Berlin Alexanderplatz
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Berlin Alexanderplatz is a novel by Alfred Döblin, published in 1929. The story concerns a small-time criminal, Franz Biberkopf, fresh from prison, who is drawn into the underworld. When his criminal mentor murders the prostitute whom Biberkopf has been relying on as an anchor, he realizes that he will be unable to extricate himself from the underworld into which he has sunk.
Style
The novel is set in the working class Alexanderplatz district of 1920s Berlin. Its narrative style is reminiscent of James Joyce. In fact, Döblin had already finished the work when he read Ulysses which inspired him to radically rewrite his own book. It is told from multiple points of view, and uses sound effects, newspaper articles, songs, speeches, and other books to propel the plot forward.
