The Crane

by Reiner Zimnik, Nina Ignatowicz (Translator)

In an ever-expanding city, one young man claims the job of his dreams, operator of the tallest crane around. Since others envy his position, he never leaves his crane, always eager for the day—and work—to begin.

As the seasons pass, man and machine almost become one. "The crane was a giant with iron sinews, and the craneman was its heart." Then people begin to hoard their goods, grinning ravens multiply throughout the land, and war is at hand. But the craneman never falters, remaining at his post even when the land is flooded, ready for reconstruction to begin.

Genres: Fiction

98 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

Reviews

[Declan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This very distinctive and original novel centres on a man whose single obsession is to be a crane driver, which he manages to become, and remain, despite many adversities and the opposition of politicians, the onset of war and the disappearance of his best friend. Eventually he finds an enduring and rich friendship with an eagle and their philosophical exchanges - as the world is ravaged and then renewed - are one of the many delights of this unusual and unpredictable novel. One of the other chief delights is the illustrations by the author which are completely beguiling and add greatly to a beautiful edition of the book, published as part of the NYRB's children's books series.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work deserves better readers. Quirky, indeed, but there is alot of simple, lovely layers to this old, odd fable. Not sure if I entirely 'get it' because there doesn't seem to be one thing to 'get' and it has a lingering effect. I'll be pleasantly chewing on this one for years and can't wait for a friend or my child to read it someday to discuss. The Crane is 'one of those' kind of simple on the surface yet questionably comfortable underneath books. For anyone looking for a quick read that is marching to a different drumbeat, this will do the trick!

[Rosemary Roddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hidden gem

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A long, convoluted, and antiquated story of a man living on a crane. Not enjoyable. The illustrations were awful. Don't waste your time reading it unless required to do so.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Crane is a black and white picture book. It tells the story of how a bustling little town builds itself a fantastic new crane, and how it's operator never, ever comes down. Then the quirky little story takes a dark turn. It is a picture book, certainly, but I am not certain that it is, exactly, a children's book. What starts as a goofy little tale takes a turn into the territory of war, isolation, loneliness, and finally rejuvenation. I read it as a child, every summer, at my grandmother's cottage. I wouldn't say that I liked it exactly, but I was drawn to it. It contains a number of powerful, emotional themes that I think I was reacting to, even if I didn't understand them. Certain images, such as the crane operator desperately scraping the off rust, with a knife, alone in a vast ocean, have stuck with me.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one a lot better than his other book, The Bear and the People. The story started out rather peculiarly, about a man who loves his crane so much that he builds a hut on the arm of it and lives up there. It gets more interesting as the years move on, and he sees life going on around him, including a war, which changes everything. The second half of the book had a surrealistic, fantastic feel to it, which I liked. An odd read for people who like a different kind of story. I don't care for his illustrations, though.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quirky and amusing children's morality tale concerning the relationship between one man and his crane, and featuring an eccentric cast of characters from the human and animal worlds. The book touches on ideas of loyalty, work, idealism and death, and has wonderful illustrations by the author. NYRB's children's list is a fabulous contribution to publishing.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started sorting my books by author, this one was the last one on the bottom-right shelf.
I read it many times and I always found it great. Learned a lot about friendship with it.

[Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars