The Drinker
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Product Description
Product Description
Written in an encrypted notebook while incarcerated in a Nazi insane asylum and discovered after his death, THE DRINKER may be Hans Fallada's most breathtaking piece of craftsmanship. It is an intense yet absorbing study of the descent into drunkenness by an intelligent man who fears he's lost it all.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
65 of 66 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I first read Hans Fallada's 'The Drinker' eight years ago and my second reading of it confirms all its macabre power to haunt its readers. Written in just two weeks in a German lunatic asylum in 1944, this hypnotic, compelling story of a respectable businessman's alcohol-induced descent into squalour and psychic collapse will sober its merriest reader. Based on events in Fallada's own life, the novel takes us into the progressively warped worldview of one Erwin Sommer - well off, middle class, insecure; a man who will soon discover all the charm and malignant power of a flight into self-destructice alcoholism. Estrangement, Paranoia and Victimisation are Sommer's travelling companions on this journey with only the passing comfort of the bottle for solace. Despite 'The Drinker' lacking any reference to the events of Germany,1944, the reader may soon find himself wondering to what extent Erwin Sommer's experiences are analogous to the descent of Germany in the years of the Hitler period. 'The Drinker' is not for those seeking a comforting or moral conclusion. For the reader who is fascinated by the extremes of human psychology and experience, this book book will stay etched in your mind.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I discovered Hans Fallada a few months ago, was immediately hooked, and this is now the third of his books I've read. Once again I'm absolutely amazed that this superb writer is not lauded more loudly from the rooftops!
This book is a brilliant and moving study of a small businessman whose whole life unravels due to alcoholism.
It is a work of such depth, pathos and humour that it's near impossible to believe it was secretly written in just two weeks in the confines of a German insane asylum! However it's extremely easy to believe and understand why Fallada was viewed as suspect and undesirable by the Nazis and was incarcerated by them in just such an asylum...
The physical and psychological decline into alcoholism and rapid spiral into financial ruin, marriage breakup and nervous breakdown is really powerfully and poignantly illustrated. The self-delusion and bravado shown in dealings with his wife, girlfriend, financial and business colleagues is tragic, brutal, distressing - but in many places is actually laugh-out-loud funny too!
Fallada details the despair and Catch-22 misery of asylum life and the strategies and cunning required to survive its rigours in a way that only a real inmate could. Again there are many flashes of wit and humour in the descriptions of the hardships endured with the motley and somewhat grotesque collection of patients and staff.
As with Fallada's other books I just cannot recommend this too highly.
This book is a brilliant and moving study of a small businessman whose whole life unravels due to alcoholism.
It is a work of such depth, pathos and humour that it's near impossible to believe it was secretly written in just two weeks in the confines of a German insane asylum! However it's extremely easy to believe and understand why Fallada was viewed as suspect and undesirable by the Nazis and was incarcerated by them in just such an asylum...
The physical and psychological decline into alcoholism and rapid spiral into financial ruin, marriage breakup and nervous breakdown is really powerfully and poignantly illustrated. The self-delusion and bravado shown in dealings with his wife, girlfriend, financial and business colleagues is tragic, brutal, distressing - but in many places is actually laugh-out-loud funny too!
Fallada details the despair and Catch-22 misery of asylum life and the strategies and cunning required to survive its rigours in a way that only a real inmate could. Again there are many flashes of wit and humour in the descriptions of the hardships endured with the motley and somewhat grotesque collection of patients and staff.
As with Fallada's other books I just cannot recommend this too highly.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I think this is probably Fallada's greatest book.
The psychological insights that this author possesses are remarkable.
His portrayal and fascination with seedy characters and the low moral standards of the criminal classes is astounding.
Good writing like this is timeless, this book could have been written today,as much as 1944, when it was written.
The book shows how quickly, in this case, alcoholism takes hold of, shapes and distorts one's personality, from a respectable businessman to the lowest gutter of society.
Fallada was no stranger to Mental Hospitals himself, having had numerous stays in different establishments and he wrote this book in two weeks, whilst sojourned in one such establishment.
There are few Authors in the history of books, that can write so eloquently about the foibles and intricacies of deviant personality.
I won't spoil the ending here, but there is one hell of a twist in this tale at the end.
"Alone in Berlin" is also another cracking book by Fallada, but I think that this book, even surpasses it in it's sheer quality and brilliance.
The psychological insights that this author possesses are remarkable.
His portrayal and fascination with seedy characters and the low moral standards of the criminal classes is astounding.
Good writing like this is timeless, this book could have been written today,as much as 1944, when it was written.
The book shows how quickly, in this case, alcoholism takes hold of, shapes and distorts one's personality, from a respectable businessman to the lowest gutter of society.
Fallada was no stranger to Mental Hospitals himself, having had numerous stays in different establishments and he wrote this book in two weeks, whilst sojourned in one such establishment.
There are few Authors in the history of books, that can write so eloquently about the foibles and intricacies of deviant personality.
I won't spoil the ending here, but there is one hell of a twist in this tale at the end.
"Alone in Berlin" is also another cracking book by Fallada, but I think that this book, even surpasses it in it's sheer quality and brilliance.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A thoroughly enjoyable read
Just got back from my spring break and 'The Drinker'was one of my holiday relax reads. Considering that i have spent 2 weeks in France and have just been overdoing it on the vin... Read more
Published 1 month ago by SimonW
The Narcissist
As Fallada's novel 'Every Man Dies Alone' is also known as 'Alone in Berlin' so should 'The Drinker' be known as 'The Narcissist'. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Lily Wren
An incredibly powerful - and unputdownable - exploration of human...
'The Drinker' is not only an exploration of alcoholism, but also of human egotism and the fragility of the basis of most human lives. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Pablo
Not embedded
In this semi-autobiographical novel, Hans Fallada tells the story of a human struggle for survival: a small businessman fighting against a slow suicide through alcoholism. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Luc REYNAERT
Outstanding...
What I love about Fallada, amongst other elements, is the fact that I feel as though I am standing right next to the character and in this novel, I am sharing a drink with him,... Read more
Published 18 months ago by John Lacey
Insight into Madness
Hans Fallada's novel "Alone in Berlin" was so impressive that I was almost reluctant to try any of his other works as I was concerned that they not be up to the same high... Read more
Published 18 months ago by John Fitzpatrick
A fantastic read
I read this book after reading two other Hans Fallada novels and I wasn't disappointed. This book is funny, touching and gives a personal account of Hans Fallada's own battle with... Read more
Published 19 months ago by faerievampyr
This book holds the reader throuhout
a classic read outlining the hidden dangers of alcoholism and the depths of despair it can reduce one to. Buy it for a friend with a drinking problem with discretion!!
M.H.
M.H.
Published 19 months ago by Mr. M. E. Harris
A riviting book
Disturbing yet hilarious at times . Very sympathetic to the main character and his paranoic way of thinking when under the influence , as unfortunately sometimes it rang very close... Read more
Published 22 months ago by cornerboy
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