Book Review, European Literature, Fantasy, Fiction, German Literature, Novel, Translation

The End of Days by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated from the German by Susan Bernofsky

A child is born during a very cold winter in early 20th century Germany. Her parents, a Catholic father and a Jewish mother, are not in the best of marriages. He is unable to rise above the 11th salary rank at work due to prejudice against his Jewish wife. She has been declared dead by her monied grandfather who actually sat shiva for her because … Continue reading The End of Days by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated from the German by Susan Bernofsky

james b chesterDecember 30, 2022December 30, 20221 Comment

Book Review, European Literature, Fiction, German Literature, Novel, Translation

Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck

Two things stand out for me from reading Jenny Erpenbeck’s wonderful novel Visitation. The first is a piece of German tax law from the Nazi era. If you purchased property or other goods from a Jewish person who was being relocated and made a profit greater than what you would have made from the same transaction with a non-Jewish person, then you had to pay a … Continue reading Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck

james b chesterJune 23, 20153 Comments