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Somewhere
in Germany
An Autobiographical Novel
Stefanie Zweig
Translated by Marlies Comjean
Terrace Books
"A vivid slice of contemporary
history, narrated in a suspenseful and witty manner without accusation
or bitterness."–Radio
Bremen
Somewhere in Germany is the sequel to the acclaimed Nowhere
in Africa, which was turned into the Oscar-winning film of
the same name. This novel traces the return of the Redlich family
to Germany after their nine-year exile in Kenya during World
War II. In Africa, Walter had longed for his homeland and dreamed
of rebuilding his life as a lawyer, yet ultimately he and his
family–wife Jettel, daughter Regina, and baby Max–realize
that Germany seems as exotic and unwelcoming to them in 1947
as Kenya had seemed in 1938. Hunger and desperation are omnipresent
in bombed-out Frankfurt, and this Jewish family–especially
Regina, who misses Africa the most–has a hard time adjusting
to their new circumstances. Yet slowly the family adapts to their
new home amidst the ruins.
In Frankfurt, Regina matures into a woman and, though her parents
want her to marry an upstanding Jewish man, her love life progresses
in its own idiosyncratic fashion. She develops a passion for
art and journalism and begins her professional career at a Frankfurt
newspaper. Walter at last finds professional success as a lawyer,
but never quite adjusts to life in Frankfurt, recalling with
nostalgia his childhood in Upper Silesia and his years in Africa.
Only his son Max truly finds what Walter had hoped for: a new
homeland in Germany.
Although the Redlichs receive kindness from strangers, they also
learn anti-Semitism still prevails in post-Nazi Germany. They
partake in the West German "economic miracle" with
their own home, a second-hand car, and the discovery of television,
but young Max's discovery of the Holocaust revives long-buried
memories. Rich in memorable moments and characters, this novel
portrays the reality of postwar German society in vivid and candid
detail.
"[A] worthy meditation on homelessness, exile and belonging."
–Publishers Weekly
"The strength of the novel lies .
. . in telling with utmost sensibility how a Jewish family attempts
the impossible: to lead a normal life in Germany just a few years
after the Shoa."–Allgemeine Jüdische Wochenzeitung
Stefanie Zweig,
a novelist and journalist, was born to a Jewish family in Germany
in 1932, fled with her parents to rural Kenya in 1938, and returned
to Germany in 1947. Her autobiographical novels Nirgendwo
in Afrika and Irgendwo in Deutschland have become
European bestsellers.
Nirgendwo in Afrika was made into a film that won the
2003 U.S. Academy Award for Best Foreign Film and five 2002 Golden
Lola (German Film) Awards.
 This book is published
with support from the National Endowment for the Arts
For more information contact
our publicity manager, phone: (608) 263-0734, email: publicity@uwpress.wisc.edu
Of related interest
Nowhere in
Africa: An Autobiographical Novel
Stefanie Zweig
Translated by Marlies Comjean
With a new preface
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September 2006
LC: 2006006963 PT
272 pp. 6 x 9
ISBN: 978-0-299-21010-6
Cloth $24.95 t
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