When The Quest for Christa T. was first published in East Germany in 1968, there was an immediate storm: bookshops in East Berlin were given instructions to sell it only to well-known customers professionally involved in literary matters; at the annual meeting of East German Writers Conference, Mrs Wolf's new book was condemmed. Yet the novel has nothing explicitly to do with politics.Praise for The Quest for Christa T.On the surface we merely have the story of a sensitive woman as recalled by her friend. On this level Christa T. was a good citizen who did as she was told and lived a seemingly unexceptional life. But between the lines lies the real story of Christa T. -- the story of an individual crushed by the pressures of uniformity. If you bear in mind it is the first novel of any consequence to emerge from Ulbricht's East Germany, then it becomes something of a literary landmark. - John Barkman, New York PostThe contours of silence and the outline of things articulately left unsaid loom large in the muted brilliance of this novel. - Ernst Pawek, The New York Review of BooksIt is a courageous book that breaks taboos and, as we have come to expect from Christa Wolf, it is infused with an integrity and a deep moral concern. . . - The (London) Times Literary Supplement
Amina Pandolfi Book order (chronological)






The end of Summer
- 176 pages
- 7 hours of reading
Jane did not want to leave Scotland and her cousin Sinclair, but her father took her to California. Some time later, a handsome man arrived at her door to "take her home to Scotland."
Under Gemini
- 297 pages
- 11 hours of reading
It seems like an innocent deception. All Flora has to do is play the part of Rose, her long lost twin, for one weekend and to meet the family of Rose's fiance. But when Flora is introduced to the Armstrong family, she realizes that she has inherited the secret scandal Rose created five years before--and has left wounds that turn the man Flora loves against her. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
Small, fat Bastian Balthazar Bux is nobody's idea of a hero, least of all his own, until he finds himself stepping through the pages of a mysterious book into the world of Fantastica! Age 9+ 148 pages
Some authors tell tragic stories with humor, as Heinrich Böll does in his novel "The Clown." This work narrates in the first person the life of Hans Schnier, an apolitical and agnostic young clown who faces a series of adversities: his career collapses, his health and spirits wane, and he finds himself alone in a hotel with few resources and friends. The situation worsens when his wife, Marie, leaves him, prompting him to reflect on his life and the reasons behind their separation. Böll places Schnier in a post-war Germany, marked by rigid social morals and ecclesiastical hypocrisy that he critiques through his protagonist. Throughout the novel, Schnier shares his thoughts, memories, and conversations in search of support, often clashing with euphemistic individuals. Böll, a fervent Catholic and Nobel Prize winner in Literature, portrays the complexity of the clown's existence, showing that behind laughter can lie a life full of suffering. His melancholic, ironic, and raw style invites reflection on the duality between appearance and reality.
Simultan
- 213 pages
- 8 hours of reading
Ingeborg Bachmann veröffentlichte 1972 mit "Simultan" ihren zweiten Erzählungsband, der ihre letzte Buchveröffentlichung seit dem Ende der sechziger Jahre parallel zu den Arbeiten am "Todesarten" Projekt war. Mit diesem haben sie das Thema der von der Männergesellschaft verletzten, im Leben behinderten Frau gemeinsam. In der umfangreichsten Erzählung des Bandes, "Drei Wege zum See," findet sich denn auch der vorläufig abschliessende Satz sum Patriarchat: "...solange es diesen Neuen Mann nicht gab, konnte man nur freundlich sein und gut zueinander, eine Weile. Mehr war nicht daraus zu machen, und es sollten die Frauen und die Männer am besten Abstand halten..."
September
- 616 pages
- 22 hours of reading
As spring comes to Scotland and the hills burst into life, a dance is planned for September. The invitations summon home the group of people Violet Aird has cared for most in her long life. The oldest, strongest and wisest of them all, she sees Alexa, her vulnerable granddaughter, find love for the first time, while the decision to send her little grandson away to school is driving parents Edmund and Virginia even further apart. Far from them all is Pandora, the glamorous, exciting girl who ran away twenty years before. All will converge on Scotland this September.
The Tongue Set Free
- 278 pages
- 10 hours of reading
Elias Canetti, winner of the 1981 Nobel Prize in Literature, was one of the major intellectual figures and polymaths of the twentieth century. A master of many genres, he is known especially for his novel, Auto da Fe , and his great work of social theory, Crowds and Power . But Canetti's genius is perhaps nowhere more evident than in the three volumes of his autobiography. This first volume, Tongue Set Free , provides a searching portrait of the author's personal background and creative development as it presents the events, personalities (especially Canetti's mother), and intellectual forces that shaped the growth of the artist as a young man. Winner of the 1981 Nobel Prize, this first volume of the author's autobiography provides a searching portrait of his personal background and creative development.
Il mistero del metrò
- 178 pages
- 7 hours of reading
Le lunghe gallerie della metropolitana di Londra sono, per la dodicenne Jess, un immenso luna park: il suo passatempo preferito, infatti, è viaggiare avanti e indietro senza biglietto, all'insaputa di sua madre. Ma sui treni del metrò si possono fare strani incontri e la ragazzina, che ha fatto amicizia con una simpatica sconosciuta, si trova ben presto implicata in una faccenda poco chiara, da cui non sa come uscire. E sarebbero guai, se un cuginetto sveglio e un'amica intraprendente non le dessero una mano...


