Previously unpublished, this German postwar classic is one of the best books of this major writer, who died in 2014.
Siegfried Lenz, born in Lyck in East Prussia in 1926, is one of the
most important and widely read writers in postwar and present-day
European literature. During World War II he deserted the German
army and was briefly held as a prisoner of war. He published twelve
novels, including The German Lesson, and produced several
collections of short stories, essays, and plays. His works have won
numerous prizes, including the Goethe Prize and the German
Booksellers' Peace Prize.
John Cullen (1942-2021) is the translator of many books from
Spanish, French, German, and Italian, including Siegfried Lenz's
The Turncoat, Juli Zeh's Empty Hearts, Patrick Modiano's Villa
Triste, Kamel Daoud's The Meursault Investigation, and Philippe
Claudel's Brodeck.
“This antiwar satire would have been quite a shock to the system of
a wounded, divided postwar Germany…darkly
comic…explosive…persuasive.” —New York Times Book Review
“Lenz (1926–2014) effectively mines his experiences in the German
army for this memorable account…[His] meaningful exploration of
loyalty owed to one’s country and family is packed with thrills and
chills.” —Publishers Weekly
“Fully imagined and absolutely gripping…one can only marvel at that
spineless publisher who managed to stifle The Turncoat for over
fifty years. He really missed out on something.” —Arts Fuse
“It was so very hard for the victors in World War II to come home
and heal. For the defeated, there was untold shame, loss, and
humiliation. Never has the aftermath for Germans been better
depicted than in Siegfried Lenz’s elegiac, The Turncoat. A
newly discovered masterpiece.” —Alex Kershaw, New York Times
bestselling author of Avenue of Spies
“The Turncoat is eerily relevant and addresses the challenges
we face in America with the rise of authoritarianism and white
supremacy. Our hero Walter’s tale of love and adventure upends the
tropes of war literature to brilliant effect. Siegfried Lenz’s
prose combines grinding realism with bravura cinematic flourish.
This novel of men at arms draws power from the intricacies of the
human heart and conflicted truths therein.” —Gabe Hudson, author
of Dear Mr. President
“Compelling in its message, evocative in its prose, The
Turncoat is the sad story of mindless cruelty and chaos in
war—and of one soldier who flees evil. This is a book you’ll find
disturbing, but won’t be able to put down.” —Douglas Waller, author
of Wild Bill Donovan
“While the novel was way ahead of the curve in 1951, today it is
immensely relevant. Nationalist tendencies are on the rise all over
the globe, the desire for strong leaders and simple answers to
complex questions is more and more prevalent. The Turncoat deals
with issues that are highly urgent today; therefore, it is a novel
ripe for adaptation. Lenz has succeeded in facing these complex
questions of guilt and responsibility on a deeply human level. He
tells this through the viewpoint of his characters so we can not
only relate to and understand their emotions but live through them
as well.” —Florian Gallenberger, Academy Award–winning director
“First, this is quite a surprise, and second, after reading the
book, a sensation. The Turncoat is a brilliant novel, adding an
impressive work to Lenz’s output, and thus to German postwar
literature.” —Der Spiegel
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