2005 Shortlist
Willenbrock
ABOUT
THE BOOK
In the new unified Germany, Bernard Willenbrock, an East German engineer and latecomer to the free-market, is the proud owner of a thriving used-car dealership with a steady stream of cash-only clients from Eastern Europe. The business practically runs itself, leaving Willenbrock free to spice up his days with extramarital adventures. Willenbrock’s self-satisfaction appears impregnable. Yet little by little, a series of ever more menacing incidents occurs: an attempted break-in, the theft of several cars, a vicious beating – his innermost certainties are eroded. No amount of locks and latches, it seems, can contain his growing obsession with external safety, relieve his suspicion of those closest to him, or stop the coming violence.
ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR Philip
Boehm
Philip Boehm was born in 1958 in Texas. He studied at Wesleyan University, Washington University in St. Louis, and the State Academy of Theatre in Warsaw. He is not only a lauded literary translator of works from Polish and German into English, but he is also an accomplished playwright and director. Boehm is the co-founder of the Upstream Theatre in St. Louis. The theatre is known for its productions of works from international authors.
Philip Boehm was born in 1958 in Texas. He studied at Wesleyan University, Washington University in St. Louis, and the State Academy of Theatre in Warsaw. He is not only a lauded literary translator of works from Polish and German into English, but he is also an accomplished playwright and director. Boehm is the co-founder of the Upstream Theatre in St. Louis. The theatre is known for its productions of works from international authors.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Date published
01/09/2003
Country
Germany
Original Language
German
Publisher
Metropolitan Books
Translator
Philip Boehm
Nominating Library