Fabian lets himself be swept along by Berlin’s excessive nightlife, because despite the global economic crisis, the city still offers enough entertainment in dance clubs, bars, and brothels to distract him from his lack of work and prospects. Berlin presents itself as unrestrained and free, even as the noose that rising National Socialism is tightening around the city’s neck begins to tighten.
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On his nightly explorations, Fabian encounters love-hungry contemporaries, philosophizes about politics with his friend Labude over a few glasses of wine, and asks himself, “Where is the system in which I can function?”
At just 29 years old, Kästner creates protagonists for his novel who reflect anti-democratic currents, a deep social divide, and the search for one’s place in a capitalist world that no longer functions. An attitude toward life that resonates with our own time.
Lily Kuhlmann, who made her successful debut at the Vagantenbühne with *The Visit*, transforms the venue into a bar and immediately transports the audience to Berlin in the late 1920s.
IN GERMAN
