Gabriele Tergit's The Effingers: A Vivid Portrait of Pre-Nazi Berlin
In 1948, German-Jewish author Gabriele Tergit returned to the city where she was born and grew up, only to find it in ruins. Her experience as a prominent journalist and member of a prominent Jewish family had given her a unique perspective on pre-war Berlin. Tergit's magnum opus, The Effingers, chronicles four generations of an affluent Jewish family's rise and fall in the city.
Tergit masterfully weaves together dialogue-driven scenes, shifting between perspectives and registers with subtle tempo variations, to create a rich tapestry of social commentary. Her nuanced portrayal of pre-Nazi Berlin is both vividly detailed and historically astute, capturing the city's transformation from a thriving hub of assimilated Jewish life to a haven for fascist ideology.
The novel follows Paul Effinger, a industrialist who marries into the elite Oppner-Goldschmidt family, as he navigates the complexities of high society. Through the lens of his family, Tergit explores themes of identity, morality, and ideology, drawing from a broad range of intellectual currents, including Protestantism, industrial utopianism, liberal cosmopolitanism, and Zionism.
As fascism begins to take hold in the novel, Tergit deftly reveals how the often-incoherent mix of desires, ideas, and material conditions contributed to its rise. Rather than relying on simplistic narratives of good vs evil, The Effingers presents a more nuanced exploration of the complex interplay between individual agency and historical context.
Tergit's refusal to accept the tragedy of Jewish life in Germany as inevitable is evident throughout the novel. Her portrayal of her own family's experience in Palestine serves as a powerful counterpoint to the Zionist movement's emphasis on national redemption, instead highlighting the complexities and nuances of identity.
The Effingers is a remarkable achievement, offering a searing indictment of the myth of the 'chosen people' and an unflinching examination of the ways in which ideology can shape individual lives. With its exquisite prose and meticulous attention to historical detail, this novel stands as a testament to Tergit's enduring legacy as one of Germany's greatest authors.
Translated by Sophie Duvernoy, The Effingers is finally available in English, offering readers a glimpse into a pivotal moment in German history that was previously largely unknown. As the first major work by Tergit to be widely translated, this novel promises to rewrite the narrative of pre-Nazi Berlin and its Jewish community, ensuring her place alongside other literary giants like Thomas Mann and Franz Kafka.
In 1948, German-Jewish author Gabriele Tergit returned to the city where she was born and grew up, only to find it in ruins. Her experience as a prominent journalist and member of a prominent Jewish family had given her a unique perspective on pre-war Berlin. Tergit's magnum opus, The Effingers, chronicles four generations of an affluent Jewish family's rise and fall in the city.
Tergit masterfully weaves together dialogue-driven scenes, shifting between perspectives and registers with subtle tempo variations, to create a rich tapestry of social commentary. Her nuanced portrayal of pre-Nazi Berlin is both vividly detailed and historically astute, capturing the city's transformation from a thriving hub of assimilated Jewish life to a haven for fascist ideology.
The novel follows Paul Effinger, a industrialist who marries into the elite Oppner-Goldschmidt family, as he navigates the complexities of high society. Through the lens of his family, Tergit explores themes of identity, morality, and ideology, drawing from a broad range of intellectual currents, including Protestantism, industrial utopianism, liberal cosmopolitanism, and Zionism.
As fascism begins to take hold in the novel, Tergit deftly reveals how the often-incoherent mix of desires, ideas, and material conditions contributed to its rise. Rather than relying on simplistic narratives of good vs evil, The Effingers presents a more nuanced exploration of the complex interplay between individual agency and historical context.
Tergit's refusal to accept the tragedy of Jewish life in Germany as inevitable is evident throughout the novel. Her portrayal of her own family's experience in Palestine serves as a powerful counterpoint to the Zionist movement's emphasis on national redemption, instead highlighting the complexities and nuances of identity.
The Effingers is a remarkable achievement, offering a searing indictment of the myth of the 'chosen people' and an unflinching examination of the ways in which ideology can shape individual lives. With its exquisite prose and meticulous attention to historical detail, this novel stands as a testament to Tergit's enduring legacy as one of Germany's greatest authors.
Translated by Sophie Duvernoy, The Effingers is finally available in English, offering readers a glimpse into a pivotal moment in German history that was previously largely unknown. As the first major work by Tergit to be widely translated, this novel promises to rewrite the narrative of pre-Nazi Berlin and its Jewish community, ensuring her place alongside other literary giants like Thomas Mann and Franz Kafka.
its like a vivid portrait of how berlin changed from a cool city to a total disaster during the rise of nazism... anywayz, her writing style is supposed to be all poetic and stuff but honestly, who needs that when u can just have a bunch of bad news about europe's history? 
i mean, its not like we haven't seen enough of that before... anyways, its out in english now so people can finally know more about this tragic part of german history 
! I mean, can you believe it's been so long since Germany was in shambles? The way Tergit weaves together all these different perspectives and ideas is like a rich tapestry, you know? 
It's like she's taking you on this journey through pre-Nazi Berlin, showing you how the whole city was just...different. 
I love how Tergit explores his family and their struggles with identity, morality, and all that jazz. It's like she's trying to say that it's not always black or white, you know? The lines get all blurred and it's hard to tell what's right or wrong.
! It's like Tergit is saying, "Hey, being Jewish doesn't make you a 'chosen people'...it makes you human." You feel me? 
!
! it's wild how much you can learn from reading about history through the eyes of someone who actually lived through it, right? 
i mean, Tergit's writing style is so on point, she makes you feel like you're right there with her family, navigating all the complexities of high society and fascist ideology 
. and yeah, it's crazy how much nuance there is in this novel - Tergit's not afraid to get real about the 'chosen people' thing and show how that can be super problematic 
. anywayz, can't wait to dive into this one and see what all the fuss is about 
... gabriele tergit's the effingers seems like another super nuanced exploration of germany's pre-nazi era, but it sounds kinda dense to me 
It's like, we've been missing out on this amazing insight into pre-Nazi Berlin for far too long 
. And the themes she explores? So nuanced and thought-provoking 
. It's like, we need more authors like Tergit who aren't afraid to tackle these tough topics head-on 
. Anyway, can't wait to dive into this novel and learn more about pre-Nazi Berlin 
. And I'm intrigued by the whole thing with her own family's experience in Palestine 
... can't wait to dive in! #TheEffingers #GabrieleTergit #History #Fascism #JewishExperience
i mean we're talking about how fascist ideology started to take hold and how people were so blind to its horrors 
it's all super nuanced and realistic 