Werner BrA unig was once regarded as the great hope of East German literature-until an extract from Rummelplatz was read before the East German censorship authorities in 1965, and fierce opposition summarily sealed its fate. The novel's sin? It painted an all too accurate picture of East German society. Rummelplatz, translated here by Samuel P. Willcocks, focuses on a notorious East German uranium mine, run by the Soviets and supplying the brotherland's nuclear program. Veterans, fortune seekers, and outsiders with tenuous family ties like narrator Peter Loose flock to the well-paying mine, but soon find their new lives bleak. Safety provisions are almost nonexistent and tools are not adequately supplied. The only outlets for workers are the bars and fairgrounds where copious amounts of alcohol are consumed and brawls quickly ensue. In Rummelplatz, BrA unig paints his characters as intrinsically human and treats the death of each worker, no matter how poor, as a great tragedy. BrA unig occupies a cultlike status in Germany, and this new translation of his masterpiece is an excellent introduction for English-language readers. Praise for the German edition "One of the best novels of postwar Germany...The narrative force and the emotional punch are sensational."-Die Zeit "An event in literary history and one 'helluva' novel."-Der Spiegel

About the Author
Werner BrA unig (1934-1976) was a German writer. Samuel P. Willcocks is a translator living in Romania. He has translated The Abolition of Species, Dark Company, and Singers Die Twice for Seagull Books.


Book Information
ISBN 9780857423054
Author Werner Braunig
Format Hardback
Page Count 544
Imprint Seagull Books London Ltd
Publisher Seagull Books London Ltd
Weight(grams) 794g
Dimensions(mm) 23mm * 16mm * 4mm