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Siblings

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( 1,454 ratings, 198 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
In Siblings by Brigitte Reimann, the story unfolds in 1960s East Germany, focusing on the complex relationship between the protagonist, Elisabeth, and her brother, Uli. Elisabeth is deeply committed to the socialist ideals of the state, while Uli dreams of fleeing to the West. Their diverging paths prompt questions of loyalty, ideology, and personal freedom, set against the backdrop of a divided nation.
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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?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate powerful narratives exploring family dynamics and political ideals, set against the backdrop of post-war Germany. Its compelling story delves into the complexity of loyalty and personal beliefs, offering rich, emotional insight into the challenges faced by a generation caught between tradition and transformation.

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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

The first English translation of this stirring novel of idealist loyalty and sibling love, by one of East Germany's most important writers.

1960. The border between East and West Germany has closed.

For Elisabeth, a young painter, the GDR is her generation's chance to build an egalitarian socialist future. For her brother Uli, it is a place of stricture and oppression. Separating them is the ever-wider chasm of the party line; over them loom the twin spectres of opportunity and fear, and the shadow of their defector brother Konrad.

In prose as bold as a scarlet paint stroke, Brigitte Reimann battles with the clash of idealism and suppression, familial loyalty and desire. This fervid, ground-breaking novel, written when Reimann was only twenty-seven, remains one of the cult classics of East German literature.

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?

Siblings by Brigitte Reimann is receiving praise for its rich character development and honest exploration of complex familial relationships during a politically charged era. Reviewers appreciate its nuanced depiction of the personal and ideological divides in post-war Germany, crafted with emotional depth and authenticity. Many laud Reimann's skill in portraying human resilience and conflict.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241555835

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 February 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Contributors:

  • Translated by Lucy Jones

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 13.0mm

Width: 136.0mm

Height: 215.0mm

Weight: 161g

Pages: 144

About the Author

Brigitte Reimann (1933-1973) was among East Germany's most significant writers. She believed passion-ately in socialism, yet never joined the party; stayed with her second husband, yet pursued a series of affairs. Her stated aim was to live 'thirty wild years instead of seventy well-behaved ones'. In 1960, her brother left for the West and she began writing Siblings. She died from cancer at the age of thirty-nine, a celebrated writer and cult figure. Lucy Jones is a literary translator who lives in Berlin. She has translated the works of Anke Stelling, Theresia Enzensberger and Silke Scheuermann, among others. Her own writing has been published in Litro Magazine, SAND Journal, Pigeon Pages and 3AM Magazine.

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  • Siblings
    A stirring novel of idealist loyalty and sibling love, by one of East Germany's most important writers. 1960. The border between East and West Germany has closed. For Elisabeth, a young painter, the GDR is her generation's chance to build an egalitarian socialist future. For her brother Uli, it is a place of stricture and oppression. Separating them is the...
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  • It All Tastes of Farewell
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  • It All Tastes of Farewell
    Continuing where Reimann's earlier book of diaries, I Have No Regrets, left off in 1964, this volume is a compelling and frank account of one woman’s life and loves in 1960s East Germany. It All Tastes of Farewell is a frank account of one woman’s life and loves in 1960s East Germany. As a writer, Brigitte Reimann could not help...
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