Explore books by bernhard schlink with our selection at. Bernhard schlink is arguably germanys most successful literary export to the anglophone world. The story is told in three parts by the main character, michael berg. In part 1, a 15yearold michael is on his way home when he becomes violently ill by the side of a building. It is a german topic, but it has a universal aspect. The novel leaves a pain in the mind of the reader when she selected all that happened to her just to cover the fact that she is illiterate and when she commits suicide in a situation where berg and hanna could have lived a happy life at least in the final stages of life.
Reflected in the fractured relationship between the naive, 15yearold michael and the uneducated, proud, and reticent 36yearold hanna is a huge chunk of. The narrator, michael berg, tells the story of his teenage affair with a former nazi prison guard and its aftermath. New york bernhard schlink t r a n s l a t e d f r o m t h e g e r m a n. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Bernhard schlink was born in 1944 near bielefeld, germany, to a german father and a swiss mother. It was an acclaimed book published in germany in 1995 and its popularity spiked when it was chosen for oprahs book club. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the worlds best literature guides. Michael has a very good connection to his mother, who cares about him lovingly and educates him. Nov 11, 2008 hailed for its coiled eroticism and the moral claims it makes upon the reader, this mesmerizing novel is a story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, unfolding against the haunted landscape of postwar germany.
The reader was chosen as an oprahs book club selection in 1999. He found international success with a controversial post. The story is a parable, dealing with the difficulties postwar german generations have had comprehending the holocaust. His covers will always bear the tagline from the author of the. So begins bernhard schlinks novel the reader, about a german student, michael, who collapses on a sidewalk and is rescued by a. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on bernhard schlinks the reader. Schlink on the movie version of his bestseller the reader wsj. When he falls ill on his way home from school, fifteenyearold michael berg is rescued by hanna, a woman twice his age. Hailed for its coiled eroticism and the moral claims it makes upon the reader, this mesmerizing novel is a story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, unfolding against the haunted landscape of postwar germany. Oct 08, 2014 bernhard schlinks treatment of the postwwii guilt in germany, the generational divide and incredulousness with which children regarded the crimes of their parents and elders, is superb.
The reader by bernhard schlink is the german novel i have been waiting for. What remains is an austerely beautiful narrative of the attempt to breach the gap between germanys pre and postwar generations, between the guilty and the innocent, and between words and silence. A brilliant philosophical love story which retains it intense suspense until the very last pages. Schlink the relationships in the berg family are divided. Ruth franklin writes that it was aimed specifically at the generation berthold brecht called the nachgeborenen, those who.
He became a judge at the constitutional court of the federal state of north rhinewestphalia in 1988 and. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Bernhard schlinks treatment of the postwwii guilt in germany, the generational divide and incredulousness with which children regarded the crimes of their parents and elders, is superb. Michael berg, een jonge duitse scholier, raakt geobsedeerd door hanna, een. Guilt and shame essay sample the reader, by bernhard schlink is set in postwar germany and tells the story of fifteenyearold michael berg and his affair with a woman named hanna, who was twice his age. Schlinks relationship with germany as mentioned in the guardian article we read, schlink feels as if his germanness can be a burden he must accept you realize that in a way you are entangled in the guilt of those whom you love or keep solidarity with. Ruth franklin writes that it was aimed specifically at the generation bertolt brecht called the nachgeborenen, those. Bernhard schlink s most popular book is the reader. Bernhard schlinkthe reader read and download epub, pdf, fb2. Wonderful download the reader ebook pdf free thereaders. Vintage international vintage books a division of random house, inc. Only patrick suskind, whose novel perfume was published nearly 20 years ago, had a. A concise biography of bernhard schlink plus historical and literary context for the reader.
Nederlands 208 paginas cossee, uitgeverij juni 2014 epub met digitaal watermerk samenvatting ze is prikkelbaar, geheimzinnig en veel ouder dan hij, en ze wordt zijn eerste grote liefde. He is a professor of constitutional and administrative law and the philosophy of law at berlins humbolt university and a justice of the constitutional law court in bonn. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. Read the reader by bernhard schlink available from rakuten kobo. Bernhard schlink, author of the reader and a series of other works that tackle the guilt of his and other generations about the past, says that german children today still have to deal with the. This feeling starts when she feels aggravated by a trivial conflict and michael takes all the blame on himself. Bernhard schlink biography bernhard schlink was born july 6, 1944 in bethel, germany, the youngest of four children. Dec 10, 2008 bernhard schlinks the reader is one of those tricky novels that, based on the sober moral questions it poses and its closetoelegant style, pretends to high literary seriousness while offering its readers millions upon millions of them in the 37 countries where it has been translated plenty of lubriciously rendered romps in the hay with a woman in her mid30s and an eager young man. Readers guide to a moral maze fiction the guardian. The reader by bernhard schlink plot summary litcharts. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on bernhard schlink s the reader. Flights of love and the woman on the stairs brim with the. Bernhard schlink is the author of the internationally bestselling novel the reader.
She let me in, and i said the whole thing was my fault. Bernhard schlink has 59 books on goodreads with 280128 ratings. He is a former judge and teaches public law and legal philosophy at humboldt university in berlin and at the benjamin n. A german lawyer and judge, the son of a pastor, bernhard schlink trained as a masseur and made jewellery before writing crime fiction. Schlink began his writing career with a series of crime novels and still draws on his other life, as a professor of law and practising judge. Download the book bernhard schlinkthe reader for free in a convenient format epub, pdf, fb2, mobi. From the first page, the reader ensnares both heart and mind. When he falls ill on his way home from school, fifteenyearold michael berg is rescued by hanna, a.
His books range from the overtly political for example the weekend, which focuses on the legacy of the red army faction, germanys homegrown terrorists of the 1970s to the very intimate. Schlink s prose is clean and pared down, stripped of unnecessary imagery, dialogue, and excess in any form. Its the kind of writing style that requires you to read through quite a lot of chapters before your attention is finally hooked then, you wouldnt be able to put it down. Hailed for its coiled eroticism and the moral claims it makes upon the reader, this mesmerizing novel is a story of love. A professor of law at the university of berlin and a practicing judge, he is also the author of several prizewinning crime novels. The reader by bernhard schlink overdrive rakuten overdrive. He is the author of the internationally nestselling novel the reader, which was an oprahs book club selection. Just as bernhard schlinks bestselling novels, the reader and homecoming, tackle the burden of german guilt about events during the second world war, so too the six. What remains is an austerely beautiful narrative of the attempt to breach the gap between germanys pre and postwar generations, between the guilty and.
He studied law at west berlins free university, graduating in 1968. Schlinks prose is clean and pared down, stripped of unnecessary imagery, dialogue, and excess in any form. Sep 11, 2016 michael feels guilt about hanna nearly during the whole story. May 01, 2001 hailed for its coiled eroticism and the moral claims it makes upon the reader, this mesmerizing novel is a story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, unfolding against the haunted landscape of postwar germany.
But hiding it resulted in her agreeing to things she did not understand because she could not read. My mother had pushed a chair up close to the stove for me to stand on while she washed and dressed me. Michael feels guilt about hanna nearly during the whole story. In the novel the reader, author bernhard schlink explores the issue of german guilt for the holocaust and how that guilt affects subsequent generations who ask who is responsible, who participate in the guilt even though they were not there, and. An oprah book club selection and a major motion picture. Bernhard schlink, 64 years old, has waited more than a decade for his story about love and betrayal, the reader, to be transformed into a film rights were originally acquired by harvey. If you are looking for a book that is a fast read and a real pageturner that leaves you craving others to discuss its moral ambiguity with, the reader by bernhard schlink is a great choice. One of the buildings tenants, 36yearold hanna schmitz rescues him, cleaning him up and bringing him back home. The basic story is of a love affair which begins between a 15 year old boy and a 30 year old woman. Kate winslet received an oscar nomination for her portrayal of hanna schmitz in his movie version of the reader by bernhard schlink. Sep 16, 2012 bernhard schlink, author of the reader and a series of other works that tackle the guilt of his and other generations about the past, says that german children today still have to deal with the. Family relationship the reader by bernhard schlink.
Bernhard schlink, author of the reader, the book from which the movie was based, shares with his thoughts on kate winslets oscarwinning performance and provides some insight to his stunning novel. The story schlink is telling us is about a woman who became a guard in a concentration camp because she never learned to read or write, but was able to hide that fact all her life. Immediately download the bernhard schlink summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching bernhard schlink. Oct 23, 2019 if you are looking for a book that is a fast read and a real pageturner that leaves you craving others to discuss its moral ambiguity with, the reader by bernhard schlink is a great choice. The reader 1995 by berhnard schlink vanished empires. A professor of law at humboldt university, berlin, and cardozo law school, new york, he is the author of the major internationally bestselling novel the reader, which became an oscarwinning film starring kate winslet and ralph fiennes, the short story collections flights of love and summer lies, and several prizewinning crime novels.