Uwe Johnson Knihy

A landmark of 20th Century literature set in late 1960s New York, this novel is now available in English for the first time. Uwe Johnson's masterpiece unfolds through daily entries, beginning on August 20, 1967, as the author navigates the uncertainties of the year ahead. The central character, Gesine Cresspahl, a German émigré living on the Upper West Side, is a bank translator and single mother to ten-year-old Marie. The narrative intertwines their lives with significant events reported in the New York Times, reflecting the tumultuous socio-political landscape of the era, including civil rights struggles and the Vietnam War. Gesine, born as Hitler rose to power, shares her family's history and her own childhood in Nazi Germany with Marie, emphasizing the importance of understanding their roots. The story explores the connections between past and present, revealing how the world of the 1960s and the historical context of earlier years are interlinked. Published in four volumes over a decade, this work has garnered comparisons to Joyce's Ulysses and Proust's In Search of Lost Time, yet it stands out for its rich tapestry of voices and narratives. It is a profound exploration of family, identity, and history, blending the personal with the political in a deeply engaging and richly detailed manner. Now translated by Damion Searls, this novel is a remarkable revelation.

The first volume of a monumental twentieth-century literary work, recognized as one of the best books of 2018 by The New York Times critics, is now available as two individual volumes. Set in August 1967, it follows Gesine Cresspahl, a German survivor of war and totalitarian regimes, who has been living in New York City with her ten-year-old daughter, Marie, for six years. They navigate the myriad stories of their surroundings—work, school, and a diverse neighborhood—while also engaging with the news in The New York Times, covering events like Che Guevara’s influence, racial violence, the Vietnam War, and upcoming US elections. As Marie matures, Gesine decides to share her own childhood experiences in a small north German town during the 1930s and ’40s. Through reflections on Germany’s tumultuous past and the chaotic present, Gesine, with her sharp humor and introspective nature, aims to impart her wisdom to Marie, who is curious and articulate, posing her own questions. This intimate portrayal of their relationship serves as a broader exploration of history and the world, drawing comparisons to the richness of Joyce’s Ulysses and Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, marking it as one of the great novels of our time.

The second volume of a titanic masterpiece of twentieth-century literature, named one of the best books of 2019 by The New York Times critics. Anniversaries, Volume 2 begins on April 20, 1968. Before long Marie will be devastated by the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, even as the news of the Prague Spring has awakened Gesine’s long-dashed hopes that socialism could be a humanism. Meanwhile, her boss at the bank has his own ideas about Czechoslovakia, and Gesine faces the prospect of having to move there for work. Continuing the story of her past from Anniversaries, Volume 1, Gesine describes the Soviet occupation of her hometown, Jerichow, where her father was installed as mayor and ended up in a brutal prison camp. Gesine herself charts a rebellious course through school, ever more bitterly conscious of the moral ugliness of life behind the Iron Curtain. As the year of the novel comes to its end, past and present converge and the novel circles back to its beginnings: Gesine tells Marie about her father, Jakob, dead before she was born, about leaving East Germany, and, as history threatens to take them away from New York, about the beginning of their life together in the city that they have both come to love.

This work presents a translation of the initial two volumes of Uwe Johnson's Jahrestage, a significant literary piece that explores themes of memory, identity, and the passage of time. The narrative intricately weaves personal and historical events, reflecting on life in post-war Germany. Through its rich character development and profound insights, the text invites readers to engage with its complex interplay of individual experiences and broader societal issues.

Run this gang of crooks to earth, or point out to me the man that is at the head of it - or the chief operator in this country - and I'll make you a present of a cheque for ten thousand pounds.'Colonel Raymond from Intelligence persuades Biggles, Algy and Ginger to take on the challenge of transporting gold bullion and diamonds to France.

Jahrestage. Aus dem Leben von Gesine Cresspahl. ( Neue Folge, 500).: 4 Bände

Tag für Tag, über ein Jahr hinweg, erzählt Gesine Cresspahl ihrer zehnjährigen Tochter Marie aus der eigenen Familiengeschichte, vom Leben in Mecklenburg in der Weimarer Republik, während der Herrschaft der Nazis, in der sich anschließenden sowjetischen Besatzungszone und den ersten Jahren in der DDR. Zugleich schildert der Roman das alltägliche Leben von Mutter und Tochter in der Metropole New York im Epochejahr 1967/1968, inmitten von Vietnamkriegs- und Studentenprotesten. In den »Jahrestagen« entfaltet Uwe Johnson ein einzigartiges Panorama deutscher Geschichte im 20. Jahrhundert – eine »Lese-Weltreise« (Reinhard Baumgart) in die bewegte New Yorker Gegenwart des Jahres 1968 und zugleich in die Geschichte einer deutschen Familie seit der Weimarer Republik. Ein Register zu Uwe Johnsons Roman "Jahrestage" ist unter dem Titel "Kleines Adressbuch für Jerichow und New York" separat erhältlich.

Uwe Johnson wurde am 20. Juli 1934 in Kammin (Pommern) geboren und starb am 22. oder 23. Februar 1984 in Sheerness-on-Sea. 1945 floh er mit seiner Familie zunächst nach Recknitz und dann nach Güstrow in Mecklenburg. Sein Vater wurde von der Roten Armee interniert und 1948 für tot erklärt. 1953 begann er ein Germanistikstudium an der Universität Leipzig und schrieb währenddessen an seinem Roman Ingrid Babendererde. Trotz mehrfacher Ablehnungen durch Verlage der DDR und Peter Suhrkamp wurde dieser erst nach seinem Tod veröffentlicht. Sein erster veröffentlichter Roman war Mutmassungen über Jakob. Von 1966 bis 1968 lebte er in New York, wo er zunächst als Schulbuch-Lektor arbeitete und dann ein Stipendium erhielt. Am 29. Januar 1968 begann er mit den Jahrestagen, die 1970, 1971 und 1973 in drei Teilen erschienen. 1974 zog er nach Sheerness-on-Sea, wo er unter einer Schreibblockade litt, was die Veröffentlichung des letzten Teils bis 1983 verzögerte. 1979 war er Gastdozent für Poetik an der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität in Frankfurt, und ein Jahr später wurden seine Vorlesungen unter dem Titel Begleitumstände veröffentlicht. Sein Nachlass befindet sich im Uwe Johnson-Archiv an der Universität Rostock.