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This was the first Walser book I've read and I really enjoyed it. Really a collection of feuilletons rather than short stories, what makes them so great is Walser's wonderful voice. Naive, young, optimistic, excited, adventurous, and tolerant, we see the lively Berlin of 1905 - 1912 or so in the eyes of a youthful flaneur who seems beauty in the small details of the electric trams, to the populations of the famed cabarets and theaters. And the writing is just as lively as the content. There is s
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Most of these "stories" are actually very short newspaper columns written by Walser. Unfortunately, the book doesn't make clear where or in what form each piece was originally published. Many of the pieces here do not translate well to a modern reader; Kafka may have laughed his head off reading "Mountain Halls" but without any context it's impossible for me to see why.
There are gems hidden within this collection: "Fire," "Frau Wilke," and "Frau Scheer" are all well worth your time. Sadly, there ...more
There are gems hidden within this collection: "Fire," "Frau Wilke," and "Frau Scheer" are all well worth your time. Sadly, there ...more
There was probably no way this slim volume could live up to my expectations of it, seeing as Walser, whom I hadn't read before, is said to have influenced both Franz Kafka and W.G. Sebald, but suffice it to say I was a little disappointed in Berlin Stories. Now, I did love some of the collection; Walser's observations of daily life in Berlin (especially in the earlier stories) were often fantastic. But some of the prose pieces, for example those about the theatre, didn't resonate with me at all,
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The promise of a youthful writer.
These are enjoyable enough but I'm glad this wasn't my first exposure to Walser.
The various individual portraits (the Frau stories especially) are 4 stars. Why didn't one of those rich old broads leave this charming man a bank full of money! ...more
These are enjoyable enough but I'm glad this wasn't my first exposure to Walser.
The various individual portraits (the Frau stories especially) are 4 stars. Why didn't one of those rich old broads leave this charming man a bank full of money! ...more
Lovely.
A delightful collection of urban sketches. Especially strong are those on Berlin's parks, transit, and plays.
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Jun 02, 2011
New York Review Books
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Aug 02, 2011
Jimmy
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Jan 31, 2012
Kate
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Shelves:
short-fiction,
found-in-translation,
germany,
nyrb,
20th-century-fic,
coasters,
cities,
new-translation,
the-millions,
europe
Apr 14, 2012
Michael
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Julie Stout
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Ryan
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Tom
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