Der Vorleser - Wyrms.de

German language

Published Oct. 19, 2017

ISBN:: 978-3-257-26134-9

(2 reviews)

The Reader (German: Der Vorleser) is a novel by German law professor and judge Bernhard Schlink, published in Germany in 1995 and in the United States in 1997. The story is a parable, dealing with the difficulties post-war German generations have had comprehending the Holocaust; Ruth Franklin writes that it was aimed specifically at the generation Bertolt Brecht called the Nachgeborenen, those who came after. Like other novels in the genre of Vergangenheitsbewältigung, the struggle to come to terms with the past, The Reader explores how the post-war generations should approach the generation that took part in, or witnessed, the atrocities. These are the questions at the heart of Holocaust literature in the late 20th and early 21st century, as the victims and witnesses die and living memory fades.Schlink's book was well received in his native country and elsewhere, winning several awards. Der Spiegel wrote that it was one of …

The Reader (German: Der Vorleser) is a novel by German law professor and judge Bernhard Schlink, published in Germany in 1995 and in the United States in 1997. The story is a parable, dealing with the difficulties post-war German generations have had comprehending the Holocaust; Ruth Franklin writes that it was aimed specifically at the generation Bertolt Brecht called the Nachgeborenen, those who came after. Like other novels in the genre of Vergangenheitsbewältigung, the struggle to come to terms with the past, The Reader explores how the post-war generations should approach the generation that took part in, or witnessed, the atrocities. These are the questions at the heart of Holocaust literature in the late 20th and early 21st century, as the victims and witnesses die and living memory fades.Schlink's book was well received in his native country and elsewhere, winning several awards. Der Spiegel wrote that it was one of the greatest triumphs of German literature since Günter Grass's The Tin Drum. It sold 500,000 copies in Germany and was listed 14th of the 100 favorite books of German readers in a television poll in 2007. It won the German Hans Fallada Prize in 1998, and became the first German book to top The New York Times bestselling books list. It has been translated into 45 different languages and has been included in the curricula of college-level courses in Holocaust literature and German language and German literature. It was adapted by David Hare into the 2008 film of the same name directed by Stephen Daldry; the film was nominated for five Academy Awards, with Kate Winslet winning for her portrayal of Hanna Schmitz.

10 editions

Stephanie Jane reviewed The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

A thoughtful novel

4 stars

The Reader was my 1990s read for the Goodreads / Bookcrossing Decade Challenge. I saw the film version of The Reader at our then-local art house cinema when it came out and remembered the main revelation that would be made during the story. However, I found that this actually increased the poignancy of the earlier writing as I could completely understand some of the layers of meaning. I think the film did follow the book closely.

The Reader starts with a fifteen year old boy recovering from a long serious illness and emerging from his isolation to meet and become the lover of a older woman. The relationship is delicately portrayed and I liked the creation of each character, even though I never actually came to like either Michael or Hanna as people. I felt as though I was always kept at arm's length though did become fully immersed in …

The Reader was my 1990s read for the Goodreads / Bookcrossing Decade Challenge. I saw the film version of The Reader at our then-local art house cinema when it came out and remembered the main revelation that would be made during the story. However, I found that this actually increased the poignancy of the earlier writing as I could completely understand some of the layers of meaning. I think the film did follow the book closely.

The Reader starts with a fifteen year old boy recovering from a long serious illness and emerging from his isolation to meet and become the lover of a older woman. The relationship is delicately portrayed and I liked the creation of each character, even though I never actually came to like either Michael or Hanna as people. I felt as though I was always kept at arm's length though did become fully immersed in their story despite this distancing.

Having witnessed their relationship, we then re-meet Hanna a few years later. Michael is studying law and Hanna is a defendant in a trial he observes. His attempts to analyse his reaction to her both as a past lover and as a war criminal are interesting, as is Schlink's discussion of the culpability of the whole German nation immediately post-war. This is a very thoughtful book, an approach which sometimes overwhelms the central story at its heart, but for good reason. Hanna's simplicity during her trial - what should I have done? - poses a fascinating dilemma to the eponymous Reader as he listens to proceedings, and also to the readers of the novel itself.

Anditravel

rated it

Nov. 13, 2012