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Dramatic sketches full of surprising, unpredictable twists and
turns from a major twentieth-century German-language author.
 A member of the Gruppe 47 writers’ group which sought to
renew German-language literature after World War II, Ilse Aichinger
(1921–2016) achieved great acclaim as a writer of fiction,
poetry, prose, and radio drama. The vignettes in At No Time each
begin in recognizable situations, often set in Vienna or other
Austrian cities, but immediately swerve into bizarre encounters,
supernatural or fantastical situations. Precisely drawn yet
disturbingly skewed, they are both naturalistic and disjointed,
like the finest surrealist paintings. Created to be experienced on
the page or on the radio rather than the stage, they echo the magic
realism of her short stories. Even though they frequently take a
dark turn, they remain full of humor, agility, and poetic freedom.
Â
Continuing where Reimann's earlier book of diaries, I Have No
Regrets, left off, in 1964, this volume is a compelling and frank
account of one woman’s life and loves in 1960s East Germany. It
All Tastes of Farewell is a frank account of one woman’s life and
loves in 1960s East Germany. As a writer, Brigitte Reimann could
not help but tell a compelling story, and that is born out here in
her diaries, which are gripping as any novel. She recorded only
what mattered: telling details, emotional truths, and political
realities. Never written for publication and first published in
full in German only after the fall of the Berlin Wall, these
diaries offer a unique record of what it felt like to live in a
country that no longer exists, was represented for years largely
through Cold War propaganda, and is still portrayed in fairy-tale
Stasi dramas. Here we get a sense of lived experience as if Doris
Lessing or Edna O’Brien had been allowed in with their notebooks.
This volume continues where her earlier book of diaries, I Have No
Regrets, left off, in 1964. It sees Reimann grow wistful and at
times bitter, as her love life, her professional life, and her
health all suffer. Yet throughout she retains a lively appetite for
new experiences and a dedication to writing. Finally, she finds
security in a surprising new love, and although she died soon after
this volume ends, the novel she was writing was to become a
much-read cult hit after her death. Â A remarkable document
from a time and place that we still struggle to see clearly, It All
Tastes of Farewell is unforgettable, a last gift from an essential
writer. Â
The first English translation of a major work of postwar German
poetry. Austrian writer Ilse Aichinger (1921-2016) was a member of
the Gruppe 47 writers' group, which sought to renew German-language
literature after World War II. From a wide-ranging literary career
that encompassed all genres, Squandered Advice was Aichinger's sole
poetry collection. The book gathers poems written over several
decades, yet Aichinger's poetic voice remains remarkably
consistent, frequently addressing us or a third party, often in the
imperative, with many poems written in the form of a question. Even
though they use free verse throughout, the poems are still tightly
structured, often around sounds or repetition, using spare
language. Phrases are often fragmentary, torn off, and juxtaposed
as if in a collage. Isolated and haunting, the images are at times
everyday, at other times surreal, suggesting dreams or memories.
The tone ranges from reassuring and gentle to disjointed and
disturbing, but the volume was carefully composed by the author
into an integral whole, not chronological but following its own
poetic logic. This new translation makes Aichinger's critically
acclaimed book, which has inspired poets in the German-speaking
world for decades, available to English-language readers for the
first time.
It All Tastes of Farewell is a frank account of one woman's life
and loves in 1960s East Germany. As a writer, Brigitte Reimann
could not help but tell a compelling story, and that is born out
here in her diaries, which are gripping as any novel. She recorded
only what mattered: telling details, emotional truths, and
political realities. Never written for publication and first
published in full in German only after the fall of the Berlin Wall,
these diaries offer a unique record of what it felt like to live in
a country that no longer exists, was represented for years largely
through Cold War propaganda, and is still portrayed in fairy-tale
Stasi dramas. Here we get a sense of lived experience, as if Doris
Lessing or Edna O'Brien had been allowed in with their notebooks.
This volume continues where her earlier book of diaries, I Have No
Regrets, left off, in 1964. It sees Reimann grow wistful and at
times bitter, as her love life, her professional life, and her
health all suffer. Yet throughout she retains a lively appetite for
new experiences and a dedication to writing. Finally she finds
security in a surprising new love, and although she died soon after
this volume ends, the novel she was writing was to become a
much-read cult hit after her death. A remarkable document from a
time and place that we still struggle to see clearly, It All Tastes
of Farewell is unforgettable, a last gift from an essential writer.
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