"Everywhere on earth there are people of our kind. That for a small part of them, I can be a focal point, the nodal point in the net, is the burden and the joy of my life." (Hesse private letter, 1955)

This is a fantastic book that deals with the mysteries of life and a man's relation to his surrounding. Knulp is a wanderer who has an inherent quest for freedom and travel which conflicts with tradition. We see the stages of his life including his death at the end in a dialogue with god who represents existence. Man must express himself in order to find his own nature is the basic thrust of this short work by a great author...

Many are the works written on the subject of being a vagabond, simply because we all have that drifting nomad buried somewhere deep inside of ourselves.Knulp is the tale of an amicable hobo of sorts who wanders through life with no responsibilities and even less guilt about it. Surrounded by dear friends and acquaintances, who live vicariously through him, Knulp seems the free spirit. His freedom is limited and make-believe however, restricted to his imaginary safety net of boundaries set in place so that he may continue to "pretend" his life. Guilt seems to catch up with our self-centered puck eventually as he finds himself expiring in a drift of snow amidst a blizzard.It is then that a discussion with God about how he has wasted his whole life turns into a revelation of what Knulp's true purpose for living has been. Excellent and quick to read. "Knulp" was one of Hesse's earlier works and quite a bit lighter and easier to comprehend than his later stories( not to take away from any of Hesse's works mind you.)<<<<>>>>

Hesse's Knulp reads like one of Pacaso's abstracts; soft summer sun beats down on Knulp's back everything is light and gay. In many ways Knulp remains a child throughout his long and lively life. A very good work by an even better author.

Grass uses wonderful, dense, invented words and peppers his novel with wonderful, dense, twisted imagery. Which is why I admire the work and why I was determined to finish the book although it was as intellectually heavy as a brick and occassionally tried my patience. This is not a book for an MTV-hyperactive attention span. More than a reflection of German mentality, it is a journey into the German mind, because so many times it follows a stream-of-consciousness approach. Sometimes it feels as if you're on a rollercoaster ride through the tunnels of a character's mind. Which is why I hated it too. I felt that many times the book became self-indulgent... that is, Grass wasn't writing for the reader but for himself or as a catharsis for his characters.

I only realized Dog Years was part of a trilogy after I bought it, and I enjoyed The Tin Drum much more because I read it after seeing the movie (it relieved the mind from loads of exertion). Although I am immensely relieved to have finally finished Dog Years, I still can't wait to read the other book of the trilogy, Cat and Mouse. Love to hate Grass.

First: If you decide to tackle the Danzig Trilogy, Reddick's critical analysis is indispensable. I suggest tackling it the same way I did: read The Tin Drum, start Reddick's book at the same time you start Cat and Mouse (Reddick reads faster than Grass, and you'll get through a lot of Reddick while tackling Grass), and when you've caught up, read Reddick's section on Dog Years and the actual novel concurrently.

Those of you who feel the revelation of anything having to do with a book before you get to that part in the book is a spoiler should probably avoid this technique; Reddick revelas the major "mystery" in Dog Years towards the end of his section on Cat and Mouse. However, one cannot really consider Dog Years a mystery, despite the various things that happen within it; while there are some elements to it that keep the reader guessing, Dog Years is, more than anything, a savage satire on Germany during the WW2 years. And as such, finding out the main mystery-that's-not-a-mystery should not detract at all from one's appreciation of the book itself.

Dog Years can also stand on its own, without being read as a part of the Danzig Trilogy, but the reader's appreciation of many facets of this novel-- most notably Edouard Amsel's character and the satire itself-- are more easily appreciated when you have The Tin Drum and Cat and Mouse under your belt as comparisons. Amsel, the main protagonist of Dog Years, stands as a direct comparison to both Oskar and Mahlke, and his character is more easily understood when those two have already been assimilated by the reader.

The plot of Dog Years is a simple enough one; it charts, through the use of three narrators, the frindship of Edouard Amsel and Walter Matern from grade school through their early thirties. Amsel, the intellectual one, is picked on constantly by his classmates (including Matern) until one day, for no apparent reason, Matern befriends Amsel and chases away the others. It's a typical buddy-relationship in that Amsel is the brains and Matern is the brawn, but we don't get the bonding we've come to expect from seeing too many Hollywood buddy films. The relationship between Matern and Amsel is far more complex than that, and Reddick has done a passable job of interpreting it, one which I won't attempt to recreate here (it would be ludicrous to attempt something that complex in such a forum as a review). In an odd lapse, though-- especially given how much emphasis Reddick has put on Grass' enmity and stire of the Roman Catholic Church in the previous two books-- Reddick seems to have overlooked one of the most obvious interpretations of Amsel's character (and also that of the more minor protagonist Jenny Brunies), as a christ figure. In the novel's central scene, both Amsel and Brunies (who are both made out, in the first half of the novel, to be almost comically fat) undergo a transformation that transforms Brunies into a ballet sensation and Amsel into another character entirely, the omnipotent Goldmouth; while there is no physical crucifixion here, the path taken by Amsel's character through the rest of the novel certainly implies the path of christ after the resurrection, until his assumption into, in this case, Berlin. For the next hundred or so pages, Goldmouth is never actually seen, only referred to in the good deeds he does for others, and he achieves an almost legendary status among the rank and file for his goodness, his power (in postwar germany, his power is in his connections; who he knows), and the fact that no one really sees him much, but everyone is aware of his presence and his acts. However, Reddick, in his attempt to (successfully) parallel Amsel's character with that of Grass himself, never examines this aspect of Amsel.

This lack also leads to Reddick drawing the conclusion that Dog Years is the weakest of the three books, while still proclaiming that as a whole they rank as the finest piece of modern German literature extant today. I feel Reddick is giving Dog Years short shrift here; while the book does, in fact, have its faults, they are faults shared by the other two novels as well, and I came away from Dog Years thinking that, to the contrary, it was the strongest and most absorbing of the three. While it was more difficult than the other two, it was also more rewarding and more absorbing; it's not often I'll put in three months on one novel, but at no time did I feel that it ever stopped moving me along, and at no time did I ever feel that it was time to put the book down for good.

Keeping this seeming oversight of Reddick's in mind, I still have to recommend his book as a perfect accompaniment to Grass' most famous three novels, and all four of them deserve the attention of every serious student of literature.

As good as 'Tin Drum' but far more accessible and direct in its impact on the darkness and light in the German psyche. The only author from Germany to honestly address the issues of what led to WWII and its aftermath. There is a hilarious and brilliant passage towards the end of the second part of the book which takes a savage poke at Heidegger and German love for abstraction. A gem of a book.

Andre Gide said of Celine, "...he writes not about reality, but of the hallucinations which reality provokes"...this is most evident in Mort, Celine takes us into his early bourgeois childhood and in so defines it as 'stale, petite and engaged with episodes of merde and vomit'...it's a hillarious romp through life's false mirror...

This is, quite simply, the best novel I've ever read (and I've read quite a few). At times hilarious, at other times poignant to the point of inducing tears, this book is a roller-coaster ride through the range of human emotions, human foibles, human triumphs. There's more insight on every page here than in most full novels. Far better than "Journey to the End of Night." A masterpiece. (Read ONLY the Manheim translation.)

Andre Gide said of Celine, "...he writes not about reality, but of the hallucinations which reality provokes"...this is most evident in Mort, Celine takes us into his early bourgeois childhood and in so defines it as 'stale, petite and engaged with episodes of merde and vomit'...it's a hillarious romp through life's false mirror...

Had this been a collection of stories and essays by anybody else, I would have thought it was nothing special. But having read the Diary of Anne Frank first, the stories and essays make so much more sense. You can just see her whiling away the dull moments of the life in the secret annex, honing her writing skills. It is easy to see her skills as a writer increase from story to story. But even more interesting is to read the messages contained within her works. The writing skills she displays are obviously that of a teenager, although much better than most people her age. But the real value of these pieces are the insights which she brings to them; her life experiences and her approach to life's big questions. The last essay in the collection is entitled, "Why" and seems to sum up her short life. Read this book, but only after you read the Diary so the essays will be meaningful.

In her now famous Diary, Anne Frank said "I want to go on living even after my death". As of 1998, The Diary of Anne Frank had reached sales of 25 million copies and been translated into more than 50 languages. (source: TIME, October 5, 1998). It has been required classroom reading for half a century now! In a way, her wish has come to pass.
This subsequent publication "Tales From The Secret Annex" combines short stories, reminiscences/vignettes, and even an unfinished novel to show us yet another dimension to this remarkable person. Reading these stories and little essays confirmed my personal opinion that Anne Frank was a childhood genius with unlimited potential to achieve anything she would have set her mind to. It's hard to imagine this thirteen year old girl writing with such depth and perception, while living in seclusion, terror and fear for her life. She was writing from her heart, not with an expectation of being published. And yet these stories shine with a polished brilliance, and a certain unforgettable quality. I read this book for the first time 8 years ago, and have returned to it now, remembering the stories as though I had read them just last week. My favorite is entitled "Kathy". In three short pages, Anne captures every emotion experienced by a kid who is misunderstood by her mother, assaulted by schoolyard bullies who mock and rob her and cause her to lose the gift she was bringing home to her mother.

Here is how she ends her essay entitled "Give":
"If only our country and then Europe and finally the whole world would realize that people were really kindly disposed toward one another, that they are all equal and everything else is transitory!
Open your eyes... give of yourself, give as much as you can! And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness! No one has ever become poor from giving! If you do this, then in a few generations no one will need to pity the beggar children anymore, because they will not exist!
There is plenty of room for everyone in the world, enough money, riches, and beauty for all to share! God has made enough for everyone. Let us all begin by sharing it fairly." (written March 26, 1944).

Anne was sent to Bergen-Belsen, where some time during March 1945, she, her sister Margot and hundreds of other prisoners were stricken with typhus. Their captors, preoccupied with the advancing Allies, left them to die.
World... read her book!

These stories and essays are well-crafted, yet easy to read. There are lessons to be learned from each piece, and these lessons can be identified easily. But the themes and ideas remain in your head and leave you thinking long after you set the book down - thinking about Anne Frank's life in the Nazi-occupied Europe as well as her ideals. Anyone will discover some aspect of their persona mirrored in Frank's characters, whether it may be through Paula or Kathy or Eve or anyone else.

You should approach the book with an open mind and respect for the writing. If you see that Frank was an intelligent young human being, and not a little kid whose writing you can deal with condescendingly, read this book. Otherwise, skip it. This is honest, wise, well-crafted work, and it should be treated as such.

Louis-Ferdinand Celine is honestly one of the few writers who really really makes me laugh. You gotta love this French S.O.B.'s outrages. Who else has this audacity? Mama Mia!

Published in English seven years after his death, this is considered one of Celine's darkest novels. It is also autobiographical. Like the author, the novel's central character is a Nazi collaborator who is nonetheless destroyed by them. Mixing black humor and piercing cynicism, Celine recreates his own experiences at a castle in Sigmaringen, Germany, where the Germans installed remnants of the French collaboritionist government after Allied landings in 1944...

Castle is a book that Celine felt he had to write before he died,...in it he describes his flight from France in 1944 and engages the reader with the last vision of the dying Vichy government in exile...Celine is humorous and even shows a hint of redemption for the destructive behavior of man that produced World War 2...

Speaking mainly in a historical sense, the author discusses many of the concepts that have developed in the study of Kabbalah. The concepts are not written about to be understood, only where they have developed. The author presents his material in a very objective way without any noticeable bias toward one system or another. Don't expect to walk away from this and be on the road to enlightenment. However, with that said, I do think it is important to the student of Kabbalah to understand the roots of the matter. This book does nicely in this respect. One should not start on the mystic road unless one knows who cleared the trees and laid the gravel.

As it's titel, this book is a must book for every freshman student in Kabbalah & Jewish Mysticism (although not easy to read).But not only for freshmen. As a Ph.D student,I need to use this book & the other musterpiece works of Prof. Scholem. Although many criticism was written about Scholem's views (mainly by Prof. Idel & Prof. Libbes), his books & his other works are & will remaine the masterworks of the Kabbalah study.

I learned a great deal from Herr Doktor Gershom Scholem (1897-1982) through his text, "On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism". Dr Bernard McGinn, Divinity School, University of Chicago, wrote in the introduction, "I believe that all students of mysticism should read Scholem, not only for his profound insights into the Jewish mystical tradition, but also to deepen their understanding of the dynamics of other mysticisms -- Christian, Islamic, and even those further afield." Professor Scholem presents an historical perspective with the full knowledge that there are other approaches. "From an historical point of view", he writes, "the sum of religious phenomena known as mysticism consists in the attempts of mystics to communicate their experiences to others." Within this context, this text explores broad sweeping topics in each chapter -- topics that deservedly have receieved attention by intelligent scholars for centuries. In the first chapter, "Religious Authority and Mysticism" Herr Doktor Scholem presents a thesis fundamental to his research, "there is no mysticism as such, but only the mysticism of particular religious systems, Christian, Islamic and Jewish mysticism, and so on". The mystic working within a religious system is, according to Scholem, at the same time both conservative and revolutionary. "Conservative" because the mystic tries to preserve the sources of traditional authority, and "revolutionary" because the mystic also may subsititue his own opinion for that prescribed by authority. In the second chapter, titled, "The Meaning of the TORAH in Jewish Mysticism", Scholem explains the dynamic relationship between the TORAH and the mystic. Scholem presents three fundamental principles on which the Kabbaslistic conceptions of the nature of the TORAH are based: (1) YWVH; (2) TORAH as oganism; (3) Infinite meaning of the divine word. As an example of the third, in addition to the the concept of written and oral TORAHs, the author of the "ZOHAR" speculates four levels of meaning: (1) literal (2) hermeneutic (3) allegorical and (4) mystical. The history of Judaism, Scholem explains in the third chapter, is a tension between the purity of the reality of GOD. The dynamic involved is clearly presented in the realization that the price of GOD's purity is the loss of her living reality. Scholem offers that the Book Bahir, a cornerstone of 12th century Kabbalistic thought, introduces myth into Judaism. Remarkably, it contends evil as an attribute of GOD. In a similar vein, the commentary on the Sefer Yetzirah by Judah ben Barzilai introduced speculative thinking to Jewish theosophy. The fourth chapter, "Tradition and New Creation in the Ritual of the Kabbalists" presents a solution to a problem faced by each new generation. Namely, how are the traditions passed on in a vital and meaningful medium. The Mishnal codified Jewish religious law and ritual for an agrarian community had survived for centuries. As the agrarian society diminished, the TORAH became obsolete and the natural rituals became less meaningful, historical rituals. The Spanish Kabbalists found a new ritual to express the old traditions. Scholem writes, "The rejuvenation of religion repeatedly finds its expression in a return to ancient images and symbols, even when these are 'spiritualized' and transformed into speculative constructions." R. Yanassan Gershom has already succinctly summarised the fifth chapter which deals with the concept of the Golem. I will take the liberty to direct you to his comments. If you are interested in historical issues of the Kabbalah, this is essential reading for you.

Sure, "War is bad" (platitude #1). However this message delivered repeatedly is a waste of paper and ink.

This sermon focuses on the nature of "the little man". This character is so-named because the Author is highly attuned to the nature of this character and blames him for all the ills of mankind. Thus, the little man is selfish, warlike, likes war movies, boxing-matches etc.

The didactic nature of this character can be completely contrasted by the natures of real people. The little man doesn't really exist outside of this book. Even the author's experience as a witness to the third reich doesn't justify most of the natures attributed to the little man.

Overall, the book is just unreadable. It is simply blase' to read a book which repremands an imaginary character for 125 pages.

I first read this book, as I recall, in the mid 60's. I'm now on my third copy; the previous copies were worn out from handling!"Listen Little Man" is a must read for thinking people who care about humanity, particularly in today's geo/political climate. The information is as relevant today (perhaps even more so!)as it was when first written. We just need to consider it, apply it to our own lives and spread the message--we must trust ourselves to be able to take care of ourselves rather than rely on any exernal force, particularly our leaders and governments.

You will love this little book, or hate it, but I don't see how anyone could read it and not be moved by the impassioned plea that we all assume responsibility for our lives and that we instill this responsibility for future generations. It was my first great inspiration to start thinking for myself (and this was after all the classroom teachings, college included)! I'm still inspired by it.

Wilhelm Reich was far ahead of his time. Like seemingly all visionaries, he was completely at odds with mainstream thought. By the time he wrote this book, he had been completely discredited, humiliated, and even imprisoned! Despite his ruin, he still had hope for mankind, as evident by the tone of this book. Inspirational, entertaining, and most of all, empowering.

This is a very good book by a very good author. It contains elements of suspense, mystery, intrigue, and romance. It is one of the best novels I've read about the plight of regugees at the outbreak of WWII (with similarities with the first part of Traven's "The Death Ship"). It is the tale told by one refugee to another over the course of a night in Lisbon (hence the title). The narrator is the listener and the story he is told builds into a very good romance that reminded me a lot of the movie "Casablanca". While an endless and exciting series of arrests, escapes and near-misses is going on, we discover a special kind of love between a man who returns to his wife after a number of years of exile. In the topsy-turvy world of Europe at the outbreak of WWII, the standards for conventional romance and fidelity are lost in the need for something more flexible. The reader may question many aspects of the love that is expressed in these pages but not the love itself. I was impressed as I have been with other books by this author. Remarque portrays the chaos of life during WWI as well as Heinrich Boll portrays it in post-war Germany. This is a novel with terrific insight to the times in which it takes place and the capacity for love to prevail against overwelming odds. I'd rate it a 4.5.

Remarque has a gift with words, he can paint a scene so clearly--that it will be forever etched in memory. This novel is a tragic love story that takes place in the beginnings of WWII, and the dialogue has a sense of Hemingway in it. What a beautiful novel to read, my eyes would well up with tears because it was so utterly moving. The novel tackles themes like love, survival, justice, war, identity, and the meanings of life--the two narrators of the story come alive, and I almost felt like I could hear all the emotions and inflections of their voices. But, Remarque has always had a talent--All Quiet..was also a brilliant novel. The back cover of this novel describes the story very very well. The Night in Lisbon is a novel that moves quickly amd brushes you up in its wings; it is a book that can be finished in 2 or 3 days. I highly recommend it to anyone that has discovered Remarque or would want a taste in spellbinding literature. The Night in Lisbon, is a night that I won't forget.

We've all been in the situation of being in a restaurant or a bar and overhearing a conversation that has peaked our interest. We strain to hear the whole conversation, the story being woven, perhaps to live vicariously through the narrator or simply because being curious is human nature. Imagine being in that situation only in a different time: the very early stages of World War II, and a different place: Lisbon, Portugal. And, imagine that the person you are listening to is telling his story during this tumultuous time, from a perspective that is often forgotten, from that of a refugee.

This work of fiction is an intriguing tale of a man's struggle to re-enter Germany to find his wife after fleeing for his life about a year prior and then their flight to Portugal to obtain passage on a ship to the United States.

I only read this book after reading Remarque's "All Quite on the Western Front". I was quite disappointed with that work and was left wondering why it is considered to be such a great story. Wondering if Remarque was overrated or truly the great author that I failed to see, I went to the library and checked out what would become my favorite work of fiction. I have since read the book three times and enjoy it as much as the first read each time through it. There are, to me, three elements of "The Night in Lisbon" that make this a great work: the plot, the characters and the style.

When one imagines the plot of a story set in or around WWII, the first thing to come to mind is probably something along the lines of a heroic tale from the front lines or a valiant struggle for survival in the skies over Germany in a crippled bomber. While these tales often lead to great stories, a completely different spin on WWII makes "The Night In Lisbon" unique and intriguing. Remarque's plot revolves around a German refugee not trying to escape because of his religious affiliation but purely for his political beliefs. While it is never clearly explained why our hero is an enemy of the Reich, the reader is able to draw some conclusions from the dialog. It is this man's struggle to re-enter his homeland from which he was exiled to find his young wife and take her back to Portugal with him is what exists as the core of the plot. His journeys through Switzerland, Austria, France and Spain alone and with his wife pull the reader into the book, hoping he and his wife survive French prisons, encounters with German soldiers, border guards and a particularly deadly enemy that cannot be seen. This is truly an involving story that leaves the reader wishing for more once the book is finished.

As with plot, characters and their emotions provide substance to a story. With weak characters and unrelatable emotions, the plot can often become moot. Remarque masters both in "The Night In Lisbon" providing a protagonist (Schwarz) for whom we hope for the best and a tale of love that shows just how strong this emotion can be. The reader can understand how Schwarz feels and his motivation for his actions. Through Remarque's simple character portrayals, he is able to invoke sympathy from the reader towards Schwarz and his wife giving him motivation to see the story through.

Remarque's style in "The Night In Lisbon" is as important to the story as the plot or characters. Simple first-person narrative allows this story to seem more real. Switching between Schwarz's account of his journey and that night in Lisbon in which the story telling takes place makes the reader feel as if he is seated next to Schwarz in the dimly lit bar at 3:00am listening to his account. It is Remarque's mastery of this simplicity and realistic narration that makes this a truly relatable tale.

I cannot recommend this book enough but I fear I am overstating it, as I feel "All Quiet on the Western Front" has been. The only way to know is to find a copy of this book at your local bookstore or city library and read through it at your first available opportunity. I feel you won't be disappointed and I believe this simple tale of love in a complicated time will become an instant favorite. 5 stars out of 5.

Overall, The Tin Drum seemed to be a drawn-out laborious journey for me. I've always heard so much about the merits of The Drum, perhaps I was expecting too much from it? The first three or four chapters had me thoroughly absorbed in Oskar's ancestry, and for the rest of the book I kept waiting for someone as interesting and human as his grandmother Anna to show up, but I was to be disappointed. Granted, Oskar's mother Agnes is another consistent and great character, but besides these two... oyvay! Oskar was such an unreal personage that I found him impossible to trust as a narrator... with every beat of his drum he startled the already frightened theme of this book into a corner. I never found that corner. If you enjoy authors who tend to dive in and out of the "fantastic" and the "real" I would recommend you go to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Hermann Hesse, or Charles Williams, but for goodness sakes... "keep off the Grass."

The Tin Drum is definitely not for everyone, a warning I've already seen repeated several times. It is exhausting, unconventional, and long, but if your willing to put the time into reading it, it is a rewarding experience, 600 pages of humanity in all it's beauty and horror.

Oskar is a strange character, but very intriguing. At times, I felt like I could completely relate to him, only to be completely shocked and disgusted by his actions.There were times when I was physically nauseated by this book: the children's stew, the horse head and eels, the mushroom smell of Maria and his grandmother, the pin and Matzerath. Any book that can have that sort of affect on it's reader is powerful.

You shouldn't read the Tin Drum if you're looking for a captivating plot, though at times the plot is captivating. What is really special about Grass' writing are his characterizations which said more about Eastern Europe before/during/after the Nazi era than any plot could've. Though some call this book too fantastic, I think it beautifully and honestly illustrates that period and those people who have been warped by WWII propaganda, the average people living under Nazi rule: grocers, artists, and families; Grass brings them to life. Oskar on the other hand does not seem average, but then again he's not meant to be. This is fiction afterall. If you want a book to dutifully relate Nazi-ruled Eastern Europe read an encyclopedia. If you want to meet people, read the Tin Drum.

There is so much to say about this novel -- Grass's first -- that perhaps there is nothing to say about it. It is simultaneously moving and hilarious, joking and didactic, full of joy and melancholy. Oskar is a man-child largely devoid of chronological progress: he was born fully mentally developed, and stopped physically developing after the age of 3. Oskar is, therefore, in the language of the mathematicians, held constant. Everything around Oskar revolves and changes, and he only stands and observes, screaming, and beating his tin drum. Gunter Grass is a master of being intellectual in warm, human tones, and embedding strong social morals within a lighthearted, quick-paced story. Overall, this book is immensely enjoyable and thought-provoking, more so than anything I had read in a long, long time. Grass's Nobel was well-deserved; too bad it took him so long to get it.