The Passenger: THE TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
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- Create Date：2021-10-09 00:52:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz
- ISBN：1782275401
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Summary
Deutschland im November 1938。 Otto Silbermanns Verwandte und Freunde sind verhaftet oder verschwunden。 Er selbst versucht， unsichtbar zu bleiben， nimmt Zug um Zug， reist quer durchs Land。 Inmitten des Ausnahmezustands。 Er beobachtet die Gleichgültigkeit der Masse， das Mitleid einiger Weniger。 Und auch die eigene Angst。
Der jüdische Kaufmann Otto Silbermann， ein angesehenes Mitglied der Gesellschaft， wird in Folge der Novemberpogrome aus seiner Wohnung vertrieben und um sein Geschäft gebracht。 Mit einer Aktentasche voll Geld， das er vor den Häschern des Naziregimes retten konnte， reist er ziellos umher。 Zunächst glaubt er noch， ins Ausland fliehen zu können。 Sein Versuch， illegal die Grenze zu überqueren， scheitert jedoch。 Also nimmt er Zuflucht in der Reichsbahn， verbringt seine Tage in Zügen， auf Bahnsteigen， in Bahnhofsrestaurants。 Er trifft auf Flüchtlinge und Nazis， auf gute wie auf schlechte Menschen。 Noch nie hat man die Atmosphäre im Deutschland dieser Zeit auf so unmittelbare Weise nachempfinden können。 Denn in den Gesprächen， die Silbermann führt und mithört， spiegelt sich eindrücklich die schreckenerregende Lebenswirklichkeit jener Tage。
Der jüdische Kaufmann Otto Silbermann， ein angesehenes Mitglied der Gesellschaft， wird in Folge der Novemberpogrome aus seiner Wohnung vertrieben und um sein Geschäft gebracht。 Mit einer Aktentasche voll Geld， das er vor den Häschern des Naziregimes retten konnte， reist er ziellos umher。 Zunächst glaubt er noch， ins Ausland fliehen zu können。 Sein Versuch， illegal die Grenze zu überqueren， scheitert jedoch。 Also nimmt er Zuflucht in der Reichsbahn， verbringt seine Tage in Zügen， auf Bahnsteigen， in Bahnhofsrestaurants。 Er trifft auf Flüchtlinge und Nazis， auf gute wie auf schlechte Menschen。 Noch nie hat man die Atmosphäre im Deutschland dieser Zeit auf so unmittelbare Weise nachempfinden können。 Denn in den Gesprächen， die Silbermann führt und mithört， spiegelt sich eindrücklich die schreckenerregende Lebenswirklichkeit jener Tage。
Reviews
Kelly Oullahan
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Difficult to read sometimes because it had been translated from German。 Interesting though given that the author wrote it in 1939 at the beginning of the war about displacement of Jewish people in Germany
Charlotte Mansergh
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This book surprised me， I ended up actually quite enjoying it despite this not being the type of book I normally read。 It sort of reads as a thriller， as you are eager to find out what happens。 As well as this， it is an eye opening read about the experiences Jewish people faced during the Second World War。 I found this aspect deeply emotional and thought provoking。 There were parts of this that were slower paced than others but equally there were passages of fast paced writing that really hooked This book surprised me， I ended up actually quite enjoying it despite this not being the type of book I normally read。 It sort of reads as a thriller， as you are eager to find out what happens。 As well as this， it is an eye opening read about the experiences Jewish people faced during the Second World War。 I found this aspect deeply emotional and thought provoking。 There were parts of this that were slower paced than others but equally there were passages of fast paced writing that really hooked you in。 I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy reading this type of book。 I would also say it is very interesting about how this book came to be published again and would definitely recommended researching this。 。。。more
John Keith
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Gripping， stirring and better than any history to understand the horror and absurdity of the pre war Nazi laws in Germany。
Lady R
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3。5 stars
Katy Wheatley
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Set in 1930's Berlin as the Third Reich's power takes hold， Otto Silberman finds himself fleeing from an enemy that has its tentacles everywhere。 His aryan friends become enemies， his Jewish friends become liabilities and still he runs， but it is increasingly clear that there is nowhere left to run to。 This is dizzying and frantic。 We share in Otto's horror as every avenue he explores becomes a dead end and Berlin， sitting at the centre of all of this， draws him inexorably backwards to his fate。 Set in 1930's Berlin as the Third Reich's power takes hold， Otto Silberman finds himself fleeing from an enemy that has its tentacles everywhere。 His aryan friends become enemies， his Jewish friends become liabilities and still he runs， but it is increasingly clear that there is nowhere left to run to。 This is dizzying and frantic。 We share in Otto's horror as every avenue he explores becomes a dead end and Berlin， sitting at the centre of all of this， draws him inexorably backwards to his fate。 The novel is written from Boschwitz' own experiences and published posthumously。 It has a Kafkaesque quality to it as the things Silberman takes for granted that should work for him， seem to rise up and work against him and he finds his options narrowing and his thoughts and actions become more frenzied。 。。。more
Sal
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A very thought provoking read
Melle
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Interesting read but kind of lost momentum halfway through
Rita Bookreader
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Very intense。 The background of the book is astonishing， written in a few weeks by a 27 year old author who didn’t live much longer。 The book surfaced much later。 He wrote it before the Holocaust was actually a reality。 Ultimately quite sad。
David
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A reminder of the damage the Nazi's inflicted on the Jewish population leading up to WW2。 Otto the principal character finds himself between a rock and a hard place as he tries to keep ahead of his protagonists。 A reminder of the damage the Nazi's inflicted on the Jewish population leading up to WW2。 Otto the principal character finds himself between a rock and a hard place as he tries to keep ahead of his protagonists。 。。。more
Christopher Jones
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Heartbreakingly phenomenal ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Led
，
It isn't unexpected to be hounded by suspicion， distrust， and paranoia entering this story。 Boschwitz's writing made that palpable with the terrific translation job by Boehm。 Boschwitz' personal background as a Jew and refugee himself added curiosity to it。Many have been told already about Nazi Germany but this is the first I've read to reflect on what a Jew could have thought then about their fellow。 I found this particular musing of the Jewish lead， Silbermann， too truthful a thought any perso It isn't unexpected to be hounded by suspicion， distrust， and paranoia entering this story。 Boschwitz's writing made that palpable with the terrific translation job by Boehm。 Boschwitz' personal background as a Jew and refugee himself added curiosity to it。Many have been told already about Nazi Germany but this is the first I've read to reflect on what a Jew could have thought then about their fellow。 I found this particular musing of the Jewish lead， Silbermann， too truthful a thought any person belonging to an oppressed group could have， then or now。 Blame must be to the oppressors， but emotions could affect us:（view spoiler）["There are too many Jews on the train， Silbermann thought。 And that puts every one of us in danger。 As it is I have all of you to thank for this: if you didn't exist I could live in peace。 But because you do， I'm forced to share your misfortune！ I'm no different from anybody else， but maybe you truly are different and I don't belong in your group。 I'm not one of you。 Indeed， if it weren't for you， they wouldn't be persecuting me。 I could remain a normal citizen。 But because you exist， I will be annihilated along with you。 And yet we really have nothing to do with one another！He considered such thoughts undignified but couldn't help thinking them。"And though hope's nearly lost at this part， I was enthused about Silbermann throwing this in the face of the police: "Perhaps it's also a Jewish joke [。。。] that I'm reporting a theft to the very people who are stealing all my rights。" （hide spoiler）]I can personally relate to what train rides afford one mentally， but for the life of me not the train lines in Manila during rush hour。 "One can travel to escape calm。 But one can also travel to find calm。" 。。。more
Kay
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I came across this book in the Instagram post of a Hong Konger in exile。 The story， inspired by the personal experience of the author and his family members from Germany 1938， portrays a haunting parallelism to the current plight of Hong Kongers （2020--）。 Juxtaposing Nazi Germany 1938 against Hong Kong （2019--）， astounding similarities come to light:Massive wave of immigration of German Jews to European countries between 1933 and 1939。 Mass exodus of Hong Kongers and （thankfully，） lifeboat schem I came across this book in the Instagram post of a Hong Konger in exile。 The story， inspired by the personal experience of the author and his family members from Germany 1938， portrays a haunting parallelism to the current plight of Hong Kongers （2020--）。 Juxtaposing Nazi Germany 1938 against Hong Kong （2019--）， astounding similarities come to light:Massive wave of immigration of German Jews to European countries between 1933 and 1939。 Mass exodus of Hong Kongers and （thankfully，） lifeboat schemes offered by Taiwan and various Western countries to these modern day “refugees。”Nazi Germany and its National Socialist Regime。 Communist China and its National Socialist Regime with Chinese characteristics。Berlin， just after Kristallnacht: Nazis everywhere， Jews being hounded， picked up， beaten， and arrested， their stores ransacked and vandalized， every Jew in Greater Germany terrorized。 Hong Kong， after its 2019 protests: Pro-democracy students， social workers， lawyers， professors， legislators， and regular citizens being arrested and interned for extended periods without trial。 The dissolution， persecution， and forced closure of pro-democracy groups， NGOs， and businesses。 Why didn’t you flee when you could easily have done so？ The answer couldn’t be more galling: because you thought things weren’t as bad as all that， because you continue to believe that this foul phase can’t possibly last much longer， because you cling to the conviction that Germany is still a democracy， not a madhouse。 In Silbermann’s words， we’re “in the middle of Europe， in the twentieth century！”—not some backwater where laws are the whims of the lawless。 Surely this can’t be happening。 Those Hong Kongers who have decided to stay might still be holding onto a fading hope and thus argue， “But Hong Kong is Asia's World City， a highly-ranked global financial center。 And this is the twentieth-first century！ Hong Kong is under the watchful eye of the world。 This can’t be happening。 China won’t dare！”In the preface， André Aciman writes， “This is 1938， and World War Two hasn’t erupted yet， but everyone knows it’s coming， and though no one has the merest foreboding that what’s about to happen will turn Europe into a slaughterhouse， Germany has already started its single-minded war against its Jews。 The death camps haven’t been built but concentration camps are already fully operational。” These are words that send bolts of shudders down one’s spine。 We’ve all heard of the millions of Uighurs imprisoned in the hundreds of concentration camps in Xinjiang。 Concentration， labor， and soon-to-be extermination camps that China euphemistically called re-education camps， detention centers， and prisons。 History has proven that no evil is beyond an ambitious dictator。 He must be halted。 。。。more
Debra
，
It was alright。
Karen
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I had to keep reminding myself that this was written in 1938。 I found this paricularly chilling - "But perhaps they'll carefully undress us first and then kill us， so our clothes won't get bloody and our banknotes won't get damaged。 These days murder is performed economically。" A book well worth reading。 I had to keep reminding myself that this was written in 1938。 I found this paricularly chilling - "But perhaps they'll carefully undress us first and then kill us， so our clothes won't get bloody and our banknotes won't get damaged。 These days murder is performed economically。" A book well worth reading。 。。。more
Chris
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This recently rediscovered novel chronicles the semi-biographical story of one man's descent into fear and madness as his life， family and business disintegrate following Kristallnacht。I found the story hard to read， simply because the extent to which Boschwitz's writing makes the circumstances of his character's fate seem so real， ultimately both scared and depressed me。First， to think how awful such circumstances would be to endure and second， to feel such anger and sorrow that many turned a b This recently rediscovered novel chronicles the semi-biographical story of one man's descent into fear and madness as his life， family and business disintegrate following Kristallnacht。I found the story hard to read， simply because the extent to which Boschwitz's writing makes the circumstances of his character's fate seem so real， ultimately both scared and depressed me。First， to think how awful such circumstances would be to endure and second， to feel such anger and sorrow that many turned a blind eye to the fate of the Jews in 1930's Germany。How could we have let this happen？A very tough read that should be on every secondary school curriculum。 。。。more
Keval
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was a heartbreaking experience on so many levels。 You have a Hitchcockian protagonist who goes from being a regular middle-class merchant to a fugitive in one fell swoop， hopping from one train to the next to buy himself time - from arrest， a concentration camp， death， a possible way out of the country。 Yet he can’t be sure of his fate。 Things might get better， as they always do， no？ Time and again this theme has repeated itself in popular culture to explain why people didn’t leave the firs This was a heartbreaking experience on so many levels。 You have a Hitchcockian protagonist who goes from being a regular middle-class merchant to a fugitive in one fell swoop， hopping from one train to the next to buy himself time - from arrest， a concentration camp， death， a possible way out of the country。 Yet he can’t be sure of his fate。 Things might get better， as they always do， no？ Time and again this theme has repeated itself in popular culture to explain why people didn’t leave the first chance they got: things would calm down and life would go back to normal。Mirroring the circumstances of the character Otto Silbermann is the author， who wrote this book in barely four weeks after Kristallnacht。 The author eventually lost his life at the age of 27， taking with him revisions to the story。 But stories are like secrets， they can’t stay buried forever。 As a character， Silbermann could be any one of us who thinks “bad things won’t happen to me” because we are law-abiding， we keep our heads down， and don’t fit the physical description of the persecuted。 He unfortunately has to let go of these delusions as he seems to descend into madness。 And who can blame him anyway？ I shudder to imagine how I would respond in such a claustrophobic situation。 。。。more
Woody
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This lost novel moves at a frenetic pace。 If you are prone to paranoia， this won't help！ This lost novel moves at a frenetic pace。 If you are prone to paranoia， this won't help！ 。。。more
Florian Bachofner
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Wenn ich ein frommer Jude wäre， dann würde ich sagen: Das ist mir alles wurscht。 Aber ich bin keiner。 Ich war im Krieg， mir kann keiner mehr was erzählen。 S。 138
Sean Farrell
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Reminiscent of The Thirty Nine Steps though with significantly more serious themes。 A unique insight into the early stages of what would become a catastrophic event。 I enjoyed it as a thriller， but more as an education。
Ruth Dipple
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This novel follows a German Jewish business man in the days following Kristallnacht。 It's an exploration of the psychological state of a desperate person， embodied in his endless and increasingly random train journeys and the encounters he has with various people。 It seems disjointed， and there is not much attempt to develop characters。I appreciated it as a firsthand attempt to convey the hopelessness of Jewish Germans at this time， but as literature it felt quite clumsy。 This may be because it This novel follows a German Jewish business man in the days following Kristallnacht。 It's an exploration of the psychological state of a desperate person， embodied in his endless and increasingly random train journeys and the encounters he has with various people。 It seems disjointed， and there is not much attempt to develop characters。I appreciated it as a firsthand attempt to convey the hopelessness of Jewish Germans at this time， but as literature it felt quite clumsy。 This may be because it was a translation， which inevitably loses something。 But as a testimony it stands witness to the thinness of the veneer of civilisation， which has echoes today。 。。。more
CW Howell
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Tense story of Jew trying to get out of Germany in late 1930s after having been betrayed by his Aryan partner。 Sad story that the author died so young。 Would have been interested in how he saw later Germany。
Emily Robinson
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I picked this up because I thought it was the source material for the opera The Passenger that was done at Houston Grand Opera in 2014。 I was completely incorrect。This is one of those interesting manuscripts that was written before WWII had officially started， but had never gotten published until very recently。The whole book is Kafka-esque in the main character's mad dash to keep himself and his money safe as all male Jews in Berlin are arrested。 He's not the most ingratiating character， but his I picked this up because I thought it was the source material for the opera The Passenger that was done at Houston Grand Opera in 2014。 I was completely incorrect。This is one of those interesting manuscripts that was written before WWII had officially started， but had never gotten published until very recently。The whole book is Kafka-esque in the main character's mad dash to keep himself and his money safe as all male Jews in Berlin are arrested。 He's not the most ingratiating character， but his devolving panic as all his former friends and business associates abandon him is relatable。 The author did not yet know of the horrors that were to come， but was able to guess the direction that it would go。All that is to say that the writing was clearly on the wall in 1938 and the world chose to ignore it。 Just as we continue to choose to ignore the horrors of today。 。。。more
Becky Langston
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A most interesting book on one man's journey on trying to escape the Nazi Germany but within the 3 days of crisscrossing from train to train the constant of what to do， when to do it， how to do it replaying constantly in your mind is enough to drive anyone mad。 The basic animal instinct of survival in a modern mind， to pretend to not be a Jew would give him the chance to live a little normal but the could he really give up what he was born to be。 A most interesting book on one man's journey on trying to escape the Nazi Germany but within the 3 days of crisscrossing from train to train the constant of what to do， when to do it， how to do it replaying constantly in your mind is enough to drive anyone mad。 The basic animal instinct of survival in a modern mind， to pretend to not be a Jew would give him the chance to live a little normal but the could he really give up what he was born to be。 。。。more
Ian
，
A taut tale that traces the fortunes of a German Jew - Otto Silberman- as he tries to flee from the events of Kristallnacht。 A series of increasingly desperate approaches ensue via。 the railways of Germany as the tension ratchets up， as Silberman’s character becomes increasingly ragged and reckless， and as the societal attitudes to the Jewish people are played out in the characters that Otto encounters along the way。 Silberman is not without his flaws， a far from perfect human being， but I found A taut tale that traces the fortunes of a German Jew - Otto Silberman- as he tries to flee from the events of Kristallnacht。 A series of increasingly desperate approaches ensue via。 the railways of Germany as the tension ratchets up， as Silberman’s character becomes increasingly ragged and reckless， and as the societal attitudes to the Jewish people are played out in the characters that Otto encounters along the way。 Silberman is not without his flaws， a far from perfect human being， but I found myself willing him to a successful conclusion， even as the events engulfing him come to feel increasingly hopeless。 Whilst this is a novel， it was written contemporaneously by an in-exile German Jew （who himself has a tragic backstory） and leaves you with a real impression of what that episode in history must have felt like for the individuals caught up in the huge injustice of it all。 。。。more
Philip
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A dark but compelling journey through the hell of a society devouring itself。 A German Jewish war veteran of the army in the first World War and successful businessman flees his home just ahead of the SA leaving his Christian wife behind。 Betrayed by his wartine comrade and long term friend who grabs his business and money he embarks on a series of train journeys through Germany that expose him to a snapshot of German society。 A powerful book that exposes the banality of the evil that entered th A dark but compelling journey through the hell of a society devouring itself。 A German Jewish war veteran of the army in the first World War and successful businessman flees his home just ahead of the SA leaving his Christian wife behind。 Betrayed by his wartine comrade and long term friend who grabs his business and money he embarks on a series of train journeys through Germany that expose him to a snapshot of German society。 A powerful book that exposes the banality of the evil that entered the hearts and minds of ordinary people in Germany during the Nazi era。 。。。more
John Hatley
，
This astonishing story in its own right， the story around the writing of it and the story of its young author combine to make this one of the saddest， most tragic and best books I've read in a very long time。 The protagonist， Otto Silbermann， travels back and forth across Germany in a desperate attempt to escape Nazi terror。 This astonishing story in its own right， the story around the writing of it and the story of its young author combine to make this one of the saddest， most tragic and best books I've read in a very long time。 The protagonist， Otto Silbermann， travels back and forth across Germany in a desperate attempt to escape Nazi terror。 。。。more
Ted Farrell
，
This is an extraordinary， moving story about a Jew trapped in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s。 The fact that the author was so young and that he planned significant improvement to the text in no way reduces its impact。 That he should have lost his life by drowning and with it， detailed notes for revision of the work adds to the awful tragedy of those dark times。 It is ironic that the suffering of the principal character in the book pales into insignificance compared to the， at that time unimagina This is an extraordinary， moving story about a Jew trapped in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s。 The fact that the author was so young and that he planned significant improvement to the text in no way reduces its impact。 That he should have lost his life by drowning and with it， detailed notes for revision of the work adds to the awful tragedy of those dark times。 It is ironic that the suffering of the principal character in the book pales into insignificance compared to the， at that time unimaginable evil yet to come， of the death camps。 。。。more
Jo Birkett
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Borrowed at a busy time & it had to go back to the library so unfinished but it did the job of showing the desperation of being caught in a death trap， scuttling from one possible escape route to another， focus reducing to appearing calm to avoid attracting attention whilst constantly fearing exposure。 Grim。
Phillipa Ward
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So relatable， the unbelievable madness that ensues as you battle to survive unaffected， rejected， hiding your true self， never knowing who is on which side。 To survive is to overcome， it takes courage to live and only despair to commit suicide。
J。J。
，