Product Description

The year is 1989 and Herr Lehmann lives entirely free of responsibility in a tiny flat in the bohemian Berlin district of Kreuzberg, whenever he isn't hanging out in the local bars. Through years of judicious sidestepping and heroic indolence this barman, unburdened by ambition, has successfully avoided the demands placed upon him by parents, landlords, neighbours and women. But suddenly one unforeseen incident after another seems to threaten his idyllic and rather peaceable existence. He has an encounter with a decidedly unfriendly dog, his parents threaten to descend on Berlin from the provinces to pay him a visit, and he meets a dangerously attractive woman who entices him to the swimming baths, thereby throwing his emotional life into confusion. He is even forced to go to the fashionable Kurf-rstendamm and to attempt to enter East Berlin. Berlin Blues is a richly entertaining evocation of life in the city and a classic of modern-day decadence.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #915727 in Books
• Published on: 2003-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
Sven Regener is the lead singer and songwriter of the band Element of Crime. Berlin Blues is his first novel.

Customer Reviews

Big in Berlin
Sven Regener's debut novel is amazingly accomplished, and is an absolute pleasure to read. Better known as the frontman for the German group Element of Crime, Regener is based in Berlin, and brings his first-hand comprehensive knowledge of the city to this book. Herr Lehmann, aka Frank, is a likeable drifter who is approaching his thirtiest birthday and realises that he's merely meandering through his life. This isn't a mid-life crisis book, however; rather, it is a peek into Herr Lehmann's everyday comings and going. Regener treats Herr Lehmann with real tenderness, and you almost have to wonder how much of himself is invested in this character. The other characters, Herr Lehmann's friends and colleagues, are both familiar and distant, and I believe that this is one of the stengths of this book, that Regener can convey the predicament of Herr Lehmann in his interaction with his friends - they lead lives that touch at a point but little more than that. One of the best books I've read this year, this is a real treat, especially for anyone who knows and loves Berlin.

Lost In Berlin
This strange little window into late '80s Berlin does its best to capture the mood of the times, but fails to deliver any kind of compelling narrative. The protagonist is Herr Lehmann, a nondescript guy turning 30 who has spent the last decade in Berlin's Kreuzberg district, after growing up in Bremen. He's pretty much a blank slate, all he does is work as a bartender and hang out with his best friend Karl. When other people ascribe hidden depths to him—most notably, a pretty chef who he starts dating—he's puzzled by this (as is the reader). Not much happens in the book: he gets into a fight with a drunk, his parents come for a weekend visit, his relationship with the chef runs its course, he keeps running into a strange dog, his friend Karl loses his marbles, and the Berlin Wall comes down. It may well be that there's symbolism in each of these events (especially the recurring dog) that would be apparent to someone more versed in German culture and history, but I certainly couldn't find any.

The style is fairly deadpan, with the story being told from within Herr Lehmann's head most of the time. The comedy and "classic of modern day decadence" advertised on the cover copy never materializes except in the thinnest form. The whole book is pervaded by a general sense of aimlessness and ennui that renders it rather listless. Maybe that's the whole point of it, but if so, it doesn't make for memorable reading. On the other hand, it was popular enough to have been made into a film in Germany, so there you are. First time novelist Regener is best known as the lead singer for the German rock band, Element of Crime, which has been around since the mid-'80s. That, in and of itself, might be some kind of indicator as to what to expect from the book, since anyone who names their band after a Lars von Trier film is probably not very interested in traditional narrative. Strictly for Berlinophiles.

Good reading!
The book is well written, with believable characters and realistic dialogue. It drops you into Berlin life. It also happens to be very funny. It is everything the Da Vinci Code isn't.