What do you think?
Rate this book
Ξένος στη χώρα μου: Ημερολόγιο φυλακής 1944
Το ημερολόγιο του Χανς Φάλαντα γραμμένο μέσα στη φυλακή.
1944: Σε ένα κελί ναζιστικής φυλακής, τριγυρισμένος από ψυχασθενείς δολοφόνους και μονίμως υπό το άγρυπνο βλέμμα των SS, ο Χανς Φάλαντα γράφει με κίνδυνο της ζωής του τις αναμνήσεις του από τα δώδεκα χρόνια εθνικοσοσιαλισμού.
Ο Φάλαντα, αντίθετα με άλλους μεγάλους συγγραφείς, αρνήθηκε να εγκαταλείψει τη Γερμανία του Τρίτου Ράιχ, γιατί "αγαπούσε αυτόν τον λαό", ο οποίος του είχε γίνει πια ξένος. Του είχε απαγορευτεί να δημοσιεύει και είχε εθιστεί στα ναρκωτικά.
Στη φυλακή ξαναβρίσκει τον παλιό του εαυτό. Γράφει με φρενήρη ρυθμό λογοτεχνικά κείμενα και, κυρίως, καταγράφει τις εμπειρίες του επί εθνικοσοσιαλισμού. Αυτές οι καταγραφές συγκεντρώνονται και εκδίδονται για πρώτη φορά στο Ξένος στη χώρα μου: Ημερολόγιο φυλακής 1944 . Στις σελίδες του απελευθερώνει το μίσος του για τους ναζί, περιγράφει πρόσωπα και γεγονότα της εποχής, μιλά για τις ταλαιπωρίες που υπέστη, αλλά δεν κρύβει και τους συμβιβασμούς που αναγκάστηκε να κάνει.
1944: Σε ένα κελί ναζιστικής φυλακής, τριγυρισμένος από ψυχασθενείς δολοφόνους και μονίμως υπό το άγρυπνο βλέμμα των SS, ο Χανς Φάλαντα γράφει με κίνδυνο της ζωής του τις αναμνήσεις του από τα δώδεκα χρόνια εθνικοσοσιαλισμού.
Ο Φάλαντα, αντίθετα με άλλους μεγάλους συγγραφείς, αρνήθηκε να εγκαταλείψει τη Γερμανία του Τρίτου Ράιχ, γιατί "αγαπούσε αυτόν τον λαό", ο οποίος του είχε γίνει πια ξένος. Του είχε απαγορευτεί να δημοσιεύει και είχε εθιστεί στα ναρκωτικά.
Στη φυλακή ξαναβρίσκει τον παλιό του εαυτό. Γράφει με φρενήρη ρυθμό λογοτεχνικά κείμενα και, κυρίως, καταγράφει τις εμπειρίες του επί εθνικοσοσιαλισμού. Αυτές οι καταγραφές συγκεντρώνονται και εκδίδονται για πρώτη φορά στο Ξένος στη χώρα μου: Ημερολόγιο φυλακής 1944 . Στις σελίδες του απελευθερώνει το μίσος του για τους ναζί, περιγράφει πρόσωπα και γεγονότα της εποχής, μιλά για τις ταλαιπωρίες που υπέστη, αλλά δεν κρύβει και τους συμβιβασμούς που αναγκάστηκε να κάνει.
331 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
30 people are currently reading
564 people want to read
About the author
Hans Fallada
219 books768 followersHans Fallada, born Rudolf Wilhelm Adolf Ditzen in Greifswald, was one of the most famous German writers of the 20th century. His novel, Little Man, What Now? is generally considered his most famous work and is a classic of German literature. Fallada's pseudonym derives from a combination of characters found in the Grimm fairy tales: The protagonist of Lucky Hans and a horse named Falada in The Goose Girl.
He was the child of a magistrate on his way to becoming a supreme court judge and a mother from a middle-class background, both of whom shared an enthusiasm for music and to a lesser extent, literature. Jenny Williams notes in her biography, More Lives than One that Fallada's father would often read aloud to his children the works authors including Shakespeare and Schiller (Williams, 5).
In 1899 when Fallada was 6, his father relocated the family to Berlin following the first of several promotions he would receive. Fallada had a very difficult time upon first entering school in 1901. As a result, he immersed himself in books, eschewing literature more in line with his age for authors including Flaubert, Dostoyevsky, and Dickens. In 1909 the family relocated to Leipzig following his father's appointment to the Imperial Supreme Court.
A rather severe road accident in 1909 (he was run over by a horse-drawn cart, then kicked in the face by the horse) and the contraction of typhoid in 1910 seem to mark a turning point in Fallada's life and the end of his relatively care-free youth. His adolescent years were characterized by increasing isolation and self-doubt, compounded by the lingering effects of these ailments. In addition, his life-long drug problems were born of the pain-killing medications he was taking as the result of his injuries. These issues manifested themselves in multiple suicide attempts. In 1911 he made a pact with his close friend, Hanns Dietrich, to stage a duel to mask their suicides, feeling that the duel would be seen as more honorable. Because of both boys' inexperience with weapons, it was a bungled affair. Dietrich missed Fallada, but Fallada did not miss Dietrich, killing him. Fallada was so distraught that he picked up Dietrich's gun and shot himself in the chest, but miraculously survived. Nonetheless, the death of his friend ensured his status as an outcast from society. Although he was found innocent of murder by way of insanity, from this point on he would serve multiple stints in mental institutions. At one of these institutions, he was assigned to work in a farmyard, thus beginning his lifelong affinity for farm culture.
While in a sanatorium, Fallada took to translation and poetry, albeit unsuccessfully, before finally breaking ground as a novelist in 1920 with the publication of his first book Young Goedeschal. During this period he also struggled with morphine addiction, and the death of his younger brother in the first World War.
In the wake of the war, Fallada worked several farmhand and other agricultural jobs in order to support himself and finance his growing drug addictions. Before the war, Fallada relied on his father for financial support while writing; after the German defeat he was no longer able, nor willing, to depend on his father's assistance. Shortly after the publication of Anton and Gerda, Fallada reported to prison in Greiswald to serve a 6-month sentence for stealing grain from his employer and selling it to support his drug habit. Less than 3 years later, in 1926, Fallada again found himself imprisoned as a result of a drug and alcohol-fueled string of thefts from employers. In February 1928 he finally emerged free of addiction.
Fallada married Suse Issel in 1929 and maintained a string of respectable jobs in journalism, working for newspapers and eventually for the publisher of his novels, Rowohlt. It is around this time that his novels became noticeably political and started to comment
He was the child of a magistrate on his way to becoming a supreme court judge and a mother from a middle-class background, both of whom shared an enthusiasm for music and to a lesser extent, literature. Jenny Williams notes in her biography, More Lives than One that Fallada's father would often read aloud to his children the works authors including Shakespeare and Schiller (Williams, 5).
In 1899 when Fallada was 6, his father relocated the family to Berlin following the first of several promotions he would receive. Fallada had a very difficult time upon first entering school in 1901. As a result, he immersed himself in books, eschewing literature more in line with his age for authors including Flaubert, Dostoyevsky, and Dickens. In 1909 the family relocated to Leipzig following his father's appointment to the Imperial Supreme Court.
A rather severe road accident in 1909 (he was run over by a horse-drawn cart, then kicked in the face by the horse) and the contraction of typhoid in 1910 seem to mark a turning point in Fallada's life and the end of his relatively care-free youth. His adolescent years were characterized by increasing isolation and self-doubt, compounded by the lingering effects of these ailments. In addition, his life-long drug problems were born of the pain-killing medications he was taking as the result of his injuries. These issues manifested themselves in multiple suicide attempts. In 1911 he made a pact with his close friend, Hanns Dietrich, to stage a duel to mask their suicides, feeling that the duel would be seen as more honorable. Because of both boys' inexperience with weapons, it was a bungled affair. Dietrich missed Fallada, but Fallada did not miss Dietrich, killing him. Fallada was so distraught that he picked up Dietrich's gun and shot himself in the chest, but miraculously survived. Nonetheless, the death of his friend ensured his status as an outcast from society. Although he was found innocent of murder by way of insanity, from this point on he would serve multiple stints in mental institutions. At one of these institutions, he was assigned to work in a farmyard, thus beginning his lifelong affinity for farm culture.
While in a sanatorium, Fallada took to translation and poetry, albeit unsuccessfully, before finally breaking ground as a novelist in 1920 with the publication of his first book Young Goedeschal. During this period he also struggled with morphine addiction, and the death of his younger brother in the first World War.
In the wake of the war, Fallada worked several farmhand and other agricultural jobs in order to support himself and finance his growing drug addictions. Before the war, Fallada relied on his father for financial support while writing; after the German defeat he was no longer able, nor willing, to depend on his father's assistance. Shortly after the publication of Anton and Gerda, Fallada reported to prison in Greiswald to serve a 6-month sentence for stealing grain from his employer and selling it to support his drug habit. Less than 3 years later, in 1926, Fallada again found himself imprisoned as a result of a drug and alcohol-fueled string of thefts from employers. In February 1928 he finally emerged free of addiction.
Fallada married Suse Issel in 1929 and maintained a string of respectable jobs in journalism, working for newspapers and eventually for the publisher of his novels, Rowohlt. It is around this time that his novels became noticeably political and started to comment
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
January 29, 2023
Mein erstes Buch von Hans Fallada. Mir gefällt der unverschnörkelte Realitätsbezug der Sprache der Neuen Sachlichkeit. Mit einer gehörigen Portion bitteren Sarkasmus erzählt Fallada Anekdoten aus seinem Alltag im Dritten Reich. Er schrieb den Text in den letzten Kriegsmonaten heimlich während einer sechsmonatigen Haft in einem psychiatrischen Krankenhausgefängnis in Neustrelitz.
Es wird als Gefängnistagebuch bezeichnet, ist aber eine Lebenserinnerung. Erschreckend aber unterhaltsam sind seine Berichte über sein Dorfleben in den 30er Jahren, z.B über seine Konflikte mit einem Trupp der SA oder einem übereifrigen „märzgefallenen“ Nazi Dorfschullehrer/Bürgermeister.
Irritiert hatten mich zunächst einige trotzig emotionale Textstellen: Er verurteilt die Emigration, er relativiert die Kriegsschuld Deutschlands und er bedient auch einige antisemitische Klischees. Das scheint nur im Gesamtbild nachvollziehbar: Fallada hat 1944 nach 11 Jahren unter NS Propaganda und -Drangsalierung heimlich unter Druck in der Haft geschrieben. Nach dem Krieg 1945 hat Fallada einige dieser Passagen nachträglich korrigiert. Es ist gut finde ich, dass diese Ausgabe auf den Text des Orignal-Manuskripts zurückgegriffen hat. In dem Buch stellt Fallada sich selbst glaubwürdig als naiv, emotional, aufrichtig und unsicher dar. Das Verständnis seiner Person und seiner Situation kurz vor Kriegsende wird durch diesen im Original belassenen Text nur besser.
Die Ausgabe enthält umfangreiche Anmerkungen, u.a. zu den Unterschieden zwischen dem vorliegenden Buch, dem Originalmanuskript und der unveröffentlichtem von Fallada selbst nach Kriegsende 1945 korrigierten Version.
Es wird als Gefängnistagebuch bezeichnet, ist aber eine Lebenserinnerung. Erschreckend aber unterhaltsam sind seine Berichte über sein Dorfleben in den 30er Jahren, z.B über seine Konflikte mit einem Trupp der SA oder einem übereifrigen „märzgefallenen“ Nazi Dorfschullehrer/Bürgermeister.
Irritiert hatten mich zunächst einige trotzig emotionale Textstellen: Er verurteilt die Emigration, er relativiert die Kriegsschuld Deutschlands und er bedient auch einige antisemitische Klischees. Das scheint nur im Gesamtbild nachvollziehbar: Fallada hat 1944 nach 11 Jahren unter NS Propaganda und -Drangsalierung heimlich unter Druck in der Haft geschrieben. Nach dem Krieg 1945 hat Fallada einige dieser Passagen nachträglich korrigiert. Es ist gut finde ich, dass diese Ausgabe auf den Text des Orignal-Manuskripts zurückgegriffen hat. In dem Buch stellt Fallada sich selbst glaubwürdig als naiv, emotional, aufrichtig und unsicher dar. Das Verständnis seiner Person und seiner Situation kurz vor Kriegsende wird durch diesen im Original belassenen Text nur besser.
Die Ausgabe enthält umfangreiche Anmerkungen, u.a. zu den Unterschieden zwischen dem vorliegenden Buch, dem Originalmanuskript und der unveröffentlichtem von Fallada selbst nach Kriegsende 1945 korrigierten Version.
June 29, 2024
Πολίτης Φάλλαντα εναντίον του 3ου Ράιχ..
Ζωντανή ιστορία, από έναν άνθρωπο με πάθη, δαίμονες, μα περισσότερο με καλλιτεχνική αισθητική και αυτοσαρκασμό. Ένα «παράσιτο» - με τα θεματάκια του, που όμως κατάφερε, αν όχι να σταθεί όρθιος απέναντι σε κάθε μικρό και μεγάλο τυραννίσκο της Χιλιόχρονης (μείον 988) Αυτοκρατορίας, τουλάχιστον να παραδώσει τη μαρτυρία του.
Μεθύστε με εξουσία, κερνάει ο Χάνς: «Έφτασαν μέχρι το νησί Ρίγκεν και τώρα γύρναγαν στο στρατώνα των SA στο Βρανδεμβούργο. .. Εκείνη την ώρα είδα και την άλλη πλευρά του νομίσματος. Οι άντρες αυτοί ήταν πανευτυχείς και μεθυσμένοι από τη δύναμη που ένιωθαν ότι διέθεταν. Είχαν περάσει χρόνια παλεύοντας για έναν μόνο σκοπό, και κάθε φορά που ο Φύρερ τους, έφτανε στο κατώφλι της εξουσίας, κάποιος τον απομάκρυνε. Τώρα, είχαν γίνει αφεντικά! Αισθάνονταν σαν μικροί βασιλιάδες! Τίποτα δεν τους φαινόταν άπιαστο! Η ταπεινή θέση του άντρα των SA ήταν για αυτούς απλώς μια μεταβατική περίοδος· πολύ σύντομα ο Φύρερ θα αποκτούσε τη δυνατότητα να μοιράσει πόστα στους πιστούς του, και τότε δεν θα έμεναν με άδεια χέρια. Ω, όχι, δεν θα καθυστερούσαν καθόλου να την πιάσουν την καλή.. σελ. 214
Το «ημερολόγιο φυλακής» τελειώνει με τις ακόλουθες τρεις λέξεις "καημένοι, αθεράπευτοι Γερμανοί!"..
Αχ, βρε καημένε Χανς, έπρεπε να το κάνεις όπως ο Δικαιόπολις με την ιδιωτική του ειρήνη. Έπρεπε να ζέψεις ένα κάρο (με τρία βαρελάκια σναπς) και να πας να βρεις το προσωπικό σου Waldenwald, όσο προλάβαινες. Το βραβείο οινοποσίας μια φορά, το πήρες..
The Pixies: Monkey Gone To Heaven
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XycBLF6...
Ζωντανή ιστορία, από έναν άνθρωπο με πάθη, δαίμονες, μα περισσότερο με καλλιτεχνική αισθητική και αυτοσαρκασμό. Ένα «παράσιτο» - με τα θεματάκια του, που όμως κατάφερε, αν όχι να σταθεί όρθιος απέναντι σε κάθε μικρό και μεγάλο τυραννίσκο της Χιλιόχρονης (μείον 988) Αυτοκρατορίας, τουλάχιστον να παραδώσει τη μαρτυρία του.
Μεθύστε με εξουσία, κερνάει ο Χάνς: «Έφτασαν μέχρι το νησί Ρίγκεν και τώρα γύρναγαν στο στρατώνα των SA στο Βρανδεμβούργο. .. Εκείνη την ώρα είδα και την άλλη πλευρά του νομίσματος. Οι άντρες αυτοί ήταν πανευτυχείς και μεθυσμένοι από τη δύναμη που ένιωθαν ότι διέθεταν. Είχαν περάσει χρόνια παλεύοντας για έναν μόνο σκοπό, και κάθε φορά που ο Φύρερ τους, έφτανε στο κατώφλι της εξουσίας, κάποιος τον απομάκρυνε. Τώρα, είχαν γίνει αφεντικά! Αισθάνονταν σαν μικροί βασιλιάδες! Τίποτα δεν τους φαινόταν άπιαστο! Η ταπεινή θέση του άντρα των SA ήταν για αυτούς απλώς μια μεταβατική περίοδος· πολύ σύντομα ο Φύρερ θα αποκτούσε τη δυνατότητα να μοιράσει πόστα στους πιστούς του, και τότε δεν θα έμεναν με άδεια χέρια. Ω, όχι, δεν θα καθυστερούσαν καθόλου να την πιάσουν την καλή.. σελ. 214
Το «ημερολόγιο φυλακής» τελειώνει με τις ακόλουθες τρεις λέξεις "καημένοι, αθεράπευτοι Γερμανοί!"..
Αχ, βρε καημένε Χανς, έπρεπε να το κάνεις όπως ο Δικαιόπολις με την ιδιωτική του ειρήνη. Έπρεπε να ζέψεις ένα κάρο (με τρία βαρελάκια σναπς) και να πας να βρεις το προσωπικό σου Waldenwald, όσο προλάβαινες. Το βραβείο οινοποσίας μια φορά, το πήρες..
The Pixies: Monkey Gone To Heaven
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XycBLF6...
January 3, 2015
“Io non mi sono trovato nel bel mezzo dell’attualità, non ero l’amico fidato di ministri e generali, non ho grandi rivelazioni da fare. Ho vissuto la vita di tutti, la vita della gente qualunque, della massa. E nel Terzo Reich, non essendo iscritti al partito, la nostra vita è stata fatta di continue controversie, di tante piccole battaglie che abbiamo dovuto combattere fino in fondo per salvaguardare la nostra esistenza. Non c’erano altri grandi avvenimenti”.
Questo è il succo del libro scritto da Hans Fallada mentre era rinchiuso in manicomio criminale nel 1944 con la forma di un diario, un semplice resoconto degli eventi della sua vita a partire dalla notte del febbraio 1933, in cui fu incendiato il Reichstadt ed ebbe inizio l’ascesa del partito nazionalsocialista, fino al momento in cui la radio diede l’annuncio, nel 1939, dell’occupazione della Polonia, con frequenti parentesi per raccontare gli eventi contemporanei al racconto. Fallada ci offre un documento eccezionale di come si svolgesse in quel periodo la vita di persone come lui, non solo non interessate alla politica ma amanti della quiete domestica, del proprio lavoro e della Germania, una patria insozzata dal nazismo, da lui inviso con odio viscerale, non razionalmente spiegabile ma solo come oggetto di vera e propria repulsione. Vivere in quelle condizioni senza abbandonare il paese non fu più facile che scapparsene in Inghilterra, come gli era stato proposto e come altri tedeschi fecero; le basilari attività quotidiane erano assoggettate a controlli, permessi e autorizzazioni da parte di piccoli gerarchi di campagna, come il borgomastro Stork, così invadenti e capillari che praticamente si era in balia dei loro umori capricciosi. Ed il peggio è che, dice Fallada, “delle nature basse e vili a questo mondo ci sono sempre state, ma è un particolare privilegio del partito nazista aver fatto consapevolmente di queste nature uno strumento del proprio governo dello stato, aver assegnato loro cariche e dignità, averle stimolate ad assoggettare i loro concittadini, incoraggiandole e ricompensandole”.
Questo è anche il succo dell’esistenza di un uomo come tanti altri, era istintivo, ingenuo, sincero, ma anche un insicuro, un debole, un alcoolista, un tossicodipendente; insomma un “perdente”, uno che non aveva aspirazioni se non una, semplice e al contempo difficile, la libertà, e che invece fu costretto dalla Storia a vivere nella paura.
Questo è il succo del libro scritto da Hans Fallada mentre era rinchiuso in manicomio criminale nel 1944 con la forma di un diario, un semplice resoconto degli eventi della sua vita a partire dalla notte del febbraio 1933, in cui fu incendiato il Reichstadt ed ebbe inizio l’ascesa del partito nazionalsocialista, fino al momento in cui la radio diede l’annuncio, nel 1939, dell’occupazione della Polonia, con frequenti parentesi per raccontare gli eventi contemporanei al racconto. Fallada ci offre un documento eccezionale di come si svolgesse in quel periodo la vita di persone come lui, non solo non interessate alla politica ma amanti della quiete domestica, del proprio lavoro e della Germania, una patria insozzata dal nazismo, da lui inviso con odio viscerale, non razionalmente spiegabile ma solo come oggetto di vera e propria repulsione. Vivere in quelle condizioni senza abbandonare il paese non fu più facile che scapparsene in Inghilterra, come gli era stato proposto e come altri tedeschi fecero; le basilari attività quotidiane erano assoggettate a controlli, permessi e autorizzazioni da parte di piccoli gerarchi di campagna, come il borgomastro Stork, così invadenti e capillari che praticamente si era in balia dei loro umori capricciosi. Ed il peggio è che, dice Fallada, “delle nature basse e vili a questo mondo ci sono sempre state, ma è un particolare privilegio del partito nazista aver fatto consapevolmente di queste nature uno strumento del proprio governo dello stato, aver assegnato loro cariche e dignità, averle stimolate ad assoggettare i loro concittadini, incoraggiandole e ricompensandole”.
Questo è anche il succo dell’esistenza di un uomo come tanti altri, era istintivo, ingenuo, sincero, ma anche un insicuro, un debole, un alcoolista, un tossicodipendente; insomma un “perdente”, uno che non aveva aspirazioni se non una, semplice e al contempo difficile, la libertà, e che invece fu costretto dalla Storia a vivere nella paura.
March 16, 2021
There are a number of remarkable things about Hans Fallada’s aptly titled “A Stranger In My Own Country”.
The first, and perhaps most obvious, is that it was written at all. Confined to an institution for the criminally insane by the Nazis in 1944, Fallada requested and received 92 sheets of writing paper. He proceeded to pretend he was writing some short stories but instead wrote his memoirs of the Nazi regime, culminating in his imprisonment in 1944. It is, without even taking into consideration that he would have been summarily shot had it been discovered, a remarkable work filled with anger and contempt for Hitler and his followers. Fallada holds back little in his condemnation of both powerful men like Goebbles (who was under the impression Fallada was writing an anti-semitic novel which Fallada had promised but had no intention of writing) as well as local Nazis who were equally despicable, vile, and petty.
Equally incredible is how Fallada wrote his novel. He began by writing the title of a short story at the top of the page, but then proceeded to write this memoir in a difficult to decipher German script. Writing in incredibly small letters, he then turned the paper upside down and wrote in between the margins in more standard print. He also made frequent use of abbreviations which made sense only to him, resulting in what amounted to a written code that even the most experienced codebreakers were unlikely to even try to decode.
Secreting it out of the institution during a visit to the hospital, it was later revised into the form we read it in now.
It reveals an incredibly complex man who was certainly brave, often vain, sometimes self pitying, often stubborn but also willing to compromise when he deemed it necessary for his or his family’s survival.
It is easy to commend Fallada for his good points, of which there are many. It becomes more complicated when examining his failings.
One would be his occasional flippant and stereotypical depictions of Jews. By most measures, these would be offensive today as well as in 1944. And yet, Fallada also made a point the day after the Nazis seized power in 1933 of lodging in a Jewish boarding house while saying that until it was illegal to do so, nobody was going to tell him he couldn’t. He also frequently reminds us that he feels nothing special either way toward the Jews. Some are his friends, some are not, but he doesn’t think about them in those terms. It is also noteworthy that in the revised edition of this memoir shortly before his death in 1946, he removed or revised many of the offensive passages refereeing to Jews. Did he have a change of heart? Did he realize that in the postwar such depictions were out of the mainstream occupation thought?
Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle. In the translator’s postscript, he seems to believe that Fallada was more than anything, racially naive. What other reason could there be for him to lodge with Jews or continue employing a Jewish housekeeper long after people actively condemned people for doing so?
Fallada was also certainly guilty of some compromises with the Nazi authorities. But there were few paths for any artists choosing to stay in Germany that didn’t involve some. Fallada however also actively pushed back and agitated against the Nazis wherever he could until his resistance reached a point where his life or his family’s was in clear danger by pushing further. Fallada’s resistance rather was more like a fire to protect his personal liberty rather than any adherence to political ideals. His liberty to write and speak freely for himself and his family, trumped anything else and he would not accept any infringement of it.
Do we criticize him for compromising at all? Do we laud him for, unlike the vast majority of Herman artists who fled Germany, staying behind? Fallada didn’t consider himself a political person and he bristled at those artists who had fled telling him he needed to do more to resist. He was very clear that he stayed in Germany because it was his home and couldn’t imagine writing from outside it. (Thomas Mann took a contrary view and stated that anything written during the Nazis years is by its very nature compromised and not worth the paper it was written on).
Reading his memoir, and the great personal risk he took to his own life to bring a picture of Nazi life to the world, it’s difficult for me not to feel respect and admiration for Fallada, in spite of his flaws. There is very little like it from that era, and literature and humankind in general, at a bare minimum owe him recognition for his achievement and courage.
January 19, 2015
Several years ago I read Every Man Dies Alone (also known as Alone in Berlin), a truly remarkable account of the life of Berliners under Nazi regime. Still one of my all time favorite books, it set a new bar for historical fiction in that it was a contemporary translation events as witnessed by the author. Hans Fallada, aka Rudolph Ditzen, was a famous German writer who refused to leave when the dangers of living in Germany became apparent because "of the bees and the trees" and his overwhelming love for his country. He remained there, filled with hatred of what the Nazis had done to his beloved homeland, sinking further and further under the influence of drugs and alcohol, spending much time in hospitals and prisons. His story is as compelling as his fiction. This book is a new translation of "diaries" written while he was incarcerated for mental disorders following an argument with his former wife in which he fired a revolver (which both of them testified wasn't aimed at her). Under scrutiny, given minimal materials to work with, he created this part diary part memoir part screed, writing so small, in code, and between the lines to escape detection. Reading this is remarkable. He gives full vent to his feelings, potentially putting himself and his family in extreme danger. Need I say, highly recommended.
April 9, 2024
Γραμμένο στο δημόσιο ψυχιατρείο που έχει φυλακιστεί, περιέχει προσωπικές ιστορίες του Φάλαντα από το 1933 που παίρνει την εξουσία ο Χίτλερ . Κυρίως τις καθημερινές μάχες με τους μικρούς δικτατορίσκους που έρχεται σε επαφή ο συγγραφέας Το μίσος του για τους ναζί βρίσκει διέξοδο σ αυτό το ημερολόγιο.
April 4, 2025
"En mi país desconocido: diario de la cárcel, 1944 é uma obra autobiográfica de Hans Fallada, escrita durante o tempo em que esteve preso e publicada postumamente. Neste diário, que efectivamente está escrito como uma "memoir" Fallada captura suas experiências e reflexões enquanto estava encarcerado por questões relacionadas com o regime nazi revisitando momentospassados desde o início dos anos 30, nos oferecendo um vislumbre íntimo da vida cultural sob um regime opressivo.
February 27, 2017
The fact that this even exists - and in such an excellent edition and translation - is beyond comprehension. I bought a copy of Wolf Among Wolves years ago, and will try to get to it this summer. The history of the book alone in these journals has propelled my curiosity in that obscure tome afresh.
August 30, 2015
Incredibly interesting - but recommend this unpolished diary is only read after enjoying Fallada's masterpiece Alone in Berlin, and The Drinker
December 8, 2022
Πάρα πολύ καλή έκδοση, που περιλαμβάνει εκτεταμένες σημειώσεις στο τέλος προς ενημέρωση του αναγνώστη και σύνδεση με τις εξελίξεις της εποχής, ειδικά κατά την άνοδο των ναζί και την πρώτη περίοδό τους στην εξουσία, και εξαιρετική μετάφραση. Οι σημειώσεις του Φάλαντα από την κλινική που κρατείτο αποτελούν τον αντίλογο των διανοουμένων που έμειναν πίσω σε όσους πρόλαβαν να φύγουν. Ο καθένας έκανε τους συμβιβασμούς του και ο Φάλαντα υπεραμύνεται της απόφασής του να μείνει και να επιζήσει στη χώρα που αγαπά και τόσο τον πονά, σωματικά και ψυχικά. Ανήσυχος για το μέλλον της Γερμανίας και τον τρόπο πρόσληψης των συνθηκών ζωής υπό το καθεστώς, πιάνει την πένα μυστικά και υπό κράτηση, γράφει με τους πιο απίθανους τρόπους, χρησιμοποιεί κώδικα, αλλάζει και συντομεύει λέξεις, γράφει μικροσκοπικά γράμματα, γεμίζει χωρίς κενά τις κόλλες, τις περιστρέφει οντας στη μέση της σελίδας, κάνει ο,τι μπορεί για να διαφυγει της προσοχής των επιτηρητών και των συγκρατούμενών του. Έργο γραμμένο με πάθος, αγωνία και τέχνη. Αξίζει.
September 22, 2022
Σύμφωνα με τους ιστορικούς είναι αδύνατον να κατανοηθεί η ιστορία χωρίς να μελετηθούν πρώτα έμμεσες (και άμεσες) πηγές. Αυτός είναι ο πρώτος λόγος που καθιστά αυτό το βιβλίο άξιο μελέτης. Ταυτοχρόνως αποτελεί και σημαντικό τεκμήριο για τα βιώματα των Γερμανών κατά την άνοδο του Ναζιστικού Κόμματος και των μετέπειτα συνεπειών.
Η αξία του έργου είναι αδιαμφισβήτητη, ιδιαίτερα αν αναλογιστεί κανείς/μιά τον κίνδυνο που διέτρεχε γράφοντας κάθε λέξη απ' όσες έχουμε εμείς σήμερα στα χέρια μας.
Ο Φάλαντα γράφει μέσα από τη φυλακή του για τη φυλακή πίσω και μπρος από τα κάγκελα. Αναφέρει όλα τα αδικήματα των Ναζιστών, τόσο στο πρόσωπό του όσο και συλλογικά.
Ως εκπρόσωπος εκείνων που επέλεξαν να μείνουν πίσω, απολογείται για την απόφασή του να παραμείνει σε μια χώρα που παρέλυε αλλά και να υπηρετήσει, χωρίς να το θέλει, πολλές φορές τη στρατευμένη τέχνη. Ένας απολιτίκ, αντι-ναζιστής που πάλευε ενάντια στο σύστημα υποταγής και ανελευθερίας, όντας λάτρης της τέχνης.
Περιγράφει τις μικρές καθημερινές συγκρούσεις της μάζας (άλλοτε επώνυμα κι άλλοτε ανώνυμα) που δεν ανήκε στο Κόμμα και που δε θέλησε να προσκυνήσει το τρίτο Ράιχ.
Καθώς διάβαζα όλα αυτά τα γεγονότα μου έλειπαν τα γυναικεία πρόσωπα, και αναρωτιόμουν για το ποιος ήταν τελικά ο Fallada, πέρα από σπουδαίος συγγραφέας. Ο λόγος που φυλακίστηκε, ή η αφορμή αν θέλετε, ήταν επειδή πυροβόλησε τη γυναίκα του(χωρίς να την τραυματίσει) με όπλο, γεγονός που οι δυο τους ύστερα αρνήθηκαν... Ενώ σε μεταγενέστερο χρόνο δικαιολογεί τους "ουδέτερους" χαρακτηρίζοντάς τους αφελείς, ήταν όμως έτσι;
Η απελπισία του είναι φανερή σε κάθε σελίδα• εκείνο που τον βασανίζει είναι "το μετά", αφού τελειώσει ο πόλεμος ποιοι θα είναι ψυχικά ζωντανοί, ή διατεθειμένοι να αναστηθούν, ώστε να συνεισφέρουν.
Καταφέρνει να επιζήσει διότι επέλεξε να ονειρεύεται και να ελπίζει πως η ειρήνη δε θα αργούσε να έρθει.. και γιατί υπήρξε ευνοημένος λόγω επαγγέλματος αλλά και οικονομικής ευχέρειας.
Οι λόγοι, λοιπόν, για τους οποίους δε συμπάθησα τον συγγραφέα βρίσκονται μέσα σ' αυτό το βιβλίο, οι λόγοι για τους οποίους θα διαβάσω ξανά βιβλίο του επίσης.
Η αξία του έργου είναι αδιαμφισβήτητη, ιδιαίτερα αν αναλογιστεί κανείς/μιά τον κίνδυνο που διέτρεχε γράφοντας κάθε λέξη απ' όσες έχουμε εμείς σήμερα στα χέρια μας.
Ο Φάλαντα γράφει μέσα από τη φυλακή του για τη φυλακή πίσω και μπρος από τα κάγκελα. Αναφέρει όλα τα αδικήματα των Ναζιστών, τόσο στο πρόσωπό του όσο και συλλογικά.
Ως εκπρόσωπος εκείνων που επέλεξαν να μείνουν πίσω, απολογείται για την απόφασή του να παραμείνει σε μια χώρα που παρέλυε αλλά και να υπηρετήσει, χωρίς να το θέλει, πολλές φορές τη στρατευμένη τέχνη. Ένας απολιτίκ, αντι-ναζιστής που πάλευε ενάντια στο σύστημα υποταγής και ανελευθερίας, όντας λάτρης της τέχνης.
Περιγράφει τις μικρές καθημερινές συγκρούσεις της μάζας (άλλοτε επώνυμα κι άλλοτε ανώνυμα) που δεν ανήκε στο Κόμμα και που δε θέλησε να προσκυνήσει το τρίτο Ράιχ.
Καθώς διάβαζα όλα αυτά τα γεγονότα μου έλειπαν τα γυναικεία πρόσωπα, και αναρωτιόμουν για το ποιος ήταν τελικά ο Fallada, πέρα από σπουδαίος συγγραφέας. Ο λόγος που φυλακίστηκε, ή η αφορμή αν θέλετε, ήταν επειδή πυροβόλησε τη γυναίκα του(χωρίς να την τραυματίσει) με όπλο, γεγονός που οι δυο τους ύστερα αρνήθηκαν... Ενώ σε μεταγενέστερο χρόνο δικαιολογεί τους "ουδέτερους" χαρακτηρίζοντάς τους αφελείς, ήταν όμως έτσι;
Η απελπισία του είναι φανερή σε κάθε σελίδα• εκείνο που τον βασανίζει είναι "το μετά", αφού τελειώσει ο πόλεμος ποιοι θα είναι ψυχικά ζωντανοί, ή διατεθειμένοι να αναστηθούν, ώστε να συνεισφέρουν.
Καταφέρνει να επιζήσει διότι επέλεξε να ονειρεύεται και να ελπίζει πως η ειρήνη δε θα αργούσε να έρθει.. και γιατί υπήρξε ευνοημένος λόγω επαγγέλματος αλλά και οικονομικής ευχέρειας.
Οι λόγοι, λοιπόν, για τους οποίους δε συμπάθησα τον συγγραφέα βρίσκονται μέσα σ' αυτό το βιβλίο, οι λόγοι για τους οποίους θα διαβάσω ξανά βιβλίο του επίσης.
January 5, 2018
“Tutto ciò noi l’abbiamo vissuto e patito, costretti a tremare ogni momento per la nostra vita e per quella dei nostri cari, da undici anni ormai ci troviamo in questa situazione. Undici anni senza tregua, senza pace! E fuori di qui, all’estero, ci sono dei dissennati, che conducono una vita comoda e priva di pericoli, e che ci insultano, chiamandoci opportunisti, mercenari dei nazisti – biasimano la nostra debolezza, la nostra inerzia, la nostra incapacità di opporre resistenza"!
Nel mio paese straniero è un diario tenuto dallo stesso autore durante gli anni che partono dall'incendio del Reichstag sino agli ultimi anni della guerra. Sono il bilancio della sua vita durante gli anni bui, ma anche il ritratto di personaggi che l'hanno caratterizzata prendendone parte. Sono anni complicati e terribili descritti in maniera lucida e dirompente. Sono parole che ci fanno capire e ci mostrano la difficoltà di vivere in un regime dittatoriale e autoritario. Le parole, gli scritti dell'autore sono macigni opprimenti per lui e tutti coloro che li hanno vissuti. Rappresentano un percorso di vita tremendo e orribile. La sua storia è la storia di un esule in patria, di chi fa fatica a sentirsi a casa, di uno straniero in un paese che non sente suo e a cui affida le pagine del suo diario.
Nel mio paese straniero è un diario tenuto dallo stesso autore durante gli anni che partono dall'incendio del Reichstag sino agli ultimi anni della guerra. Sono il bilancio della sua vita durante gli anni bui, ma anche il ritratto di personaggi che l'hanno caratterizzata prendendone parte. Sono anni complicati e terribili descritti in maniera lucida e dirompente. Sono parole che ci fanno capire e ci mostrano la difficoltà di vivere in un regime dittatoriale e autoritario. Le parole, gli scritti dell'autore sono macigni opprimenti per lui e tutti coloro che li hanno vissuti. Rappresentano un percorso di vita tremendo e orribile. La sua storia è la storia di un esule in patria, di chi fa fatica a sentirsi a casa, di uno straniero in un paese che non sente suo e a cui affida le pagine del suo diario.
May 6, 2018
Mycket intressant. Jag trodde att den skulle handla om den aktuella tiden i fängelse hösten 1944, men beskriver i stället Falladas upplevelser av nazisternas maktövertagande 1933 och framåt. I mycket ett ursäktande av att han, till skillnad från många andra författare, stannade kvar i Tyskland under nazitiden. Han satt i fängelse just den här gången afetr att ha avlossat ett skott, utan att träffa, mot sin ex-fru!
September 7, 2025
Hoewel het an sich geen strijdbaar boek is (Fallada noemt zichzelf apolitiek), geeft het een mooi beeld over hoe het was om als schrijver (in tegenstelling tot vele anderen) in Duitsland te blijven nadat de nazi’s er aan de macht kwamen. De dilemma’s, de spanning, de gevaren, het niet weten waar alles heen gaat. Aanrader
September 20, 2024
Carcere e scrittura è un connubio che spesso ha fatto produrre nella prigionia capolavori letterari, come se nelle parole scritte si fossero instillate con maggior forza le emozioni e i sentimenti vissuti.
Fallada scrive nel 1944 mentre era rinchiuso in manicomio criminale, sotto dorma di diario, che inizia con il 1933, queste sue memorie, un semplice resoconto degli eventi della sua vita.
Fallada ci racconta la vita di tutti i giorni, la vita della gente qualunque e nella Germania di quegli anni, coloro che volevano vivere tranquilli senza schierarsi e sceglievano di non iscriversi al partito, mantenendo la schiena dritta avevano una vita molto più dura degli altri
Una vita difficile perché in troppi per opportunismo, per ottenere favori dal regime e per avanzare nella scala sociale, non esitavano a denunciare amici, parenti, vicini.
Il tedesco Fallada vuole vivere nel suo paese, un paese che ama ma che per lui diventa straniero per l’atteggiamento spregevole e meschino dei nazisti.
Una testimonianza angosciosa scritta con estrema lucidità e passione
Fallada scrive nel 1944 mentre era rinchiuso in manicomio criminale, sotto dorma di diario, che inizia con il 1933, queste sue memorie, un semplice resoconto degli eventi della sua vita.
Fallada ci racconta la vita di tutti i giorni, la vita della gente qualunque e nella Germania di quegli anni, coloro che volevano vivere tranquilli senza schierarsi e sceglievano di non iscriversi al partito, mantenendo la schiena dritta avevano una vita molto più dura degli altri
Una vita difficile perché in troppi per opportunismo, per ottenere favori dal regime e per avanzare nella scala sociale, non esitavano a denunciare amici, parenti, vicini.
Il tedesco Fallada vuole vivere nel suo paese, un paese che ama ma che per lui diventa straniero per l’atteggiamento spregevole e meschino dei nazisti.
Una testimonianza angosciosa scritta con estrema lucidità e passione
July 21, 2015
During the 1930s and 1940s, Hans Fallada was one of the most famous writers in Germany. In 2009, his reputation was resurrected in the English-speaking world with the first English translation of his bleak anti-Nazi masterpiece, Alone in Berlin. In 1944, following an altercation involving a pistol with his recently-divorced wife, he was sent to prison.
It wasn’t his first experience of German penal hospitality; twice before Fallada, born 21 July 1893, had been locked up on charges of embezzlement. Now, during his three-month spell in a psychiatric institution, he had chance to reflect on his life as a writer, husband and father living under Nazi tyranny, and felt impelled to write it all down. His request for pen and paper, in order, he said, to write a children’s book, was granted. Thus, with 92 sheets of paper at his disposal, he began to write.
Incarcerated in the ‘house of the dead’, and sharing a cell with ‘a schizophrenic murderer and a castrated sex offender’, and checked on at regular intervals by the prison guards, Fallada wrote in miniscule letters, full of abbreviations and code words. Knowing his project was foolhardy, criticizing the very people holding him captive, and could end badly for himself and his friends and family, he nonetheless presses on, venting eleven years of ‘anger, bitterness and sometimes fear’ on the regime that had done so much to ruin the ‘unfortunate but blessed nation’ he loved so much. At the end of it, he writes of the cathartic release – ‘the old hatred of the Nazis is still there,’ he writes, ‘but it doesn’t hurt so much.’
Other German writers had fled abroad, but not Fallada despite being labelled for a while as an ‘undesirable writer’. Starting in January 1933, the month Hitler came to power, Fallada, a staunch anti-Nazi, wrote of living under the new, brutal regime. Laced with irony, Fallada begins by mocking the dim-witted Nazis, ‘psychopaths and sadists’, with their absurd obsession for uniforms, rituals and petty rules. But of course, living in Nazi Germany was no joke, and the mocking is soon replaced by expressions of incredibility and mounting anger.
Arrested previously in 1933 and temporarily detained in a filthy cell, Fallada experienced first-hand the Nazi ability to disregard an individual’s rights, and the presumption of guilt based on no more than the say-so of a Nazi informant. The law may have been on his side, but justice was easily trumped by loyalty to the regime.
He witnesses the rising anti-Semitism in Germany as Jewish friends find their lives increasingly straitjacketed by new edits and pronouncements. Yet in describing one Jewish acquaintance, Fallada uses an alarming number of stereotypical and frankly ant-Semitic terms, right down to the hooked nose and the words ‘little, degenerate Jew… and grotesquely ugly’. The footnote tells us that in revising the text after the war, Fallada realised what he had written. It just showed, he said, how invidious and all-pervading the poisonous atmosphere of anti-Semitism and how, unbeknownst, it seeped into ‘even the healthiest of bodies’.
Continually droll, and occasionally funny, we admire Fallada as a man prepared, even in minor ways, to stand up to the knuckle-headed Nazis. But we glimpse also a man who could be prone to self-pity and often vain. Perhaps conscious of this, Fallada tries to use a self-deprecating tone, occasionally referring to himself in the third person, but the true meaning is still there to be seen. He bore grudges heavily and for sustained periods, often for years. He comes across occasionally as rather high-handed. His treatment of an elderly couple, which in his mind was perfectly justifiable, comes over as rather bullish. But so convinced is he in the justice of his cause, he fails to see how his actions can impact on others. He makes no mention of his disintegrating marriage, or his violent outbursts, let alone the argument that resulted in him being locked up in an asylum.
But, as we must remember, Fallada was writing under the most difficult of circumstances, fearful of being found out, and without the benefit of a second draft. What we are left with is a vivid, honest account of everyday life under a cruel, unforgiving regime. His is not an account of a brave resistance hero but, as Fallada himself states, merely of the daily struggle, the ‘small battles’, experienced by all those who didn’t fawn in front of the Nazi demagogues.
One day, half way through his sentence, Fallada was allowed home for the day. He took the opportunity to smuggle out his manuscript and hide it where it remained to the end of the war. Now, seventy years later, it is for the first time available in English.
Hans Fallada died 5 February 1947, aged 53.
It wasn’t his first experience of German penal hospitality; twice before Fallada, born 21 July 1893, had been locked up on charges of embezzlement. Now, during his three-month spell in a psychiatric institution, he had chance to reflect on his life as a writer, husband and father living under Nazi tyranny, and felt impelled to write it all down. His request for pen and paper, in order, he said, to write a children’s book, was granted. Thus, with 92 sheets of paper at his disposal, he began to write.
Incarcerated in the ‘house of the dead’, and sharing a cell with ‘a schizophrenic murderer and a castrated sex offender’, and checked on at regular intervals by the prison guards, Fallada wrote in miniscule letters, full of abbreviations and code words. Knowing his project was foolhardy, criticizing the very people holding him captive, and could end badly for himself and his friends and family, he nonetheless presses on, venting eleven years of ‘anger, bitterness and sometimes fear’ on the regime that had done so much to ruin the ‘unfortunate but blessed nation’ he loved so much. At the end of it, he writes of the cathartic release – ‘the old hatred of the Nazis is still there,’ he writes, ‘but it doesn’t hurt so much.’
Other German writers had fled abroad, but not Fallada despite being labelled for a while as an ‘undesirable writer’. Starting in January 1933, the month Hitler came to power, Fallada, a staunch anti-Nazi, wrote of living under the new, brutal regime. Laced with irony, Fallada begins by mocking the dim-witted Nazis, ‘psychopaths and sadists’, with their absurd obsession for uniforms, rituals and petty rules. But of course, living in Nazi Germany was no joke, and the mocking is soon replaced by expressions of incredibility and mounting anger.
Arrested previously in 1933 and temporarily detained in a filthy cell, Fallada experienced first-hand the Nazi ability to disregard an individual’s rights, and the presumption of guilt based on no more than the say-so of a Nazi informant. The law may have been on his side, but justice was easily trumped by loyalty to the regime.
He witnesses the rising anti-Semitism in Germany as Jewish friends find their lives increasingly straitjacketed by new edits and pronouncements. Yet in describing one Jewish acquaintance, Fallada uses an alarming number of stereotypical and frankly ant-Semitic terms, right down to the hooked nose and the words ‘little, degenerate Jew… and grotesquely ugly’. The footnote tells us that in revising the text after the war, Fallada realised what he had written. It just showed, he said, how invidious and all-pervading the poisonous atmosphere of anti-Semitism and how, unbeknownst, it seeped into ‘even the healthiest of bodies’.
Continually droll, and occasionally funny, we admire Fallada as a man prepared, even in minor ways, to stand up to the knuckle-headed Nazis. But we glimpse also a man who could be prone to self-pity and often vain. Perhaps conscious of this, Fallada tries to use a self-deprecating tone, occasionally referring to himself in the third person, but the true meaning is still there to be seen. He bore grudges heavily and for sustained periods, often for years. He comes across occasionally as rather high-handed. His treatment of an elderly couple, which in his mind was perfectly justifiable, comes over as rather bullish. But so convinced is he in the justice of his cause, he fails to see how his actions can impact on others. He makes no mention of his disintegrating marriage, or his violent outbursts, let alone the argument that resulted in him being locked up in an asylum.
But, as we must remember, Fallada was writing under the most difficult of circumstances, fearful of being found out, and without the benefit of a second draft. What we are left with is a vivid, honest account of everyday life under a cruel, unforgiving regime. His is not an account of a brave resistance hero but, as Fallada himself states, merely of the daily struggle, the ‘small battles’, experienced by all those who didn’t fawn in front of the Nazi demagogues.
One day, half way through his sentence, Fallada was allowed home for the day. He took the opportunity to smuggle out his manuscript and hide it where it remained to the end of the war. Now, seventy years later, it is for the first time available in English.
Hans Fallada died 5 February 1947, aged 53.
April 24, 2017
Ongelofelijk levendig, beeldend, vlot geschreven memoires van de schrijver vanuit de gevangenis waar hij maar een paar velletjes papier tot zijn beschikking had en de gestapo ieder moment zijn gevaarlijke ontboezemingen zou kunnen ontdekken. Prachtige portretten van tijdgenoten zoals zijn uitgever Rowohlt. Het is enerzijds een rechtvaardiging van zijn keuze om niet in Exil te gaan, anderzijds is het ook een afrekening met zijn eigen naïviteit waardoor hij net als vele anderen in 1933 dacht dat het wel mee zou vallen.
December 13, 2019
کتاب حاوی یادداشتهای فالادا، نویسنده آلمانی، در پاییز 1944 است؛ زمانی که حزب نازی بر آلمان حکمرانی میکرد و درگیر جنگ بود. فالادا از جمله نویسندگان و روشنفکران آلمانی مخالف حزب نازی بود که هرگز آلمان را ترک نکرد و بر این عقیده بود که باید در رنج ملتش سهیم باشد و زندگی با این رنج را به زندگی آرام در کشور دیگری ترجیح داد. در آن سالها چندین نوبت مورد غضب حزب قرار میگیرد و نامش رسماً در فهرست نویسندگان نامطلوب حزب درج می شود. در آن دوران چند بار بازداشت میشود و این کتاب حاوی یادداشتها و خاطراتی در مورد زندگی خود و اطرافیانش در آلمان نازی است که در زندان نوشته و در نهایت علیرغم نظارت شدید، موفق به خارج کردن دزدکی آنها از زندان شده است. با توجه به کاغذ محدودی که در اختیار داشته با دست خط بسیار ریزی شروع به نوشتن کرده و در نهایت که کاغذ کم میآورد صفحات را وارونه کرده و در فاصله بین خطوط نوشتن را ادامه داده است به طوری که دست نوشته این کتاب در هر صفحه بین 72 تا 80 خطِ نوشته شده دارد. خاطرات هم در نوع خود جالب توجه و روشنگر وضعیت آن سالهای آلمان هستند.
June 3, 2017
Fallada's personality was so awful I couldn't even finish reading this memoir. Happily, I came by the book after reading one or two others that had been awarded the "Hans Fallada Prize," and found those to be much more readable. I am grateful that the books I've read that have been bestowed Fallada's namesake award were not been ruined by association with his hybrid victim/bully personality-cum-writing style!
February 4, 2019
Fallada ha uno stile che aggancia, mollare la presa e fare altro risulta molto difficile.
Fallada ripercorre, nella sua stanza di manicomio, la sua vita di scrittore dal '33 all'inizio della guerra: le piccole e le grandi difficoltà che si trova ad affrontare da scrittore non ben voluto dal regime, i compromessi a cui il suo carattere irascibile è costretto a scendere per sopravvivere. Torna spesso sul fatto che, mettendo in fila tutte le cose successe, paiono piccola cosa e solo una sfilza di lamentele, sul suo riuscire a superare tutto l'odio accumulato scrivendo.
Mentre nei taccuini di Kaestner ho apprezzato la mancanza di "redazione", qui alla fine forse ne ho sentito la mancanza: ma è un crescendo di disperazione e va letto calandolo nel contesto in cui è stato prodotto.
Comunque, sono 3,5 che non son diventate 4 per colpa della lettura precedente.
Fallada ripercorre, nella sua stanza di manicomio, la sua vita di scrittore dal '33 all'inizio della guerra: le piccole e le grandi difficoltà che si trova ad affrontare da scrittore non ben voluto dal regime, i compromessi a cui il suo carattere irascibile è costretto a scendere per sopravvivere. Torna spesso sul fatto che, mettendo in fila tutte le cose successe, paiono piccola cosa e solo una sfilza di lamentele, sul suo riuscire a superare tutto l'odio accumulato scrivendo.
Mentre nei taccuini di Kaestner ho apprezzato la mancanza di "redazione", qui alla fine forse ne ho sentito la mancanza: ma è un crescendo di disperazione e va letto calandolo nel contesto in cui è stato prodotto.
Comunque, sono 3,5 che non son diventate 4 per colpa della lettura precedente.
July 9, 2017
"I can't go on. I'll go on"--Beckett's famous dictum might well be a subtitle for this somewhat chaotic account of living 11 years under the Nazis. It's hard to imagine describing such a work as entertaining, but it is. Fallada's narrative skill and his refusal to sell out to the Nazis alleviate some of the awfulness of what he and his family experience. The authors (presumably the editors?) of the unsigned afterword clearly side with prominent emigré authors like Thomas Mann against those like Fallada who chose to remain in the country, but their comments feel strident and unnecessary to me. A fascinating account by a powerful writer.
February 5, 2025
Niet makkelijk te lezen. Een relaas van een geesteszieke en extreem vermoeide depressieve man in de gevangenis, die 12 jaar lang nazi terreur heeft moeten dulden. En dat merk je wel. Het gaat van hot naar her, spreekt zichzelf tegen, is heel emotioneel geschreven, veel frustratie. Sommige stukken heb ik doorheen geskipt. Maar: de beschrijvingen over de mensen die ten prooi vielen aan de willekeur van het regime zijn erg indrukwekkend. De epiloog/analyse was ook de moeite. Ik hoopte in dit boek de oorsprong van Alone in Berlin te vinden. Die zit er wel in, maar de oorsprong maakt veel minder indruk dan het boek zelf.
October 17, 2017
Der Autor Fallada am Rande seiner (kaputten) Existenz.
Nach 11 Jahren Naziherrschaft und einem Auf und Ab in seinem Leben kommt er entkräftet ins Gefängnis.
Er verfasst in wenigen Wochen unter dauernder Beobachtung zwischen seinem "Trinker"-Manuskript dieses Tagebuch. Es zeigt ein Leben zwischen Annahme und Ablehnung des nationalsozialistischen Regimes. Es ist nicht nur ein Zeitzeugenbericht, sondern zeigt auch, was das Regime mit unliebsamen Menschen getan hat.
Mich hat das Buch gefesselt und mein Interesse an der Person Rudolf Ditzen noch mehr gesteigert.
Nach 11 Jahren Naziherrschaft und einem Auf und Ab in seinem Leben kommt er entkräftet ins Gefängnis.
Er verfasst in wenigen Wochen unter dauernder Beobachtung zwischen seinem "Trinker"-Manuskript dieses Tagebuch. Es zeigt ein Leben zwischen Annahme und Ablehnung des nationalsozialistischen Regimes. Es ist nicht nur ein Zeitzeugenbericht, sondern zeigt auch, was das Regime mit unliebsamen Menschen getan hat.
Mich hat das Buch gefesselt und mein Interesse an der Person Rudolf Ditzen noch mehr gesteigert.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2020
Als je boos wil worden op de onmacht van het mensdom om zich in tijden van noodzaak en onrust, als echte mensen te gedragen... lees dan dit zoveelste boek ivm de 2de WO. Weerzinwekkend is de opeenstapeling van dagelijkse vernederingen en omkooppraktijken van het nazi-regime van gewone burgers die niet aangesloten waren bij hun partij...
Weerzinwekkend het gedrag van de ratten die door verklikking hun eigen welvaart veilig wilden stellen...
Weerzinwekkend de onmacht van die enkeling die die mee-speelt...
Weerzinwekkend het gedrag van de ratten die door verklikking hun eigen welvaart veilig wilden stellen...
Weerzinwekkend de onmacht van die enkeling die die mee-speelt...
April 18, 2019
Pijnlijke kleinheid, achterbakse streken, verraderlijk gedrag in Hitler Duitsland. Prachtig beschreven. Je voelt de woede van Fallada soms lijfelijk. Uit het nawoord blijkt dat hij geen makkelijke man was, dat de oorlog zijn leven en carrière eigenlijk verwoest heeft en dat hij moeite had in die tijd met zichzelf in het reine te komen. Want zo’n wreed regiem laat je toch meebuigen. Daar is geen ontkomen aan.
December 12, 2024
I suspect much that is within these pages never actually occurred or was amplified to draw the reader in. It certainly doesn't read like a diary, more like snapshots of a fictional world (or exaggerated blowups of the real world), including unlikely events and characters revolving around the author. Life is seldom this colourful, even in the midst of war. Nevertheless, it's worth a read as fiction.
September 30, 2017
"Scrivo queste righe nell’autunno di guerra del ’44 nella casa di reclusione di Strelitz, dove sono stato inviato in osservazione dalla procura di stato come «malato di mente presumibilmente pericoloso per la società». (Esistono diversi metodi per sbarazzarsi di un autore indesiderato: in quest’ambito il Terzo Reich non è affatto privo di idee)." (p. 191)
September 15, 2024
Όποιος αγαπά τον Φάλαντα, θα λατρέψει και το ημερολόγιο του. Γραμμένο το 1944, κρυφά από το κελί ναζιστικής φυλακής, βρίσκει τρόπο να βγάλει από μέσα του ό,τι τον βαραίνει.
Ο αναγνώστης είναι πολλαπλά κερδισμένος. Μαθαίνει για τη ζωή του Φάλαντα, το συγγραφικό του έργο και τις εμπνεύσεις του, καθώς και για την κοινωνία εκείνης της τρομακτικής και νοσηρής εποχής.
Ο αναγνώστης είναι πολλαπλά κερδισμένος. Μαθαίνει για τη ζωή του Φάλαντα, το συγγραφικό του έργο και τις εμπνεύσεις του, καθώς και για την κοινωνία εκείνης της τρομακτικής και νοσηρής εποχής.
September 5, 2025
Φυλακισμένος σε ψυχιατρείο λίγο πριν το τέλος του πολέμου το 1945 ο Φάλαντα έγραψε αυτό το βιβλίο επιστρέφοντας στο 1933, στην άνοδο των Ναζί στην εξουσία και πως αυτή άλλαξε τη γερμανική κοινωνία μέσα από την καταγραφή τους πως επηρέασε τη ζωή και την συγγραφική του καριέρα. Ενδιαφέρον μεν, όχι κάτι εξαιρετικό δε.
September 26, 2025
Αρκετά τίμια έκδοση με κατατοπιστικά σχόλια.
Ο Fallada διαβάζεται πολύ ευχάριστα. Έχει ένα καυστικό χιουμοριστικό τρόπο να λέει τα πράγματα . Ενώ κάποιος απόψεις του φαίνονται σωστές δεν καταλαβαίνω το λόγο που πείραξε το χειρόγραφο του βγάζοντας κάτι αντισιωνιστικα σχόλια . Αν πέσει στα χέρια σας διαβάστε το αλλιώς δεν πειράζει.
Ο Fallada διαβάζεται πολύ ευχάριστα. Έχει ένα καυστικό χιουμοριστικό τρόπο να λέει τα πράγματα . Ενώ κάποιος απόψεις του φαίνονται σωστές δεν καταλαβαίνω το λόγο που πείραξε το χειρόγραφο του βγάζοντας κάτι αντισιωνιστικα σχόλια . Αν πέσει στα χέρια σας διαβάστε το αλλιώς δεν πειράζει.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews