Alone In Berlin

 by Emily Moody

 

Alone in Berlin is a novel by Hans Fallada, inspired by a true story.  It follows the story of a working class couple in Nazi Germany, in Berlin (as suggested by the title), who quietly start to oppose Hitler after they learn that their only son has fallen in the taking of France. The novel was one of the first anti-Nazi books to be printed in Germany after WWII. Its first English release was in 2009, where it became popular almost instantly.

The story mainly follows a working class couple, Otto and Anna Quangel, in Berlin under Nazi control, struggling to keep afloat within all the chaos that has divided the German society. We learn, within the very first chapter, that their only son, Otto Quangel, has died in the war, as a telegram is delivered to them. This greatly upsets and troubles Otto and Anna, as well as Trudel, dead Otto Jr.’s fiancée. Otto and Anna quietly begin to oppose Hitler, blaming him for the death of their only son. They drop postcards, in crowded buildings with messages like ‘Mother! The Führer has murdered our son. Mother! The Führer will murder your sons too. He will not stop till he has brought sorrow to every home in the world.’ Otto knows that even this small bit of resistance could cost both of them their lives, but he continues to drop the postcards.

This scheme soon turns into a cat and mouse game, with Inspector Escherich of the Gestapo, who attempts to catch the mysterious postcard writer. We see Escherich as an intelligent detective who is able to make clever inferences based on the smallest of clues. It seems that Otto is soon going to be found out, yet each time he manages to escape Escherich. Otto also refuses to join the ‘Party’ at work, even though it costs him a promotion, refusing any submission to the Nazis, who murdered his son.

There are also other little plots going on within the book, although all of the protagonist take residence, or have connections, at 55 Jablonski Strasse. There are lots of different characters that live in the range of apartments, from Baldur Persicke, a Hitler Youth Leader who puts Hitler and the Nazis before his own family, to Enno Kluge, who is determined to stay out of the army on health grounds, to Frau Rosenthal, an old Jewish woman whose husband has been dragged off by the Gestapo.  A mix of all types of people, 55 Jablonski Strasse is an allegory to Nazi Germany, and how the Nazis had split even the tightest of communities.

Alone in Berlin is based upon the true story of Otto and Elise Hampel, who started opposing due to the loss of Elise Hampel’s brother. They started committing deeds of civil disobedience, like writing leaflets and postcards, and dropping them in crowded areas and post boxes, despite knowing that this was a capital offense.  They worked for a year, until they were betrayed, and arrested. They were tried by a Nazi and sentenced to death. Soon after they were executed in Plötzensee Prison.