a culture that could easily breed a party of thugs like the Nazis, with the rest of this novel basically a look at what exactly developed among society there back then to make things turn first as ugly then as nihilistic as they did. A sweeping saga that takes us through several battlefronts before delving into surprising plot turns in Italy, Ustinov's dry, sometimes harrowing novel ends with the question of whether any German raised in such a way would ever have the capacity to be normal, productive members of society again; and the dark answer here is, "Eh, not really," an assessment that panned out in the real world as well, in that Germany was unable to rise even incrementally as a cultural, economical and humanitarian force in the world again until all the way in the 1970s, not coincidentally when all the middle-agers who had lived through the war started dying off, and their positions of power taken over by an entire new generation of radically liberal, green-friendly children. Ustinov was pretty brilliant to be able to lay all this out in such a simple yet powerful way, and this surprisingly great novel will be a welcome treat to those interested in the war, German history, and forgotten gems of Mid-Century Modernist literature.
May 25, 2020
My then father-in-law - a difficult man by any description - gave his son a book written by Ustinov: 'The Loser.' He also gave me a book: 'Whores in History.' I was beginning to wonder what exactly this old spiritualist who was big on magical realism and symbolism was trying to say. The books lay on my bedside table for months.
I would often pick the yellow paper-back book "The Loser" and stare at the cover - 'A genuine tour de force' proclaimed the New York Times - and the blurb - '...a comic masterpiece moving across a map of Europe at war and embracing a hilarious cast of cosmopolitan characters. Ustinov writes with real understanding of human nature, underscoring his comedy with a bittersweet tinge of tragedy.'
In the meantime, the old man gifted us yet another book: It was by Dostoyevsky and it was called 'The Idiot.'
When I finally started "The Loser", it was clear from page one that I was in the hands of a masterful, spellbinding narrator. Ustinov has that wonderful ability to intersperse context and background with character idiosyncrasies and humor in a fast paced narrative. He seems to write with the conviction of one who knows exactly where they are going with their narrative, and what they want to show. I was definitely in for the ride! The main character is Hans Wintershild. The life of Hans charts the rise and fall of the German Nazi party. Born not long after the First World War, Hans is a school child when Hitler comes to power, and is coerced into participating in violent acts of ostracism towards Jews by a schoolyard bully with a hypodermic needle. An ambitious boy and keen to excel, Hans' febrile enthusiasm and diligence are well rewarded in the Hitlerjugend, and soon he 'identified himself with Germany in a milky mysticism and felt personally affronted by the very existence of Poles in the world.' Hans becomes a soldier of repute, raping and killing, but nevertheless struggling to overcome his repulsion of prostitutes despite his loneliness. By the time Germany invades Italy in June 1942, Hans is a Colonel. The story gathers more and more momentum when Ustinov introduces Italian characters, wittily comparing national stereotypes.
Hans and his unit commit an atrocious war crime as a savage act of revenge against the partisans they are unable to catch, bursting upon an Italian village, killing women, children and old men - even shooting poultry and cats (in a scene almost reminiscent of Book 7 of Thucydides 'History of the Peloponnesian War) - and burning down the church. Then the war is over and Hans is a wanted war criminal seeking to evade the authorities yet wanting only to return to Teresa, the prostitute he believes he fell in love with in Florence. So ensures a wild and hilarious pursuit across Italy. Eventually, confronted by a world-weary Italian hero, Hans admits that he feels no remorse for what he did. The Italian hero suddenly realises that Hans does not know how to feel;
'...you went so bravely, straight from the nursery, you discarded your cowboy's uniform for your soldier’s...from pretending to kill Red Indians in the park you went straight to killing real men, as though your nurse had one day given you live bullets for your pop-gun, flames for your water-pistol. How should you know how to feel?'
And thus Ustinov sheds light on the tragedy of a brainwashed, emotionally deprived generation, and the need to allow people to develop slowly in their own time. In a final scene, eerily predictive of Terminator 2, Hans understands that he doesn't have the capacity to cry, and gives himself up to be destroyed.
An excellent read, I am astonished to discover that this novel seems to have slipped into obscurity. It’s even on the rare books list. My admiration of this work led me to discover more about Peter Ustinov, and what an incredible individual he was.http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2004/...
I’ve since begun reading ‘Whores in History’, which is turning out to be interesting. Perhaps I will read Dostoyevsky next.
I would often pick the yellow paper-back book "The Loser" and stare at the cover - 'A genuine tour de force' proclaimed the New York Times - and the blurb - '...a comic masterpiece moving across a map of Europe at war and embracing a hilarious cast of cosmopolitan characters. Ustinov writes with real understanding of human nature, underscoring his comedy with a bittersweet tinge of tragedy.'
In the meantime, the old man gifted us yet another book: It was by Dostoyevsky and it was called 'The Idiot.'
When I finally started "The Loser", it was clear from page one that I was in the hands of a masterful, spellbinding narrator. Ustinov has that wonderful ability to intersperse context and background with character idiosyncrasies and humor in a fast paced narrative. He seems to write with the conviction of one who knows exactly where they are going with their narrative, and what they want to show. I was definitely in for the ride! The main character is Hans Wintershild. The life of Hans charts the rise and fall of the German Nazi party. Born not long after the First World War, Hans is a school child when Hitler comes to power, and is coerced into participating in violent acts of ostracism towards Jews by a schoolyard bully with a hypodermic needle. An ambitious boy and keen to excel, Hans' febrile enthusiasm and diligence are well rewarded in the Hitlerjugend, and soon he 'identified himself with Germany in a milky mysticism and felt personally affronted by the very existence of Poles in the world.' Hans becomes a soldier of repute, raping and killing, but nevertheless struggling to overcome his repulsion of prostitutes despite his loneliness. By the time Germany invades Italy in June 1942, Hans is a Colonel. The story gathers more and more momentum when Ustinov introduces Italian characters, wittily comparing national stereotypes.
Hans and his unit commit an atrocious war crime as a savage act of revenge against the partisans they are unable to catch, bursting upon an Italian village, killing women, children and old men - even shooting poultry and cats (in a scene almost reminiscent of Book 7 of Thucydides 'History of the Peloponnesian War) - and burning down the church. Then the war is over and Hans is a wanted war criminal seeking to evade the authorities yet wanting only to return to Teresa, the prostitute he believes he fell in love with in Florence. So ensures a wild and hilarious pursuit across Italy. Eventually, confronted by a world-weary Italian hero, Hans admits that he feels no remorse for what he did. The Italian hero suddenly realises that Hans does not know how to feel;
'...you went so bravely, straight from the nursery, you discarded your cowboy's uniform for your soldier’s...from pretending to kill Red Indians in the park you went straight to killing real men, as though your nurse had one day given you live bullets for your pop-gun, flames for your water-pistol. How should you know how to feel?'
And thus Ustinov sheds light on the tragedy of a brainwashed, emotionally deprived generation, and the need to allow people to develop slowly in their own time. In a final scene, eerily predictive of Terminator 2, Hans understands that he doesn't have the capacity to cry, and gives himself up to be destroyed.
An excellent read, I am astonished to discover that this novel seems to have slipped into obscurity. It’s even on the rare books list. My admiration of this work led me to discover more about Peter Ustinov, and what an incredible individual he was.http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2004/...
I’ve since begun reading ‘Whores in History’, which is turning out to be interesting. Perhaps I will read Dostoyevsky next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2020
There is a lot to enjoy in this book, what there isn't is any coherence.
It begins as a serious study of how the Nazi ideology takes hold in one young schoolboy, swiftly moves through the early days of the war as the same young man joins the Wehrmacht. Then drifts aimlessly through the Eastern Front in Russia and finally settles in Italy with the Nazis in retreat.
Some of it reads like an exciting thriller with the protagonist on the run in the aftermath of the war, some of it reads like high comedy and even farce. There are great swathes of satire too but the lurching from one to the other is a bit off-putting and I was constantly being wrong-footed by the changes in style.
On the plus side, there are some genuine laugh out loud moments, the writing is always engaging and at no point did I ever consider giving up/hurling it across the room, I just wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
It begins as a serious study of how the Nazi ideology takes hold in one young schoolboy, swiftly moves through the early days of the war as the same young man joins the Wehrmacht. Then drifts aimlessly through the Eastern Front in Russia and finally settles in Italy with the Nazis in retreat.
Some of it reads like an exciting thriller with the protagonist on the run in the aftermath of the war, some of it reads like high comedy and even farce. There are great swathes of satire too but the lurching from one to the other is a bit off-putting and I was constantly being wrong-footed by the changes in style.
On the plus side, there are some genuine laugh out loud moments, the writing is always engaging and at no point did I ever consider giving up/hurling it across the room, I just wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
May 1, 2017
The edition I have of this book boasts it as a "brilliant novel of conflict and compassion by a master storyteller", which could easily seem appealing to an unsuspecting reader but also could be the furthest thing from truth as that reader flips through few pages and realises how difficult and frustrating this book would become. Ironically enough the back cover introduces the book as "Ustinov's unforgettable novel of the Nazi fanatic who learned to love too late", giving one the impression that even the publisher could not grasp the true nature and actual point of Ustinov's tale, let alone finish it in the first place. And I think the book is only unforgettable in the sense that it would take some time for me forget how pillow-punching frustrating reading it was, to calm my nerves and stop pouting about the time I have wasted by investing in it.
I don't want to sound too harsh because even through the meandering clutter of words one can recognise Ustinov's strokes of genius and his brilliant satire and humour capable of giving one chuckles in a morbid and boring story. In no way one can accuse Ustinov of being a bad writer because of his skilled penmanship even though one should not also overlook the fact that some of the sub-stories he tells does not really pertain to the actual scheme of the book and most of his depictions and analogies come across rather too pretentious.
However to be a great storyteller, I assume, one needs to have a clear grasp about what that story actually is and, frankly, I could have give it some thought if I was not so glad about the fact that I finally managed to finish it. Would not recommend it unless you are into boring stories with one-dimensional characters.
I don't want to sound too harsh because even through the meandering clutter of words one can recognise Ustinov's strokes of genius and his brilliant satire and humour capable of giving one chuckles in a morbid and boring story. In no way one can accuse Ustinov of being a bad writer because of his skilled penmanship even though one should not also overlook the fact that some of the sub-stories he tells does not really pertain to the actual scheme of the book and most of his depictions and analogies come across rather too pretentious.
However to be a great storyteller, I assume, one needs to have a clear grasp about what that story actually is and, frankly, I could have give it some thought if I was not so glad about the fact that I finally managed to finish it. Would not recommend it unless you are into boring stories with one-dimensional characters.
November 27, 2007
I read this a very long time ago and loved it... wonderful stuff "he drank from the fountain of knowledge without ever questioning the taste."
February 7, 2018
Ustinov has a slant on the human detritus at the end of WW2 that would be hard to replicate now.
October 3, 2024
Βαθμολογία: 9/10
Ο μεγάλος Πίτερ Ουστίνοφ, ένας καταπληκτικός ηθοποιός με δυο Όσκαρ στο παλμαρέ του, σκηνοθέτης ταινιών και διάφορων έργων της όπερας, ήταν και συγγραφέας ορισμένων θεατρικών έργων, μυθιστορημάτων και αυτοβιογραφιών. Το "Ο ηττημένος" είναι το πρώτο του μυθιστόρημα και φυσικά αποτελεί την πρώτη μου επαφή με το συγγραφικό του έργο: Λοιπόν, για μένα αποδείχτηκε μια πολύ ευχάριστη έκπληξη, σίγουρα μια από τις εκπλήξεις της φετινής αναγνωστικής χρονιάς, μιας και δεν κρατούσα ιδιαίτερα μεγάλο καλάθι όταν το ξεκίνησα, λόγω των σχετικά αντιφατικών κριτικών που διάβασα σε διάφορες βιβλιοφιλικές ιστοσελίδες, όμως εγώ το βρήκα εξαιρετικό από την πρώτη μέχρι την τελευταία σελίδα. Όχι ότι δεν έχει τις ατέλειές του, τα τρωτά του σημεία σαν λογο��εχνικό έργο, όμως εγώ μια φορά το βρήκα πολύ καλογραμμένο, πνευματώδες, κυνικό και σατιρικό, με διακριτούς χαρακτήρες και μια αρκετά τρελή πλοκή, με διάφορες χαρακτηριστικές σκηνές που θα τις θυμάμαι για καιρό. Πρόκειται για ένα κράμα ιστορικού και αντιπολεμικού μυθιστορήματος, με λίγο από δράμα, κωμωδία και έρωτα. Όσον αφορά τον πρωταγωνιστή, με τίποτα δεν μπορείς να τον συμπαθήσεις, αλλά από την άλλη ίσως έως έναν βαθμό να ταυτιστείς μαζί του, και στην τελική ο καημένος ήταν απλώς προϊόν της εποχής του: Γιος στρατιωτικού, γεννήθηκε λίγο μετά το τέλος του Α' Π.Π., μεγάλωσε στη Γερμανία της Δημοκρατίας της Βαϊμάρης, αντρώθηκε την εποχή που οι Ναζί κατέλαβαν την εξουσία, τέλος πάντων, δεν είχε και πολλές επιλογές, έτσι; Ναι, πολύ μου άρεσε το βιβλίο, η ιστορία, η γραφή, ο κυνισμός, το ανελέητο χιούμορ, και μάλιστα χωρίς να το περιμένω. Γι' αυτό και θα του βάλω πέντε αστεράκια, αν και αντικειμενικά δεν τα αξίζει: Αλλά, διάολε, πέρασα τέλεια διαβάζοντάς το!
Ο μεγάλος Πίτερ Ουστίνοφ, ένας καταπληκτικός ηθοποιός με δυο Όσκαρ στο παλμαρέ του, σκηνοθέτης ταινιών και διάφορων έργων της όπερας, ήταν και συγγραφέας ορισμένων θεατρικών έργων, μυθιστορημάτων και αυτοβιογραφιών. Το "Ο ηττημένος" είναι το πρώτο του μυθιστόρημα και φυσικά αποτελεί την πρώτη μου επαφή με το συγγραφικό του έργο: Λοιπόν, για μένα αποδείχτηκε μια πολύ ευχάριστη έκπληξη, σίγουρα μια από τις εκπλήξεις της φετινής αναγνωστικής χρονιάς, μιας και δεν κρατούσα ιδιαίτερα μεγάλο καλάθι όταν το ξεκίνησα, λόγω των σχετικά αντιφατικών κριτικών που διάβασα σε διάφορες βιβλιοφιλικές ιστοσελίδες, όμως εγώ το βρήκα εξαιρετικό από την πρώτη μέχρι την τελευταία σελίδα. Όχι ότι δεν έχει τις ατέλειές του, τα τρωτά του σημεία σαν λογο��εχνικό έργο, όμως εγώ μια φορά το βρήκα πολύ καλογραμμένο, πνευματώδες, κυνικό και σατιρικό, με διακριτούς χαρακτήρες και μια αρκετά τρελή πλοκή, με διάφορες χαρακτηριστικές σκηνές που θα τις θυμάμαι για καιρό. Πρόκειται για ένα κράμα ιστορικού και αντιπολεμικού μυθιστορήματος, με λίγο από δράμα, κωμωδία και έρωτα. Όσον αφορά τον πρωταγωνιστή, με τίποτα δεν μπορείς να τον συμπαθήσεις, αλλά από την άλλη ίσως έως έναν βαθμό να ταυτιστείς μαζί του, και στην τελική ο καημένος ήταν απλώς προϊόν της εποχής του: Γιος στρατιωτικού, γεννήθηκε λίγο μετά το τέλος του Α' Π.Π., μεγάλωσε στη Γερμανία της Δημοκρατίας της Βαϊμάρης, αντρώθηκε την εποχή που οι Ναζί κατέλαβαν την εξουσία, τέλος πάντων, δεν είχε και πολλές επιλογές, έτσι; Ναι, πολύ μου άρεσε το βιβλίο, η ιστορία, η γραφή, ο κυνισμός, το ανελέητο χιούμορ, και μάλιστα χωρίς να το περιμένω. Γι' αυτό και θα του βάλω πέντε αστεράκια, αν και αντικειμενικά δεν τα αξίζει: Αλλά, διάολε, πέρασα τέλεια διαβάζοντάς το!
January 19, 2020
The book consists of events before, during and after WWII. Surprisingly there was more written about different people and situations rather than things about the main character himself, of course it did have an effect on Hans in one way or another but I felt like it was still unnecessary.
I wanted to read more about the main character actually discovering himself and life in general, but unfortunately I feel like he stays very much the same throughout the book.
I enjoyed reading the moments where Hans was with Teresa, although it wasn't anything particularly unexpected, it gave a bit of a fresh feel to the events that were happening. However, the end was not what most people expect or want, I was really disappointed and I didn't even expect or want a happy end!
I wanted to read more about the main character actually discovering himself and life in general, but unfortunately I feel like he stays very much the same throughout the book.
I enjoyed reading the moments where Hans was with Teresa, although it wasn't anything particularly unexpected, it gave a bit of a fresh feel to the events that were happening. However, the end was not what most people expect or want, I was really disappointed and I didn't even expect or want a happy end!
August 23, 2023
An excellent little book.
Ustinov carefully exposes the German, post WW1, National psych that leads to the rise of Nazism and the fanatics of the main character.
In a world today with tensions and wars Ustinov’s description of wars was heart felt. ……. “ The fools …. Who start wars survive the banquet of death for which they issued the invitations ….”
Some lovely writing : “he drank from the fountain of youth without ever questioning the taste”
The comedy between some of the Italian characters is very funny. If not a little unkind to the Italian stereotype.
Ustinov carefully exposes the German, post WW1, National psych that leads to the rise of Nazism and the fanatics of the main character.
In a world today with tensions and wars Ustinov’s description of wars was heart felt. ……. “ The fools …. Who start wars survive the banquet of death for which they issued the invitations ….”
Some lovely writing : “he drank from the fountain of youth without ever questioning the taste”
The comedy between some of the Italian characters is very funny. If not a little unkind to the Italian stereotype.
February 19, 2023
So long since I read it but I wrote in my diary that I stayed up till one in the morning reading it 'sad, cried.' Peter Ustinov was so talented, seems to me he could do anything and he was vastly entertaining when being interviewed. Had my crying with laughter his tale about when he used a Japanese bath house...
June 18, 2025
Good...but not great. Very amusing at times and occasionally moving, but ultimately too arch for me and far too full of obvious editorialising via character in the last sections. Somehow the whole book feels thin spread and unsatisfying.
Read
September 3, 2024DNF
August 28, 2021
A book of 2 parts. First, a rather compelling account of the mindset of post ww1 Germans and the indoctrination of their youth. The Loser joins the Nazis as a fanatical nationalist ready, willing (and keen) to die for Germany, tho still barely out of his teens. 2nd, and in complete contrast, after theRussian campaign, The Loser is to be found in Italy and Ustinov’s characterisations of Italians is absolutely comical (despite the terrible ordeals that war put Italian citizens thru).
A weird little book, dealing with terrible historical events, occasionally teetering on ‘fag packet psycho- analysis’ and some hilariously comical elements - particularly the Italian characters and their interactions with each other.
Definitely worth a read. Guaranteed food for thought and reflection.
A weird little book, dealing with terrible historical events, occasionally teetering on ‘fag packet psycho- analysis’ and some hilariously comical elements - particularly the Italian characters and their interactions with each other.
Definitely worth a read. Guaranteed food for thought and reflection.
Read
March 26, 2010THE LOSER. by Peter. Ustinov (1964)
February 13, 2017
enjoyable short read
September 11, 2016
414 - 2015
March 22, 2016
The second world war up close as presented by a very sympathetic humanist.
Read
April 21, 2017Exciting story of WWII: "They had entered the war to settle the affairs of Kings... and had survived to be responsible for the affairs of men"
Exciting, well-written, witty.
(reviewed 3/27/67)
Exciting, well-written, witty.
(reviewed 3/27/67)
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