Richard has spent his life as a university professor, surrounded by books and ideas. Now retired, his books stay in packing boxes, and he walks into Berlin. At Oranienplatz he finds a tent city built by African asylum seekers. He meets the new arrivals slowly and with hesitation. As he gets to know them, his own life changes, and he starts to question where he belongs in a city that once split its people into them and us. The book looks at race, privilege, nationality, and one older man's search for meaning.
Why You Should Read?
- Discover how Richard's retirement leads him into Berlin's Oranienplatz and a tent city of African asylum seekers.
- Follow Richard as he hesitantly meets African asylum seekers and begins to rethink his own belonging.
- Explore themes of race, privilege and nationality through Richard's changing life in Berlin.
- Understand one ageing man's search for meaning after a life spent among books and ideas.
About the Author
Jenny Erpenbeck is a German writer and opera director. She wrote The End of Days and Kairos.