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From Norman Moonbloom:
> Dear Mr Godwin, Let me first thank you for your truly valiant attempts to bring the shamefully neglected Alfred Doblin to a wider reading public. My first encounter with Doblin was back in the early nineteen-seventies when I stumbled across the Eugene Jolas translation of Berlin Alexanderplatz in a charming little secondhand bookshop (a translation that I still prefer to the more recent translation by Michael Hofmann, although this may be be based more on sentimental reasons rather than intellectual). Nevertheless, the surprises found inside this novel were complete and unforgettable. I desperately attempted to find more works by this outstanding writer only to discover, to my dismay, that only one other novel had been translated into English. That novel was Men Without Mercy. I finally unearthed a copy of this work, at great expense, and while it may not be a genuinely great novel it is genuinely an interesting one, but then it would seem that Doblin was incapable of writing an uninteresting work. Unfortunately I was forced to wait a number of long years until John E. Woods translated A People Betrayed and Karl and Rosa, which was quickly followed by Tales of a Long Night translated by Robert and Rita Kimber. At this time I was exceedingly optimistic that this was the beginning of the resurrection of Alfred Doblin’s novels. The longed for resurrection, however, never eventuated. it was not until your translation of The Three Leaps of Wang Lung came into existence that Doblin once again seemed to be receiving the recognition he so greatly deserves. Now I discover that you have had difficulty in finding a publisher for your translations of Amazonas, Wallenstein, Mountains Seas and Giants as well as Manas. I would weep, but the fact that you have given readers the opportunity to read these wonderful works by Doblin gives me hope. I will end my praise of Mr. Godwin and Alfred Doblin on a selfish note. Having been truly absorbed by Doblin’s Wallenstein when will book four, five and six be completed, and are you thinking of translating Wadzek’s Battle with the Steam Turbine as well as The Black Curtain? Once more thank you for helping bring Alfred Doblin into the English reading world.
Norman
>

Amazing job, Chris!

Thank you so much, Mr. Godwin.
At last I can find the Doblin’s complete Amazon trilogy in a language I can read.
I do have the first two volumes of the Spanish version. The third volume exists, but is hard to find.
I am reading your excellent translation of The Three Leaps of Wang Lun.

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Alfred Döblin!