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Berlin Tales is a collection of seventeen translated stories associated with Berlin. The book provides a unique insight into the mind of this fascinating city through the eyes of its story-tellers. Nearly twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the stories collected here reflect on the city's fascinating recent history, setting out with the early twentieth-century Berlin of Siegfried Kracauer and Alfred Döblin and culminating in an excellent selection of stories from the best of the new voices in the current boom in German fiction. They are chosen for their conscious exploration of the city's image, meaning, and attraction to immigrants and tourists as well as Berliners from both sides of the Wall. These stories also depict Berlin's distinct districts, not just the differences between East and West but also iconic sites such as Alexanderplatz, individual neighbourhoods (Jewish Mitte, Turkish Kreuzberg) and individual streets. There is an introduction and notes to accompany the stories and a selection of Further Reading. Each story is illustrated with a striking photograph and there is a map of Berlin and its transport system (a frequent motif). There is an introduction and notes to accompany the stories and a selection of Further Reading. The book will appeal to people who love travelling or are armchair travellers, as much as to those who love Berlin.
This collection of seventeen short stories examines the evolving identity of Berlin through the perspectives of diverse authors spanning the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
The narrative objective is to map the psychological and physical transformation of the city from the early twentieth century through the post-Wall era. The stories navigate the tension between historical memory and contemporary urban life, utilizing a variety of voices to capture the shifting atmosphere of specific districts. The framework is an anthology, providing a multi-faceted view of the city as both a physical location and a symbolic space for residents, immigrants, and visitors.
Readers and critics frequently highlight the effectiveness of this collection in capturing the multifaceted nature of Berlin as a city in constant flux. Discussion often centers on the balance between the historical weight of the twentieth century and the vibrant, modern voices emerging in contemporary German fiction. The inclusion of maps and photographs is often praised for grounding the literary narratives in the physical reality of the city's streets and transport systems. Many readers appreciate how the anthology moves beyond simple tourist tropes to examine the complex social dynamics of different districts. The work is widely regarded as a useful resource for those interested in the intersection of urban geography and narrative art.
Page Count:
249
Publication Date:
2009-01-01
Publisher:
OUP Oxford
ISBN-10:
0191609706
ISBN-13:
9780191609701
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