By Wolfgang Koeppen
Harrowing, Moody, and supremely strong, The Hothouse, first released in 1953, stands one of the best novels written in postwar Germany. principally unrecognized past Germany in the course of his lifetime, Wolfgang Koeppen sought to make feel of German lifestyles amid the immense political and social reconstruction of the war-ravaged country. The Hothouse strains the ultimate days within the lifetime of a minor German baby-kisser, Keetenheuve, a guy disenchanted via the corruption of German politics and grieving after the unexpected loss of life of his spouse. With the narrative and sexual frenzy of James Joyce, Koeppen creates a portrait of idealism beaten by means of political and private compromise. Rendered in English for the 1st time by way of award-winning translator Michael Hofmann, The Hothouse is a sad masterpiece by means of a literary visionary who in his lifetime was once known as by means of Grass "the maximum dwelling German writer".
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Extra resources for The Hothouse (Trilogy of Failure, Book 2)
Example text
I was friendly with a girl from a wealthy family. It was clear to everyone that I loved her. She took part in these outings only in the abstract, on the lips of more wakeful and adaptable ones. I used to give a few twopenny-halfpenny lessons so as not to take money from my father. In the summer, when our family went away, I used to remain in town and supported myself. And my illusion of independence was achieved by such moderation in eating that on top of everything else I had hunger to contend with, which finally turned night into day in the deserted apartment.
Multicoloured, shattering to infinite fragments, multiplying like lightning, it leapt and teemed across the pla tform. I t was set in tune and rushed with feverish haste towards concord. Then suddenly rising to a roar of unprecedented unity as a whirlwind raged in the bass, i t would break off, die away entirely and flatten out along the footlights. This was man's first settlement in those worlds discovered by Richard Wagner for fictitious beings and mastodons. And on this land was erected a quite unfictitious lyrical dwelling-house, equal in substance to the entire universe that had been ground up to make its bricks.
The place seemed familiar to them. But they too explained nothing. It was apparent that like the custodians of this nest they never went away. A midday silence reigned . It consorted with the silence of the plain stretched out below. They both seemed to sum up the total of my bewilderment. The upper one exchanged oppressive wafts of lilac with the one below. Birds 42 SAFE CONDUCT chirruped expectantly. I hardly noticed any people. The immobile con tours of the roofs were curious to see how all of this would end.