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outoftheblue14's review against another edition
Non ce la faccio. So che il tono ironico e scanzonato ha lo scopo di provocare e scandalizzare il lettore, ma mi sembra comunque irrispettoso. E' troppo per me la storia del nazista che, dopo la seconda guerra mondiale, assume l'identità del suo migliore amico ebreo (morto) per sfuggire alle proprie responsabilità e trarne vantaggio.
jonisbookquest's review against another edition
DNF'd at 80 pages. I see the importance of the book and it sure was interesting as far as I got, but I really couldn't get through the writing style - yikes.
hieronymusbotched's review against another edition
5.0
What a book, what a book, what a book.
So, not only the first book I‘ve read entirely in German but a masterpiece at that. Lucky me.
As someone says in one of the novel‘s many accolades somewhere, Hilsenrath does the impossible: a dark, dark satire of post-war Judaism and the SS in Nazi Germany. There must have been a thousand intersections at which this book could have failed but almost danced past any and all collisions, becoming a wonderfully humane and deeply, deeply troubling look at the Second World War and what it cost, including how thoughtlessly it was wagered.
I don‘t know how to describe the book any further, other than to say that if you don‘t at least smile reading the first paragraph, perhaps it isn‘t for you, and its dangerous discussion of one of the darkest chapters in human history will disturb more than it does console.
However, if you do smile, even that little bit, I think you will find here what must have been painfully, dearly earned wisdom from an author I cannot wait to read more of.
TLDR; Kind of like Vonnegut, except he actually wrote a book named “Fuck America”
So, not only the first book I‘ve read entirely in German but a masterpiece at that. Lucky me.
As someone says in one of the novel‘s many accolades somewhere, Hilsenrath does the impossible: a dark, dark satire of post-war Judaism and the SS in Nazi Germany. There must have been a thousand intersections at which this book could have failed but almost danced past any and all collisions, becoming a wonderfully humane and deeply, deeply troubling look at the Second World War and what it cost, including how thoughtlessly it was wagered.
I don‘t know how to describe the book any further, other than to say that if you don‘t at least smile reading the first paragraph, perhaps it isn‘t for you, and its dangerous discussion of one of the darkest chapters in human history will disturb more than it does console.
However, if you do smile, even that little bit, I think you will find here what must have been painfully, dearly earned wisdom from an author I cannot wait to read more of.
TLDR; Kind of like Vonnegut, except he actually wrote a book named “Fuck America”
readmetwotimes's review against another edition
4.0
Santo cielo che libro! Lo consiglio, ma vi avviso: non è per tuttə.
verw0rren's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
nisanatreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Nazi and the Barber was originally published in English before later being translated back to German because the author couldn't find a German publisher willing to print the book. A lot of people didn't find it funny, they found it rather tasteless. I was actually one of the few, if not the only person in my class who thought it was a masterpiece of satire and historical/societal analysis, while many of the other students called it disturbing.
The novel tells the story of Max Schulz, who grows up to become a perpetrator of the Holocaust, but later uses the name of his deceased childhood friend and Jew, Itzig Finkelstein, to escape prosecution. From the outset, it is clear that all the familiar stereotypes of Aryans and Jews are reversed. Itzig looks like the perfect Arian ideal, while Max looks exactly like what people thought all Jews looked like.
As he shifts between identities throughout his life, he turns to different narratives that emerged after the Holocaust, and I think that's where Hilsenrath's genius really shines: it's a perfect depiction of the perversity of the arguments used by Germans to justify their actions on the one hand, but also by Jews to stake their claim to a state of their own on the other.
The story combines the hilarious with the serious, and it's a rare quality in an author to be able to do both in one book, taking it to the extreme.
Find me on Instagram @nisanatreads
The novel tells the story of Max Schulz, who grows up to become a perpetrator of the Holocaust, but later uses the name of his deceased childhood friend and Jew, Itzig Finkelstein, to escape prosecution. From the outset, it is clear that all the familiar stereotypes of Aryans and Jews are reversed. Itzig looks like the perfect Arian ideal, while Max looks exactly like what people thought all Jews looked like.
As he shifts between identities throughout his life, he turns to different narratives that emerged after the Holocaust, and I think that's where Hilsenrath's genius really shines: it's a perfect depiction of the perversity of the arguments used by Germans to justify their actions on the one hand, but also by Jews to stake their claim to a state of their own on the other.
The story combines the hilarious with the serious, and it's a rare quality in an author to be able to do both in one book, taking it to the extreme.
Find me on Instagram @nisanatreads
miriamschlundt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
swo7153's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I can't say this is a good book despite the rating. Nothing about it is good. I've read Cormic McCarthy books that are more hopeful than this. Just as an example. It's surreal and haunting; and worth reading. The ending will stick with me forever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Rape, Self harm, Racial slurs, Torture, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Antisemitism, Genocide, Racism, Murder, and Pedophilia
saneyossarian's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5