Status
Available
Genres
Publication
San Diego : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1989, c1987.
Description
A female rat engages the narrator in a series of dialogues-convincingly demonstrating to him that the rats will inherit a devastated earth. Dreams alternate with reality in this story within a story within a story. Translated by Ralph Manheim. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book
User reviews
LibraryThing member jonfaith
Flying across the Atlantic in 1997 Two Frenchmen noticed me reading The Rat, both were already quite drunk and fuelling their mirth with minibottle cocktails which they pored into Coke cans. One held his nose and said something the other began laughing and mumbled something in a thickened voice,
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the word nazi may have been in there. I can't really say. I put on my headphones and attempted to ignore them, hoping the airport security would stomp them upon arrival. No, I didn't think that. I was hoping they'd leave me alone. They did. I finished the novel in Rome and was astonished. The return of Oskar and the idea of image as document was remarkable. Such were a few of The Rat's favorite things, including Hansel and Gretel being besieged by acid rain and mutually assured destruction as a lullaby. Show Less
Awards
Schlegel-Tieck Prize (Winner — 1988)
Language
Original language
German