Description
Book SynopsisSet in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) of the early 1970s, this novel presents an adventure story as well as a feminist critique of GDR socialism, science, history, and aesthetic theory.
Trade Review"A first English translation of a very unusual novel, originally published in 1974, combines political satire with feminist-inspired romance in a demanding fictional potpourri whose German author (1933-90) may really have been a contemporary Cervantes. . . . The tale of Beatrice's journey (also Dantesque) through a modern inferno and purgatory, marriages and affairs, artistic endeavors and political infatuations and adventures is brilliantly amplified by Morgner's use of mythic archetypes . . . [and] detailed allusions to postwar German history and culture. . . . Literary antecedents and all, this is a one-of-a-kind novel: richly imagined, more than a little forbidding, preternaturally astute, altogether unforgettable."—
Kirkus * Kirkus *
"It presents a magnificent blend of fantasy, realism, history, myths, and fairy tales woven around the woman troubadour Beatrice de Dia. . . . . Clausen is to be applauded for taking on the challenge of translating this multifarious work. Her readable translation and extensive glossary provide English readers with a unique example of GDR literature. Recommended for general and academic readers."—
Choice * Choice *
