{"product_id":"death-in-rome","title":"Death in Rome","description":"\u003cp\u003eBy Wolfgang Koeppen\u003cbr\u003eTranslated by Michael Hofmann\u003cbr\u003eWith a contribution by Joshua Cohen\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A triumph, a gem of postwar German literature that has remained obscure in the Anglophone world for too long... Ribald, irreverent, cutting, rhapsodic, and ultimately devastating portraits of German amnesia and hypocrisy.\" —Becca Rothfeld, \u003cem\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"The reader closes \u003cem\u003eDeath in Rome\u003c\/em\u003e not knowing whether he has just witnessed a murder or the creation of a masterpiece. The answer is: both\" \u003cem\u003e—The New York Times\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\"In a brilliant translation of this great German novel, Michael Hofmann has illuminated a dark corner of recent European history. A forgotten masterpiece.\" \u003cem\u003e—The Evening Standard\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOn the anniversary of Wolfgang Koeppen’s 120th year, the two remaining works in his postwar trilogy, now available again in Michael Hofmann’s spectacular translation.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDeath in Rome\u003c\/em\u003e tells the story of four members of a German family—a former SS officer, a young man preparing for the priesthood, a composer, and a government administrator—reunited by chance in the decaying beauty of postwar Rome. A chilling account of Nazis after the war, here the older generation is resentful but not repentant. From the old unreconstructed Nazi officer Judejahn (the name has a suggestion of “Jew hunter”) to the young and apparently gay priest, from the supposedly reformed Mayor to the acclaimed but haunted young composer Siegfried, no clear hope emerges. And amid haunting flashbacks and against the shadows of Rome with its imperial echoes, the darkness is alive. Brace yourself: the novel takes place over a two-day period, mostly at night, and it's certain that the present will be governed by the past, if you let it. \u003cem\u003eIn Death in Rome\u003c\/em\u003e, Koeppen amply demonstrates that evil doesn't simply cease once it loses a war—it seeps out, hungry to exist in other forms. And as Siegfried confesses: “In my daydreams and nightmares I see the Browns and the nationalist idiocy on the march again.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDeath in Rome\u003c\/em\u003e—following \u003cem\u003ePigeons on the Grass\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Hothouse\u003c\/em\u003e— blazingly concludes Koeppen’s masterful trilogy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaperback\u003cbr\u003e224 pages\u003cbr\u003eNew Directions, 2026\u003cbr\u003eOriginally published in 1954\u003cbr\u003e5 x 8 x 0.5 inches\u003cbr\u003eISBN 9780811240024\u003cbr\u003eFiction \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"vendor-unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67592213168296,"sku":"9780811240024","price":14.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0175\/8594\/files\/Death-in-Rome_Wolfgang-Koeppen.jpg?v=1791063012","url":"https:\/\/neue-galerie-design-shop.myshopify.com\/products\/death-in-rome","provider":"Neue Galerie Design Shop \u0026 Book Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}