Description
Book Synopsis''A great writer'' Ali Smith
Newly translated by Michael Hofmann, the touching final novel from the author of Child of All Nations
''I don''t think I''m that unusual, and I don''t think I''m crazy either''
Bombed-out Cologne after the war is a strange place to be. The black market in jam and corsets is booming, half-destroyed houses offer opportunities for stealing doors and eggcups, and de-Nazification parties are all the rage. Ferdinand - daydreamer, former prisoner of war, wearer of a curious jerkin - drifts around the city, observing life''s absurdities, strenuously avoiding his fiancée and drinking brandy with his fabulous cousin. When he gets a job as a ''cheerful adviser'' to those down on their luck, will Ferdinand''s fortunes change too?
Irmgard Keun''s exuberantly funny and touching final novel takes the tiny moments of triumph and defeat in one man''s life, and turns them into a moving portrait of the human spirit.
Trade ReviewThe overwhelming power of Keun's work lies in her surprisingly raw, witty, and resonant feminine voices * Bookslut *
Nothing short of a revelation ... I am still haunted by it 'Praise for Child of All Nations' * Evening Standard *
I cannot think of anything else that conjures up so powerfully the atmosphere of a nation turned insane 'Praise for After Midnight' * Sunday Telegraph *
