Mr. Lehman

Author: Stefan Regener
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: Mr. Lehmann is a German-language literary selection in the annual Best Foreign Novel of the 21st Century award. The book portrays a carefree, unconventional bachelor—Frank Lehmann, a bartender at a bar in West Berlin—who, at the age of 30, is humorously nicknamed "Mr. Lehmann." Yet, on the eve of his birthday, his life undergoes subtle changes, and troubles pile up one after another. These troubles stem from dogs on the street, as well as from his parents, women, acquaintances, and friends. He struggles tirelessly to evade stray dogs; he falls in love only to experience heartbreak; for his friends, he risks everything, getting involved in fights; his parents visit Berlin, and his encounter with them on the way is both comical and absurd; when his close friend faces a mental breakdown and is left helpless, he goes all out to help; on the day he takes his friend to the hospital, his 30th birthday arrives quietly, and the Berlin Wall collapses. In the end, Mr. Lehmann departs from his readers, leaving them with a sense of confusion yet filled with the urge to reinvent himself.