All of Joseph Breitbach’s stories published in one volume for the first time.
»You are, mon cher ami, a gifted story-teller«, proclaimed Golo Mann in a letter to Joseph Breitbach, »and probably should have told more stories in your lifetime«. Breitbach’s first collection of stories »Red against Red« (1929) portrays the world of employees, as described by Siegfried Kracauer just a short time later. These scenes from the working life of ordinary people were drawn from intensely personal experience; Breitbach himself worked in the book departments of large stores for several years. His vivid descriptions of his experiences there was finally to cost him his job - the portraits of the personnel, be it the salesgirls and seduced apprentices, the communist liftboys or the distrustful director and his scheming assistant, were evidently far too true-to-life. The many faces of jealousy, enviousness, deception and presumptuousness become visible here, and yet the tone is always light, the author’s humorous sympathy for his characters shines through in every sentence. Max Brod praises the writing: »The facts often speak an argot that is worth hearing. This young story-teller’s book can teach us a great deal.« As well as »Red against Red« (1929) the volume contains the stories from »Die Rabenschlacht« (The Battle of the Ravens, 1973), the story »Lärm« (Noise) and the fragment »Clemens«.
The Author
Joseph Breitbach (1903-1980), born in the Rhineland, moved to France in 1929. In the thirties in Paris he became acquainted with Jean Schlumberger, André Gide, and the circle associated with the Nouvelle Revue Française. During the Second World War, aided by friends he remained in hiding in France. After 1945 he became engaged in French-German rapprochement. His novel Bericht über Bruno (Report on Bruno) was internationally acclaimed.
Also published by Wallstein
Die Wandlung der Susanne Dasseldorf (The Transformation of Susanne Dasseldorf)
