Franz Fühmann: The Jew Car

translated by Isabel Fargo Cole

Originally published in 1962, Franz Fühmann’s autobiographical story cycle The Jew Car is a classic of German short fiction and an unparalleled examination of the psychology of National Socialism. Each story presents a snapshot of a personal and historical turning point in the life of the narrator, beginning with childhood anti-Semitism, moving to the youthful embrace – and the ultimate rejection – of Nazi ideology. Reflecting on the nature of memory and the individual experience of history with scathing irony and hallucinatory intensity, the story cycle acquires the dimension of a novel.
 
German original published by Aufbau Verlag, Berlin, under the title Das Judenauto in 1962.