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The Photographer
Meike Ziervogel’s new novel celebrates how humanity can thrive against all odds.
Set at the end of the Second World War when eleven million Germans fled from east to west, The Photographer explores love and survival in a time of mass migration.
Pomerania, 1933: Trude falls in love with Albert, a young photographer who takes her picture in the street. Her mother disapproves, and when war breaks out she arranges for Albert to be sent to the front. Eventually, Trude and Albert are reunited in a refugee camp near Hamburg. But now the couple face a new challenge: can they begin their relationship anew?
In a Europe of ruined cities and refugee camps, Trude and Albert learn to respect each other’s flaws and, in doing so, discover unexpected strengths.
Set at the end of the Second World War when eleven million Germans fled from east to west, The Photographer explores love and survival in a time of mass migration.
Pomerania, 1933: Trude falls in love with Albert, a young photographer who takes her picture in the street. Her mother disapproves, and when war breaks out she arranges for Albert to be sent to the front. Eventually, Trude and Albert are reunited in a refugee camp near Hamburg. But now the couple face a new challenge: can they begin their relationship anew?
In a Europe of ruined cities and refugee camps, Trude and Albert learn to respect each other’s flaws and, in doing so, discover unexpected strengths.
171 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2017
77 people want to read
About the author
Meike Ziervogel
7 books10 followersMeike Ziervogel (b. 1967) is a novelist and founder of Peirene Press, an award-winning independent UK publishing house specialising in contemporary European fiction in English translation. In 2012 Meike was voted as one of Britain's 100 most innovative and influential people in the creative and media industries for the h.Club 100 list devised by Time Out London and the Hospital Club. From 2009 to 2018 she hosted the Peirene literary Salon.
Ziervogel came to London in the UK in 1986 to study Arabic language and literature. She received a BA and MA from The School of Oriental and African Studies. She speaks four languages: German, English, Arabic and French.
Ziervogel came to London in the UK in 1986 to study Arabic language and literature. She received a BA and MA from The School of Oriental and African Studies. She speaks four languages: German, English, Arabic and French.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 20, 2018
As a supporter of UK small presses – I was naturally predisposed to like this book: its published by the Norfolk based publisher Salt (whose books rather wonderfully are normally sent with a handwritten postcard and a packet of salt enclosed) and written by Meike Ziervogel, the publisher of Pereine Press.
However, even without this predisposition there is much to like here, in this ultimately uplifting tale of war-induced mass migration.
The book commences:
And, told from the viewpoint of Trude, in the present tense and in simple prose, we witness the traumatic birth of her brother, who we then learn dies only a few days later, revealed in a heartrending scene with Agatha still rocking the dead baby’s crib and expressing milk, with Trude, busy playing a fantasy game where she imagines marrying a prince, only really remembering how the baby was compared favourably to her during his few days of life He sleeps and drinks and doesn’t cause any trouble. With you, Trude, it was a different story.
The book then moves forward thirteen years:
To my initial surprise, the present tense and simple if lyrical prose, which I had initially assumed was meant to capture a child’s view, continues as Trude reaches maturity and then through the book – however over time I realises that this was a deliberate stylistic device, one key being the first phrase of each excerpt above, with their deliberate evocation of fairy tales, a theme which continues throughout the book.
Albert – from a dubious background - gives rise to a unresolved conflict between Agatha (whose father gave up a life of near aristocracy by marrying a maid – her mother: and whose legacy Agatha believes she and Trude’s father spent a lifetime overcoming) – a conflict which reaches a crisis during the war, when Agatha (innocently assisted by Trude and Albert’s young son Peter) reveals to the authorities that he is a subversive draft-dodger, leading to his being called up (which Agatha sees as basically a death warrant given his lack of soldiering skills).
The second section of the book: Flight, tells one of the key stories of the book – the forced migration of Eastern Germans, fleeing the advancing Russians and allied bombs, to a resentful, already occupied West – although was I felt was the weakest, the simple style starting to wear on me and I felt not really giving me any particular insight.
The book, however recovers its emotional strength in the third section, which starts with Albert returning from a PoW camp (having survived the war as a photographer) and thanks to the Red Cross, reunited with Trude, Peter and Agatha. A number of related conflicts dominate family life: Albert and Peter have a difficult relationship, Peter having found some form of escape route in boxing but the war scarred Albert not approving of the violence that underpins it; Albert and Trude both keep to themselves horrors they witnessed and compromises they made in the war; and Agatha’s betrayal of Albert remains unacknowledged and unresolved until the book’s surprisingly upbeat ending, bringing us back to the world of fairy tales and at least the hint of a “happy ever after” ending amongst the suffering and devastation.
Ultimately this is a deeply moving novel – and one which explores how the traumas of war pass down across generations, and explores how humanity and family love can nevertheless survive in the most trying of circumstances.
However, even without this predisposition there is much to like here, in this ultimately uplifting tale of war-induced mass migration.
The book commences:
Once upon a time there was a German town in Pomerania, a medieval fortress with four gates and eight towers …. Our story starts one morning in the early Spring of 1920. In an apartment.. lives five year old Trude. Her mother [Agatha] is a seamstress and her father a carpenter. He fought in the Great War and came home with a wound in his chest and three missing toes
And, told from the viewpoint of Trude, in the present tense and in simple prose, we witness the traumatic birth of her brother, who we then learn dies only a few days later, revealed in a heartrending scene with Agatha still rocking the dead baby’s crib and expressing milk, with Trude, busy playing a fantasy game where she imagines marrying a prince, only really remembering how the baby was compared favourably to her during his few days of life He sleeps and drinks and doesn’t cause any trouble. With you, Trude, it was a different story.
The book then moves forward thirteen years:
A Real Prince did eventually arrive in Trude’s life, but it took a few years. In the meantime, her father died of the war wound in his chest and her mother became a respected seamstress …. So one sunny Sunday afternoon shortly after her eighteenth birthday, Trude was strolling along .. when … she spotted a young man sitting on a bench …..
Albert is smoking a cigarette. His camera is on the tripod next to him. Business has been good today.
To my initial surprise, the present tense and simple if lyrical prose, which I had initially assumed was meant to capture a child’s view, continues as Trude reaches maturity and then through the book – however over time I realises that this was a deliberate stylistic device, one key being the first phrase of each excerpt above, with their deliberate evocation of fairy tales, a theme which continues throughout the book.
Albert – from a dubious background - gives rise to a unresolved conflict between Agatha (whose father gave up a life of near aristocracy by marrying a maid – her mother: and whose legacy Agatha believes she and Trude’s father spent a lifetime overcoming) – a conflict which reaches a crisis during the war, when Agatha (innocently assisted by Trude and Albert’s young son Peter) reveals to the authorities that he is a subversive draft-dodger, leading to his being called up (which Agatha sees as basically a death warrant given his lack of soldiering skills).
The second section of the book: Flight, tells one of the key stories of the book – the forced migration of Eastern Germans, fleeing the advancing Russians and allied bombs, to a resentful, already occupied West – although was I felt was the weakest, the simple style starting to wear on me and I felt not really giving me any particular insight.
The book, however recovers its emotional strength in the third section, which starts with Albert returning from a PoW camp (having survived the war as a photographer) and thanks to the Red Cross, reunited with Trude, Peter and Agatha. A number of related conflicts dominate family life: Albert and Peter have a difficult relationship, Peter having found some form of escape route in boxing but the war scarred Albert not approving of the violence that underpins it; Albert and Trude both keep to themselves horrors they witnessed and compromises they made in the war; and Agatha’s betrayal of Albert remains unacknowledged and unresolved until the book’s surprisingly upbeat ending, bringing us back to the world of fairy tales and at least the hint of a “happy ever after” ending amongst the suffering and devastation.
Ultimately this is a deeply moving novel – and one which explores how the traumas of war pass down across generations, and explores how humanity and family love can nevertheless survive in the most trying of circumstances.
September 19, 2017
One of my 'finds' of 2017 - beautifully written, very moving, with some of the best writing from the point of view of a child that you'll find. Exquisitely good.
May 17, 2017
The Photographer by Meike Ziervogel is proof that a consuming and fully detailed story may be told in under two hundred pages. The depths of the novel are to be found as much in what is implicit as from the elegantly crafted prose. There is insight and interest, flavour and nuance. Such writing deserves appreciation.
Set in Germany around the time of the Second World War, the protagonist is a young woman named Trude who lives with her controlling mother, Agatha. The generation before suffered hardship due to scandal which Agatha and her war scarred husband toiled to put behind them. Agatha is determined that her daughter will be the fruit of their labour.
Trude understands that her mother wants only what is best for her yet has a need to live her life for herself. When she meets a young photographer named Albert, who makes her feel joyously alive, she ignores Agatha’s derision for this boy ‘from the gutter’. They marry, travel and have a child who they name Peter.
Albert and Trude have a somewhat turbulent marriage, the negative aspects of which drive Agatha to intervene. She regards her actions as necessary for the good of her child and beloved grandson. The result is Albert being sent to fight in the war leaving his small family to seek a means to survive without him. Trude must decide how to deal with her mother’s betrayal.
The war reaches its conclusion and there follows a massive and confusing exodus from east to west. In a refugee camp near Hamburg the family are reunited but much has changed. Peter is not the son Albert envisaged, the child is unused to the presence of a father. Between them stand Trude and Agatha who must make difficult choices with the balance of their family, the direction of their futures lives, at stake.
Told from each of the imperfect characters’ points of view this tale offers a candid look at family dynamics and hurts caused as assumptions are made. At its heart is a love story, not a romance, that spans the three generations. Pragmatic decisions have led to difficult truths being accepted. The challenge is to leave them at rest.
The writing is spare yet strikingly affective, touching the essence of each individual with precision. This is an impressive work of literary fiction that remains compelling and accessible. Like fine wine, it is best savoured and shared.
Set in Germany around the time of the Second World War, the protagonist is a young woman named Trude who lives with her controlling mother, Agatha. The generation before suffered hardship due to scandal which Agatha and her war scarred husband toiled to put behind them. Agatha is determined that her daughter will be the fruit of their labour.
Trude understands that her mother wants only what is best for her yet has a need to live her life for herself. When she meets a young photographer named Albert, who makes her feel joyously alive, she ignores Agatha’s derision for this boy ‘from the gutter’. They marry, travel and have a child who they name Peter.
Albert and Trude have a somewhat turbulent marriage, the negative aspects of which drive Agatha to intervene. She regards her actions as necessary for the good of her child and beloved grandson. The result is Albert being sent to fight in the war leaving his small family to seek a means to survive without him. Trude must decide how to deal with her mother’s betrayal.
The war reaches its conclusion and there follows a massive and confusing exodus from east to west. In a refugee camp near Hamburg the family are reunited but much has changed. Peter is not the son Albert envisaged, the child is unused to the presence of a father. Between them stand Trude and Agatha who must make difficult choices with the balance of their family, the direction of their futures lives, at stake.
Told from each of the imperfect characters’ points of view this tale offers a candid look at family dynamics and hurts caused as assumptions are made. At its heart is a love story, not a romance, that spans the three generations. Pragmatic decisions have led to difficult truths being accepted. The challenge is to leave them at rest.
The writing is spare yet strikingly affective, touching the essence of each individual with precision. This is an impressive work of literary fiction that remains compelling and accessible. Like fine wine, it is best savoured and shared.
January 4, 2024
The premise of the book was a good one, and it started off pretty well, although the stilted sentencing structure was a bit off-putting after a while. Many sentences in the book consist of eight words or less, so it seemed a bit like a tale recounted by a young child.
Opening at a random page reveals this paragraph:
'The typewriter begins to pound. Agatha looks up. The man thumps the keys with his two bony middle fingers. Drops of sweat cover his forehead.'
Another random page:
'Albert strolls along. He's in no hurry. Trude know he will arrive this week. But she doesn't know which day.'
You get the gist. The book is filled with such paragraphs.
The book is set at the end of the Second World War when millions of Germans were displaced by the bombing, the imminent defeat and invasion by the allied forces. It's the story of what happens to the losers of the war, in particular those from the East who were forced to migrate to the West.
This book concentrates on the stories of four particular people - a mother and daughter, a man the daughter falls in love with (against the wishes of her mother), and the child they have.
I enjoyed the first half of the book, despite the truncated sentences, as it gave a snapshot of what life was like for many ordinary Germans at the end of the war, and of how family loyalties could be twisted and divided.
The second half of the book was purely about this family, in particular the father and son relationship, and did not really give many details of what was happening around them. I feel that to stand out this book had to paint more of a picture and give more details and information of what was happening in the social landscape. To be honest, the writing style and prose is not sufficiently advanced for this book to stand up us solely as a work of fiction about a mother-daughter and father-son relationship..
I've generously upgraded from 2.5 stars to 3 stars as there were parts of the book I enjoyed and these small publishing houses definitely deserve their place in this world. I'm not sure if I'd be reading anything else by this author though.
Opening at a random page reveals this paragraph:
'The typewriter begins to pound. Agatha looks up. The man thumps the keys with his two bony middle fingers. Drops of sweat cover his forehead.'
Another random page:
'Albert strolls along. He's in no hurry. Trude know he will arrive this week. But she doesn't know which day.'
You get the gist. The book is filled with such paragraphs.
The book is set at the end of the Second World War when millions of Germans were displaced by the bombing, the imminent defeat and invasion by the allied forces. It's the story of what happens to the losers of the war, in particular those from the East who were forced to migrate to the West.
This book concentrates on the stories of four particular people - a mother and daughter, a man the daughter falls in love with (against the wishes of her mother), and the child they have.
I enjoyed the first half of the book, despite the truncated sentences, as it gave a snapshot of what life was like for many ordinary Germans at the end of the war, and of how family loyalties could be twisted and divided.
The second half of the book was purely about this family, in particular the father and son relationship, and did not really give many details of what was happening around them. I feel that to stand out this book had to paint more of a picture and give more details and information of what was happening in the social landscape. To be honest, the writing style and prose is not sufficiently advanced for this book to stand up us solely as a work of fiction about a mother-daughter and father-son relationship..
I've generously upgraded from 2.5 stars to 3 stars as there were parts of the book I enjoyed and these small publishing houses definitely deserve their place in this world. I'm not sure if I'd be reading anything else by this author though.
June 12, 2017
Set against the backdrop of the Second World War The Photographer by Meike Ziervogel is a deeply moving story inspired by her own family history. At the end of the war eleven million people fled from east to west lives destroyed by war. This is a story that is so beautifully written and a story with so much packed into under 200 pages
The couple at the heart of this story are Albert and Trude who met in 1933, Albert is a photographer and his photographs have appeared in magazines in Paris and Berlin, but Albert has his flaws but the couple are happy and together they have a son called Peter. But Trude’s controlling mother Agatha has never been happy with the union and eventually she has the chance to report Albert and he finds himself sent to the front to fight.
At the end of the war Albert has survived but is scarred by the everything that has happened both in terms of the fighting and also how Trude’s mother decided to report him. During the fighting Trude and her son have to flee for their lives as the Russian army is advancing. Now the war is over they are re-united via the Red Cross Albert finds Trude and Peter at a refugee camp. With everything that has happened can Albert and Trude rebuild their lives find the love they once shared. Like millions of others shattered by war the process of starting again begins. How can the couple forgive Agatha for her betrayal?
I read The Photographer in one sitting a compelling story that actually is an impressive piece of writing and one that resonates in current times with the refugee crisis that we see and read about in the media.
192 Pages
Thank you to Salt Publishing for the advanced review copy.
The couple at the heart of this story are Albert and Trude who met in 1933, Albert is a photographer and his photographs have appeared in magazines in Paris and Berlin, but Albert has his flaws but the couple are happy and together they have a son called Peter. But Trude’s controlling mother Agatha has never been happy with the union and eventually she has the chance to report Albert and he finds himself sent to the front to fight.
At the end of the war Albert has survived but is scarred by the everything that has happened both in terms of the fighting and also how Trude’s mother decided to report him. During the fighting Trude and her son have to flee for their lives as the Russian army is advancing. Now the war is over they are re-united via the Red Cross Albert finds Trude and Peter at a refugee camp. With everything that has happened can Albert and Trude rebuild their lives find the love they once shared. Like millions of others shattered by war the process of starting again begins. How can the couple forgive Agatha for her betrayal?
I read The Photographer in one sitting a compelling story that actually is an impressive piece of writing and one that resonates in current times with the refugee crisis that we see and read about in the media.
192 Pages
Thank you to Salt Publishing for the advanced review copy.
August 23, 2023
“The Photographer” follows the fortunes and misfortunes of a small German family pre- and post-WW2. The period covered is from the early 1920s through to the late 1940s. Rather than being a sprawling family saga, this unusual novel presents snapshots in the lives of the four main characters. It’s one of those novels where the gaps are as important as the narrative.
I enjoyed the setting in terms of place and time. The story starts in Pomerania (now divided between Germany and Poland) and the characters are fictional representatives of the 11m Germany who fled from the East in 1945. Although Albert (the husband, father and “photographer” of the title) is drafted into the army, the novel focusses more on the civilians - women and children.
It’s a matter of personal taste, but I found the writing style rather stilted. The novel is written in the present tense, with truncated sentences, like a children’s book. This was OK for the first chapter, which is through the eyes of a 5-year-old, but it felt somewhat unnatural as the story progressed. I am sure there are plenty of people that would enjoy this manner of writing, but I’m not keen on it - sorry!
However, towards the end of the book, I’d got used to way it was written and I found it compelling. The characters with their flaws are well-portrayed as are the interactions and family dynamics between them. There is plenty of insight into how people are changed - or not - by circumstances, and into the psychology of being a refugee or displaced person.
I enjoyed the setting in terms of place and time. The story starts in Pomerania (now divided between Germany and Poland) and the characters are fictional representatives of the 11m Germany who fled from the East in 1945. Although Albert (the husband, father and “photographer” of the title) is drafted into the army, the novel focusses more on the civilians - women and children.
It’s a matter of personal taste, but I found the writing style rather stilted. The novel is written in the present tense, with truncated sentences, like a children’s book. This was OK for the first chapter, which is through the eyes of a 5-year-old, but it felt somewhat unnatural as the story progressed. I am sure there are plenty of people that would enjoy this manner of writing, but I’m not keen on it - sorry!
However, towards the end of the book, I’d got used to way it was written and I found it compelling. The characters with their flaws are well-portrayed as are the interactions and family dynamics between them. There is plenty of insight into how people are changed - or not - by circumstances, and into the psychology of being a refugee or displaced person.
September 12, 2018
This is the second of Meike Ziervogel's books that I've read (following Kauthar) and again she shows how personal journeys get tied up, buffeted and accelerated, by forces of history. This one is particularly satisfying because, book title notwithstanding, the focus expands to four characters across three generations. These citizens from the borderland of east Germany/Poland experience the second world war at a distance, and with varying degrees of disaffection. Hitler is never mentioned by name, and they're ignorant of the holocaust, which only makes a brief, dream-like appearance in the book. Ziervogel shows that being on the losing end of the war forces migration - with loss of livelihood, home and identity - on ordinary people. Their solutions, though temporary rather than final, are harsh and a warning against the complacency that imagines that the break up of Europe is just a matter of percentages in living standards.
May 24, 2020
Beginning the tale in Pomerania as Hitler is rising to power, Albert, the Photographer of the the story is a young, charming man who captures - literally and figuratively - the heart of Trude through a photograph. From there, the story unfolds as Trude's controlling mother arranges to have Albert arrested and the remaining family flee from east to west. As the war ends, Albert and Trude (and their son) are reunited. The tensions, aftermath of war, and the effort to rebuild their lives form the frame for this beautifully written book.
January 1, 2024
Ik hou van de werken van Meike Ziervogel, oprichtster van Peirene Press en stichtster en bezielster van het Alsama-project dat ijvert voor vluchtelingen vrouwen en kinderen in Libanon en Syrië.
Elk werk van haar is een pareltje van ingetogen eenvoud dat handelt over menselijke relaties, streven, tegenslag, verwachtingen...
Geen hoogdravende kunstjes bij haar, geen ingewikkelde vergezochte beeldspraak of zinswendingen... niets van dat alles. Meike Ziervogel heeft het over mensen in dagdagelijkse situaties en zij laat het aan de lezers over om dat te plaatsen in hun eigen wereld en beleving.
Elk werk van haar is een pareltje van ingetogen eenvoud dat handelt over menselijke relaties, streven, tegenslag, verwachtingen...
Geen hoogdravende kunstjes bij haar, geen ingewikkelde vergezochte beeldspraak of zinswendingen... niets van dat alles. Meike Ziervogel heeft het over mensen in dagdagelijkse situaties en zij laat het aan de lezers over om dat te plaatsen in hun eigen wereld en beleving.
December 21, 2017
Meike Ziervogel’s The Photographer is a beautiful and moving work of art, told in a series of vivid and visual chapters like snapshots. With its underlying message of acceptance, forgiveness and hope, The Photographer should be an obligatory teen-read on every school curriculum. It is a perfect book to kick off a book club.
Reviewed on The BookBlast® Diary 2017
Reviewed on The BookBlast® Diary 2017
September 27, 2017
The horror of what the main characters went through during the war is to be found in stark one liners which heighten the awfulness by understating it. I assume this was intentional and found that it worked very well.
August 6, 2019
A highly enjoyable read. The depiction by the author of life during wartime is remarkable. You truly get the sense of what life must have been like in 1940's Germany.
June 8, 2017
Although set against a backdrop of terrible turmoil during and after the Second World War, The Photographer is a quiet novel about migration, family and life’s inevitable ups and downs. The voice, which flutters between points of view, is simple and understated …
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews