Blood Brothers

An enthralling and significant novel, authentic in its gritty documentary detail… This raw honesty, along with Michael Hofmann’s masterly translation… makes the book so contemporary and vital – Rory MacLean * Financial Times *
An astonishing novel, every bit as astonishing in a different way as Fallada’s Alone in Berlin, and deserves to have the same success * Scotsman *
The characters are engaging, and multidimensional. You care what happens to them * Wall Street Journal *
Like a karate chop: hard and direct, but true * Der Spiegel *
A real discovery * Literarische Welt *
An enjoyable and worthwhile read, which I heartily recommend – Mandy Jenkinson * Nudge *
not only a good read, but an important piece of literature – Fran Slater * Bookmunch *
Michael Hofmann’s translation eloquently conveys the pungent fragility of life on the Berlin streets – Jane Shilling * New Statesman *
The staccato beat of Haffner’s short and concise narrative arches, deftly rendered into English by Michael Hofmann’s typically dexterous translation, is never anything but gripping… Had Blood Brothers been rediscovered earlier, it should have found its rightful place next to Erich Kästner’s Emil and the Detectives and Fritz Lang’s film M: a City Looks for a Murderer. – Philip Oltermann * New Statesman *
His novel thoroughly deserves its second life. – James Smart * Guardian *

Ernst Haffner was a journalist and social worker. His only known novel, Blood Brothers, was published to wide acclaim in 1932, before it was banned by the Nazis one year later. In the 1940s, all records of Haffner disappeared. His fate during the Second World War remains unknown.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.