Epic Worlds of Alfred Döblin

In this episode we discuss a topic still mostly avoided by Döblin scholars: his 35 year liaison with Yolla Niclas. How did it affect Alfred, Yolla and Erna? What impact did it have on Döblin's creativity? For further downloads including show transcripts and other translations visit www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com

Döblin's conversion to Roman Catholicism in 1942 was a very risky move, likely to offend both Jews and secular artists/ writers. Here we look into the long prehistory of Alfred’s thinking about the individual’s place in the Cosmos, and the impact on his posthumous reputation. For further downloads including show transcripts and other translations visit www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com

A giant of modern European literature and thought, encounters Tinseltown – a lifeline for his family’s new exile existence, but an industrial-scale locus of “fraudulent wordsmithery”. And he narrowly misses out on an Oscar! For further downloads, extracts and the show transcript visit www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com

In the summer of 1940 the Döblin family had to flee ahead of invading German forces, desperately casting about for safe haven options. Alfred, separated for weeks from his wife Erna and their youngest son – and with no news of two other sons serving in the French Army – suffered near-total physical, mental and spiritual collapse. Erna’s decision to aim for the USA required only the gathering of exit permits, entry visas, travel money, boat tickets … all against a fast-ticking clock. For further downloads, extracts and the show transcript visit www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com

A settled-unsettled existence. How did Döblin apply his energies? How did he relate to various exile communities? And why, in his only meeting with James Joyce, did the two men “stare at one another and say nothing”? For further downloads, extracts and the show transcript visit www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com

We begin Season 2 with the nerve-wracking three days when Germany was turned upside down, and upstanding citizen Alfred Döblin had to flee for his life to safety in Switzerland - the start of what became 12 years of exile. Cloak-and-dagger action, and rapidly changing moods. For further downloads and extracts visit www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com

In this final episode of Season 1, we follow momentous changes in Döblin’s life as the Wall Street Crash causes economic havoc, while the unexpected windfall from Berlin Alexanderplatz enables the family to move to classy Berlin West – meaning an end to Alfred’s medical practice. For further downloads and extracts visit www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com

In this episode we investigate the epic that brought Döblin to worldwide attention: Berlin Alexanderplatz. What led him to this remarkable work? How did he conjure up such a vivid noisy panorama of the Big City? How was it received? What impact did it have on his own life? And what challenges did it pose for translators? For further downloads visit www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com If you would like to send us your questions please do so via the website link.

We discuss the most neglected of Döblin’s nine epic fictions: the verse epic set in a mythical Himalaya/North India. How did he come to this unusual format? How was it received? What’s it about? And why does Chris the translator feel so strongly about its neglect? The Reading presents a gripping dramatic episode on Shiva’s Field of the Dead. For more information and further downloads visit www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com

The 1920s were the peak decade in Alfred Döblin’s life and career. Between 1919 (the end of the First World War) and 1929 (the publication of Berlin Alexanderplatz) he was triply engaged: as a writer; an activist; and a family man. We discuss living conditions in Berlin; the political ferment; troubles with censors; and family life. The Reading comes from a 1930 radio broadcast in which Döblin speaks frankly of his creativity and his deep affection for Berlin. For more information and downloads visit www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com

The 27th century; techno-hubris and disaster. Döblin’s third great epic is a notable departure after his two previous epic ventures into history. We discuss the intense pressure that almost led the writer to a nervous breakdown; the complex structure of the novel; and the absolutely not-to-be-missed Iceland-Greenland venture. Visit www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com for lots more Döblin related material. You can even leave questions for us to answer.

The ‘damburst of creative energy’ that led to Döblin’s first great epic novel The Three Leaps of Wang Lun coincided with big changes in his life: newly married, setting up his own medical practice, engaged in vigorous debates with other Modernist writers. In this episode we track Döblin’s life during wartime; his next creative project: the huge epic Wallenstein, set during Europe’s 17th century Great War; and his reaction to the chaos of defeat and revolution. www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com for further translated works and transcripts. Here you can also message Chris with your Döblin related questions.

18th century China untouched by the West could hardly be more remote from pre-WW1 Berlin. Yet critics were astonished by Döblin’s convincing depiction of an alien culture despite never having set foot in China. This episode endeavours to answer the following questions: How did Döblin select this theme? How did he research for it? What was the response from critics and the public? For more information and further reading visit www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com

In this first of several biographical episodes, we discuss Döblin’s childhood in provincial Stettin, the family disaster when he was 10 years old, his introduction to Big City Berlin, and his fraught relationship with the Prussian school system. For further information and transcripts see www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com

Nine epic novels stand out for their scope and ambition amid Döblin’s enormous output of novels, short stories, plays, reviews, and essays on politics and literature. Each epic presents a vivid, three-dimensional world in powerful language that penetrates below the surface to deeper realities. The varied settings (18th century China; Europe in the Thirty Years War; techno-hubris in the 27th century; …) all present responses to a persistent concern: the place of individuals in societies and in the world. For more information including transcripts visit www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com

Never heard of Alfred Döblin? You’re in good company – he’s the least known of the great German writers of the 20th century. Döblin’s reputation has grown steadily in the past few decades. English translations of his great epic novels are at last starting to appear. So this is a good time to introduce Adventurous Readers to the man, the writer, and his tumultuous times. In this episode we give an overview of who he was and why he matters in the 21st Century. www.beyond-alexanderplatz.com