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Lyric Novella

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( 223 ratings, 36 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Lyric Novella tells the evocative story of a young man ensnared by his obsession with Sibylle, a Berlin variété actress. Despite a promising diplomatic career and established family values, he becomes consumed by the desire to pick her up after every performance, defying social expectations. The narrative, rich with psychological insight, parallels author Annemarie Schwarzenbach's own life and explores themes of love, identity, and societal constraints amid turbulent political times, ultimately revealing a tale of lesbian love concealed within the persona of the male protagonist.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Lyric Novella appeals to readers interested in mid-20th-century European literature, LGBTQ+ themes, and psychologically rich narratives that intersect personal and political upheaval.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Schwarzenbach’s clear, psychologically acute prose makes this novella an evocative narrative, with many intriguing parallels to her own life.

Annemarie Schwarzenbach—journalist, novelist, antifascist, archaeologist, and traveller—has become a European cult figure for bohemian free spirits since the rediscovery of her works in the late 1980s. Lyric Novella is her story of a young man’s obsession with a Berlin variété actress.

Despite having his future career mapped out for him in the diplomatic service, the young man begins to question all his family values under Sibylle’s spell. His family, future, and social standing become irrelevant when set against his overriding compulsion to pick her up every night from the theatre so they can go for a drive.

Bringing the story back to her own life, Schwarzenbach admitted after publication that her hero was in fact a young woman, not a man, leaving little doubt that Lyric Novella is a literary tale of lesbian love during socially and politically turbulent times.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Neue Zürcher Zeitung praises the novella for exploring not failed love but 'the failure of love' through the protagonist's inability to accept responsibility towards their beloved. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung notes the work's period character, describing it as 'gentle, silent and veiled,' with its hero actually a heroine who prefers invisibility.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781803090375

Publisher: Seagull Books London Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 September 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Seagull Books London Ltd

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 9.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 207.0mm

Weight: 126g

Pages: 138

About the Author

Annemarie Schwarzenbach (1908–42) was a writer, journalist, and photographer who worked periodically as an archaeologist. She is the author of the poem Aus Tétouan, Der Krater der Tiere, Das Wunder des Baumes. Lucy Renner Jones is a freelance translator living in Berlin.

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