This 635-page German novel, written by Alfred Doblin and published in 1929, is set in an area of Berlin that no longer exists. In the 1920s, though, it was the hub of the city. The novel is the story of that time and place as well as the story of Franz Biberkopf, who has just been released from prison after serving four years for the murder of his girlfriend. He then becomes a street vendor but eventually turns to crime and has one misfortune after another. This narrative is surrounded by a lot of words spilling out of the author's mind including long surreal stream of conscious thoughts, references to Greek mythology and the bible, constant weather reports, and dozens of short side stories. The result is like an abstract painting, one that is not only confusing, but depressing.

The characters struggle, feel pain, and make horrible blunders in choices they make. Women are treated terribly but are just too stupid to care about. Franz actually loses his arm when run over by a car and later is confined to a mental institution, but I never could relate to him, his world, or his humanity. The author was a physician and a psychologist and the influence of these fields of study definitely permeate the book, which searches to understand the human condition and cruelty of the world. Considering when it was written, and the mood in Germany at the time, it is a foreshadowing of the future.

This book is considered a masterpiece. But to me it was just the unedited outpourings of the author's slightly warped mind. And yet, as I kept reading, I gradually got into its rhythms and appreciated some of its complexities. It brought me to a world I didn't care about, and a way of thinking that is overbearing and pretentious. I did gain a few insights though and I'm glad I got a glimpse of that world. But in spite of its few redeeming qualities, there is no way I can recommend it.

This is the best German novel; mordant, dark, hilarious, packed with the fascinations of Modernism and modern urban life... Joycean literary technique applied by a historical realist to the social life in one of the world's great cities at a critical turning point in its history, it's as close as the German novel can get to Rabelais, Brecht, Joyce and Dickens at the same time. Here's to Franz Biberkopf!

If you're looking for simple dialogue, simple characters, and a simple, enjoyable story, then the Hardy Boys should be right up your alley. If you want to be challenged by one of the great novels of the 20th century - expressionism at its most compelling - then settle in with Doblin. I'm a little tired of the carp "stream of consciousness" when it's nothing of the kind. The diversions into slaughterhouse techniques, newspaper ads, etc. all combine to create a visceral rendering of Berlin of the 1920's. That's the point. It's meant to jar, to attack, to disorient. That's it's genius. If you think that might bore you (or be beyond you) don't read it. You won't get it. It's not meant to be an assigment. It's meant to be an experience. If you're up to it, dive in. It'll change the way you read from then on.