The Wall : And Other Stories

Jurek Becker was one of the giants of postwar German literature. The novel for which he is best-known, Jacob the Liar, won wide acclaim, was awarded the Heinrich-Mann and Charles Veillon Prizes, and was made into two movies. It has been called “a novel about the martyrdom of Europe's Jews that has never been surpassed" (Times Literary Supplement). The Wall is a new, brief collection of stories by Becker that have either never been translated into English or been published here in book form before. The title story, “The Wall," recounts two boys' risky adventure when they scale the wall of a transit camp to visit the ghetto their families have recently vacated. In “The Most Popular Family Story," a favorite anecdote recounted year after year at the gatherings of an extended Jewish family subtly marks the absences left by the Holocaust. Also included are two stories of Communist East Germany and the wall that divided Berlin, “The Suspect" and “Romeo," as well as a short essay on the Lodz ghetto, “The Invisible City." Christine Becker has provided an introduction to the collection. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home. A collection of newly translated stories “filled with astonishing dialogue and imaginative prose” from the acclaimed author of Jacob the Liar (Jewish Book Council). One of the giants of postwar German literature, Jurek Becker was author of the acclaimed novel Jacob the Liar, which was awarded the Heinrich-Mann and Charles Veillon Prizes, made into two movies, and hailed as “a novel about the martyrdom of Europe’s Jews that has never been surpassed” (The Times Literary Supplement). The Wall is a brief collection of Becker’s stories that have only recently been translated into English. The title story recounts two boys’ risky adventure when they scale the wall of a transit camp to visit the ghetto their families have recently vacated. In “The Most Popular Family Story,” a favorite anecdote recounted year after year at the gatherings of an extended Jewish family subtly marks the absences left by the Holocaust. Also included are two stories of Communist East Germany and the wall that divided Berlin, “The Suspect” and “Romeo,” as well as a short essay on the Lodz ghetto, “The Invisible City.” With an Introduction by Christine Becker, this volume of short works stands as a prime example of Jurek Becker’s enduring literary legacy. Die Geschichte einer Frau, die sich plötzlich als einzige Überlebende in einem genau umgrenzten Stück Natur gefangen sieht. Mit einem zugelaufenen Hund, einer Katze, einer trächtigen Kuh richtet sie sich in ihrer Rolle ein, lernt mühsam, was sie als Städterin nie gebraucht hat, beginnt auf den Rückseiten alter Kalender ihre Erfahrungen zu notieren. Nach und nach lernt sie sich kennen, spürt eine langsame Befreiung. Für die Frau, die einmal eine Familie hatte, gibt es keine Konventionen mehr, denn "alle, denen zuliebe ich ein Leben lang gelogen habe, sind tot". (Klappentext) "Jurek Becker was one of the giants of postwar German literature. The novel for which he is best-known, Jacob the Liar, won wide acclaim, was awarded the Heinrich Mann and Charles Veillon prizes, and was made into two movies. It has been called "a novel about the martyrdom of Europe's Jews that has never been surpassed" (Times Literary Supplement). The Wall is a new, brief collection of stories by Becker that either have never been translated into English or have never been published here in book form before"-- Provided by publisher