Little Man, What Now?

Hans Fallada (trans. Susan Bennett)

'[T]he work that put Fallada firmly on the German and international literary map ... its portraits and vignettes of life in those turbulent times depict the disastrous effects of political and social instability on almost every inhabitant of Berlin ... clear-eyed and wholly unsentimental'

Andrew Riemer, Sydney Morning Herald

'Nearly every page is riddled with elements of humour and despair that emit the rare impression of a page-turning novel with a social conscience.'

Kevin Rabalais, Weekend Australian

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'Fallada, who knew at first hand what it meant to be one of the underclass, writes with great empathy ... It's an excellent book, what a wonderful author he was.'

Lisa HIll, ANZ LitLovers

Written just before the Nazis came to power, this darkly enchanting novel tells the story of a young German couple trying to eke out a decent life amidst an economic crisis that is transforming their country into a place of anger and despair. Little Man, What Now? was an international bestseller upon its release, and was made into a Hollywood movie — by Jewish producers, which prompted the rising Nazis to begin paying ominously close attention to Hans Fallada, even as his novels held out stirring hope for the human spirit.

It is presented here in its first-ever uncut translation, by Susan Bennett, and with an afterword by Philip Brady that details the calamitous background of the novel, its worldwide reception, and how it turned out to be, for the author, a dangerous book.

Andrew Riemer, Sydney Morning Herald

'Nearly every page is riddled with elements of humour and despair that emit the rare impression of a page-turning novel with a social conscience.'

Kevin Rabalais, Weekend Australian

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Details

Format:Paperback

Size:

Extent:360pp

ISBN (13):9781922070289

RRP:$22.99

Pub date:4 Mar 2013

Rights Held: ANZ

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AUTHOR

Hans Fallada

Hans Fallada (1893—1947) was the pen name of German author Rudolf Ditzen, whose books were international bestsellers on a par with those of his countrymen Thomas Mann and Hermann Hesse. He opted to stay in Germany when the Nazis came to power, and eventually had a nervous breakdown when he was put under pressure to write anti-Semitic books. He was cast into a Nazi insane asylum, where he secretly wrote The Drinker. Immediately after the war he wrote his last two novels, Nightmare in Berlin and Alone in Berlin, but he died before either book could be published.

TRANSLATOR

Susan Bennett

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