A brilliant, bestselling feminist novel from Weimar Germany, from the author of Child of All Nations

'A formidable literary talent ... Sharp yet naive, Gilgi is utterly human' Irish Times

Gilgi knows where she's going in life: she's ambitious, focused and determined, even when her boss tries it on with her, even when her parents reveal a terrible secret on her twenty-first birthday. Then she meets the charming but feckless Martin and, for the first time, Gilgi finds herself bewilderingly and dangerously derailed. Irmgard Keun's electrifying debut was an instant sensation in Weimar Germany, with its frank, fearless exploration of sex, work and love.
Translated by Geoff Wilkes

'How contemporary the novel feels, with its portrait of a woman fighting to maintain control over her life and her body' The New York Times

A brilliant feminist novel from Weimar Germany, from the author of Child of All Nations.


About the Author
Irmgard Keun was born in Berlin in 1905 and found instant success with her novels Gilgi (1931) and The Artificial Silk Girl (1932). Everything changed in 1933 when the Nazis blacklisted her and destroyed her books; in response, she attempted to sue the Gestapo for loss of earnings. She left Germany (and her husband) in 1936 and lived in exile in Europe, where she wrote Child of All Nations (1936) and After Midnight (1937). She sneaked back into Germany in 1940 under a false name and spent the rest of the war in Cologne. In later years, she wrote for magazines and radio and raised a daughter alone. She died in 1982.

Reviews
A gem of novel, a bittersweet delight ... Keun brilliantly conveys both the decadence and the despair of late-era Weimar Germany ... Expertly translated by Geoff Wilkes * Herald Scotland *
I was struck by how contemporary the novel feels ... A female Times reviewer in 1932 noted that 'countless hard-working, industrious, healthy young girls recognized themselves in the heroine'. I suspect many members of our #MeToo generation will do so as well * The New York Times *
The overwhelming power of Keun's work lies in her surprisingly raw, witty, and resonant feminine voices * Bookslut *



Book Information
ISBN 9780241391808
Author Irmgard Keun
Format Paperback
Page Count 192
Imprint Penguin Classics
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 145g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 11mm