Alfred Döblin's
Berlin Alexanderplatz(1929) marks the beginning of the German “modern novel”, in spite of the vagueness of this concept which is defined to a great extent by its opposition to the nineteenth-century novel. It shares this honour with Franz Kafka's
Der Prozess[
The Trial, 1925] and
DasSchloss[
The Castle, 1926]. It also brought its author international acclaim and is still today his most widely read text. It was the editor's express wish that the subtitle “The Story of Franz Biberkopf” be added, but this may be misleading. The novel does, of course, tell the story of this character, his release from prison and his futile attempts to lead a respectable life. However, Biberkopf's fate is also allegorical, representing many people's struggle for existence or survival…
1342 words
Citation: Fernandez, Juan-Fadrique. "Berlin Alexanderplatz". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 November 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16616, accessed 21 November 2024.]
