Richard, a retired professor of classics in Berlin, becomes interested in the African refugees who are camping in the Oranienplatz and on hunger strike. He begins to visit them, interviewing them and learning their stories of leaving Libya, Niger, and Ghana. As he spends time with these men, he builds friendships, helps them with food and lodging, and reconsiders his own life, including the loss of his wife and the history of East Germany. His inquiries confront the bureaucracy of German asylum rules.
Jenny Erpenbeck writes in a measured, precise style. It suits readers who want fiction that deals with migration and its effects on individuals, and who like thoughtful novels of ideas.
Deep, inward-looking and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2015
- Publisher
- Albrecht Knaus Verlag
- ISBN
- 9783641174057
- Language
- DE
