Ferdinand, the Man with the Kind Heart

by Irmgard Keun

Michael Hofmann (Translator)

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Book cover for Ferdinand, the Man with the Kind Heart

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'A great writer' Ali Smith

Newly translated by Michael Hofmann, the touching final novel from the author of Child of All Nations

'I don't think I'm that unusual, and I don't think I'm crazy either'

Bombed-out Cologne after the war is a strange place to be. The black market in jam and corsets is booming, half-destroyed houses offer opportunities for stealing doors and eggcups, and de-Nazification parties are all the rage. Ferdinand - daydreamer, former prisoner of war, wearer of a curious jerkin - drifts around the city, observing life's absurdities, strenuously avoiding his fiancée and drinking brandy with his fabulous cousin. When he gets a job as a 'cheerful adviser' to those down on their luck, will Ferdinand's fortunes change too?
Irmgard Keun's exuberantly funny and touching final novel takes the tiny moments of triumph and defeat in one man's life, and turns them into a moving portrait of the human spirit.

  • ISBN10 0241441331
  • ISBN13 9780241441336
  • Publish Date 1 April 2021 (first published 8 December 2020)
  • Publish Status Active
  • Publish Country GB
  • Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
  • Imprint Penguin Classics
  • Format Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
  • Pages 192
  • Language English