Every Man Dies Alone
Encyclopedia
Every Man Dies Alone or Alone in Berlin (German: Jeder stirbt für sich allein) is a 1947 novel by German author Hans Fallada
. It is based on the true story of a working class husband and wife, Otto and Elise Hampel
, who committed acts of civil disobedience in Berlin during World War II before being caught, tried by infamous Nazi judge Roland Freisler
, and executed in Plötzensee Prison
. Fallada's book was one of the first anti-Nazi novels to be published by a German after World War II. Primo Levi
said it is "the greatest book ever written about German resistance to the Nazis."
The novel remained untranslated to English until 2009 when it was rediscovered by American publishing house Melville House Publishing
and released in the US under the title Every Man Dies Alone, in a translation by Michael Hofmann
. Melville House licensed it to Penguin Books
in the UK, who used the title Alone in Berlin, following the older French translation precedent of Seul dans Berlin. The German title translates literally as "Everyone dies for himself alone".
The film rights have been acquired by Vincent Perez
and Stefan Arndt
.
Three months after its 2009 English release it became a "surprise bestseller" in both the US and UK It was listed on the official UK Top 50 for all UK publishers, a rare occurrence for such an old book. Hans Fallada's 80-year-old son, Ulrich Ditzen, a retired lawyer, told The Observer
he was overwhelmed by the latest sales, "It's a phenomenon."
Hans Fallada
Hans Fallada , born Rudolf Wilhelm Friedrich Ditzen in Greifswald, Germany, was a German writer of the first half of the 20th century. Some of his better known novels include Little Man, What Now? and Every Man Dies Alone...
. It is based on the true story of a working class husband and wife, Otto and Elise Hampel
Otto and Elise Hampel
Otto and Elise Hampel were a working-class couple who created a simple method of protest while living in Berlin during the early years of World War II. They composed postcards denouncing Hitler's government and left them in public places around the city. They were eventually caught, tried, and...
, who committed acts of civil disobedience in Berlin during World War II before being caught, tried by infamous Nazi judge Roland Freisler
Roland Freisler
Roland Freisler was a prominent and notorious Nazi lawyer and judge. He was State Secretary of the Reich Ministry of Justice and President of the People's Court , which was set up outside constitutional authority...
, and executed in Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison was a Prussian institution built in Berlin between 1869 and 1879 near the lake Plötzensee, but in the neighbouring borough of Charlottenburg, on Hüttigpfad off Saatwinkler Damm. During Adolf Hitler's time in power from 1933 to 1945, more than 2,500 people were executed at...
. Fallada's book was one of the first anti-Nazi novels to be published by a German after World War II. Primo Levi
Primo Levi
Primo Michele Levi was an Italian Jewish chemist and writer. He was the author of two novels and several collections of short stories, essays, and poems, but is best known for If This Is a Man, his account of the year he spent as a prisoner in the Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland...
said it is "the greatest book ever written about German resistance to the Nazis."
The novel remained untranslated to English until 2009 when it was rediscovered by American publishing house Melville House Publishing
Melville House Publishing
Melville House Publishing is an independent publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The company was founded in 2001 by the husband and wife team of Dennis Loy Johnson and Valerie Merians in Hoboken, New Jersey, a location Johnson jokingly called "the Left Bank" of New York City...
and released in the US under the title Every Man Dies Alone, in a translation by Michael Hofmann
Michael Hofmann
Michael Hofmann is a German-born poet who writes in English and a translator of texts from German.-Biography:...
. Melville House licensed it to Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
in the UK, who used the title Alone in Berlin, following the older French translation precedent of Seul dans Berlin. The German title translates literally as "Everyone dies for himself alone".
The film rights have been acquired by Vincent Perez
Vincent Pérez
Vincent Pérez is a Swiss-born French speaking actor and director. He is best known internationally for playing the title character Ashe Corven in The Crow: City of Angels, and for starring in Queen of the Damned, playing Marius de Romanus...
and Stefan Arndt
Stefan Arndt
Stefan Arndt is a German film producer and managing partner of X Filme Creative Pool, which he started with fellow friends Tom Tykwer, Wolfgang Becker and Dani Levy. X Filme is one of Germany's most prospourus and famous production companies...
.
Three months after its 2009 English release it became a "surprise bestseller" in both the US and UK It was listed on the official UK Top 50 for all UK publishers, a rare occurrence for such an old book. Hans Fallada's 80-year-old son, Ulrich Ditzen, a retired lawyer, told The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
he was overwhelmed by the latest sales, "It's a phenomenon."
External links
- Every Man Dies Alone, publisher Melville House PublishingMelville House PublishingMelville House Publishing is an independent publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The company was founded in 2001 by the husband and wife team of Dennis Loy Johnson and Valerie Merians in Hoboken, New Jersey, a location Johnson jokingly called "the Left Bank" of New York City...
website. - UK edition: Alone in Berlin, publisher Penguin BooksPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
website. - Every Man Dies Alone, from Hans Fallada website
- Every Man Dies Alone, from complete reviewComplete reviewcomplete review is a literary website founded in March 1999. It is best known for reviews of novels in English translation, in particular drawing attention to otherwise neglected contemporary works from around the world, but there are also reviews of classics, non-fiction, drama and poetry...
. Links to most major reviews. - "Postcards From the Edge", by Liesl Schillinger, New York Times Book Review, Feb. 27, 2009
- "Hans Fallada's anti-Nazi classic becomes surprise UK bestseller" by Dalya Alberge, The ObserverThe ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, Sunday 23 May 2010 - (video) "A conversation about German writer Hans Fallada", Charlie RoseCharlie Rose (talk show)Charlie Rose is an American television interview show, with Charlie Rose as executive producer, executive editor, and host. The show is syndicated...
show, with Ulrich Ditzen, son of Hans Fallada, Liesl Schillinger of The New York Times and Dennis Johnson of Melville House. April 14 2009. - List of characters in Hans Fallada's Every Man Dies Alone