Today's review is of Germany? Germany!, which is a collection of articles by a satirist of the Weimar era, Kurt Tucholsky. He covers a range of topics- everyday life, war, travel. Some articles were good, some were okay. Some were humorous comments on the human condition, and others I didn't understand (I can't help but think some wordplays and other points got lost in translation). As he wrote largely between the world wars, some insights were especially poignant and prophetic.
Tucholsky must have lived a tortured existence; he probably committed suicide at age 45, dying in Sweden before WWII. Like Thomas Mann (the last author I read), he seemed to have a largely negative outlook (at least from what I could gather from this collection), and no hope. I think he correctly understands and portrays the human condition, and without the Lord, that does indeed leave one hopeless.
Rating: B
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