Wolgang Koeppen: A SAD AFFAIR

Sybille, a theater troupe actress during the cabaret era of Nazi Germany, has an affair with five men at the same time. Friedrich, the narrator of the novel, almost Sibylle’s sixth man, is obsessed with her. His sad affair with her, i.e., passionate but unrequited love, which causes him emotional misery and angst, is told in a dispassionate way, i.e., stream of consciousness.

This is Wolgang Koeppen’s first novel and the last to appear in English translation. It was banned by the Nazi because of its sexuality. The novel is based on a real-life theater troupe actress whose career was destroyed by the Nazi.

The book is not an easy read but I admire it.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

{17 September 2010}