Those of us – we few, we happy few – who have discovered Alfred Döblin can by any measure be termed Adventurous Readers. Many more would embark on the adventure, if only they had a map and compass, and some rations to sustain them along the way.
ADVENTUROUS READERS
Those of us – we few, we happy few – who have discovered Alfred Döblin can by any measure be termed Adventurous Readers. Many more would embark on the adventure, if only they had a map and compass, and some rations to sustain them along the way.
Let me first apologise to anyone who has visited the website in 2023 in the hope of finding new posts, and left disappointed.
This is my first post since late 2022.
Once I’d scored a Full House by completing my seventh translation of a Döblin epic (the missing first volume of November 1918), the time had come to sit back, take stock, allow thoughts to simmer away subconsciously with a vague hope (or intuition) that the world-spirit would speak, pointing to further tasks to bring Döblin within reach of a wider public.
And the world-spirit did speak!
In February I received, out of the blue, an email from Francis Doblin, the last grandchild who actually remembers meeting Alfred. He too is anxious to make his grandfather’s works better known, and is actively securing translations in several languages, liaising with potential film documentary makers, and other lines of promotion. I expressed my view: that a good way forward would be via audio-visual media, graphic novels, and other formats attractive to a younger generation. I doubted I could take on such projects.
But – early in the life of this website I posted a series of Themed Excerpts from the epics, in a format that sorely needed tidying up and expanding with more recent translations. When I mentioned this at a recent family dinner, my daughter-in-law Katie suggested: “Why not start a podcast?” She has some experience of podcasting, and is also a talented graphic artist. We came up with the title: EPIC WORLDS OF ALFRED DÖBLIN. (Maybe Star Trek fans will be lured in …!)
Fired up (and a little terrified) by the idea, I first needed to finish the new edition of Themed Excerpts. As I did so, the idea came: why not make it the first title in a series of ADVENTUROUS READER GUIDES? I was already collecting introductions and reviews to compile into another neat package: that would be the second title in the series.
So, here for your enjoyment and delectation are two downloads:
THE ADVENTUROUS READER’S GUIDE to the Epic Worlds of ALFRED DÖBLIN:
Volume #2# Introductions and Reactions
And the podcast? … Fingers crossed, we’ll have the first few episodes out before Christmas.
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