Timur Vermes - Look Who's Back

Of the other historical figures referred to in the novel, the best known may be Wernher von Braun (1912–77),the “father of rocket science”, who took the decision to surrender to the Americans rather than Russians in 1945, and whose work was partially responsible for the moon landings in 1969. Konrad Zuse (1910–95)was another German engineer, who is often credited with being the inventor of the computer. The wily Franz von Papen (1879–1969)was surprised to find himself on trial with Göring et al. at Nuremberg, as he was a representative of Germany’s old conservative elite rather than a Nazi, one of the faction which believed it could manipulate Hitler and use the mass appeal of National Socialism to further its own ends. A key player in smoothing the way for Anschluss in 1938, von Papen then spent most of the war as ambassador to Turkey. Acquitted at Nuremberg, von Papen did a short spell in prison after being convicted by a German court. Hjalmar Schacht (1877–1970)was likewise acquitted at Nuremberg, having been ousted as minister of economics in 1937. A decade earlier, Schacht’s efforts had helped put an end to the hyperinflation in Germany. Erich Kempka (1910–75)was the Führer’s chauffeur from 1934 to 1945, and one of those tasked with burning Hitler’s and Eva Braun’s bodies after they committed suicide. Adam Müller (1884–1945)was a publisher and also ran a printing firm, which was responsible for both Mein Kampf and the official Nazi paper, the Völkischer Beobachter . He hanged himself in his cell after being arrested by the Americans. Josef Stolzing-Cerny (1869–1942)was a journalist who wrote for the Völkischer Beobachter and who read a draft of Mein Kampf . Fritz Todt (1891–1942),who died in a plane crash during the war, was an engineer involved in the building of the German Autobahnen (motorways) after 1933. Later, his Todt Organisation, whose staff included Friedrich Tamms (1904–80),built the defensive line in the West, as well as Hitler’s military H.Q. on the Eastern Front, the Wolf’s Lair. The Jewish Tietzfamily introduced the department store to Germany and established the Kaufhof chain, which is still going strong. Theodor Morrell (1886–1948)was Hitler’s personal physician, known for his unconventional treatments. Morbidly obese, he died from a stroke. Leni Riefenstahl (1902–2003)has been called the greatest female filmmaker of the twentieth century. She became mesmerised with Hitler in the early 1930s and produced a number of impressive propaganda films for the Nazis, most famously Triumph of the Will . Also a photographer, dancer and actress, she went on to have a long and successful career after the war, although to many her legacy is tainted by her association with the Nazi regime. Heinrich Hoffmann (1885–1957)met Hitler in 1919 and soon became the Nazi Party’s official photographer. Eva Braun worked in his studio, which is how she came to know Adolf. Geli Raubal (1908–31)was Hitler’s half-niece with whom he lived from 1929 until her suicide two years later. Hitler adored Geli and was a domineering presence in her life, keeping a close watch on her every move. Traudl Junge (1920–2002)was the Führer’s secretary from December 1942 until his death. The film Downfall was based on her recollections of the last days of the Reich.

The conversation between the teenage boys in the dry cleaner’s will probably leave the non-German reader as much at a loss as it does Hitler, and some clarification here may be helpful. “Stromberg” is a popular German comedy which has so far run to five series. Inspired by the B.B.C. hit “The Office”, it stars Christoph Maria Herbst, who for his performance as Bernd Stromberg won the same Adolf Grimme Prize that Hitler is awarded in the novel. Coincidentally, Herbst also narrated the German audiobook of Look Who’s Back . The “ other Stromberg” refers to a send-up that was a regular feature on “Switch reloaded”, a parody show on German television. In it, the Stromberg character becomes a rather ineffectual Hitler figure, trying to solve the problems of the Third Reich from his “office” on the Obersalzberg in the Bavarian Alps. Stefan Raab, Harald Schmidtand Hape Kerkelingare mentioned in the same breath early in the novel. All three are well-known figures of television comedy and recipients of the Adolf Grimme Prize. Amongst other things, Raab has hosted a German talent show; he also composed and performed the forgettable “Wadde hadde dude da” at the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest, somehow finishing fifth. Schmidt hosted a late-night chat show on German television where he would occasionally do Hitler impersonations. Kerkeling has appeared in many comedy shows and once almost succeeded in gaining entrance to the official residence of the German president when he dressed up as Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Mario Barthand Ingo Appeltare both veterans of the German comedy scene, while Atze Schröderis a fictitious character whose performer refuses to reveal his true identity and has successfully defended his right to remain anonymous in court.

Finally, a guide to the acronyms dotted liberally throughout the book. The full name of the Nazi Party was the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers’ Party) or N.S.D.A.P.Readers may well be familiar with the Nazi organisations of the S.A.(Sturmabteilung) and particularly the S.S.(Schutzstaffel). The former, under Ernst Röhm, was the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi party, its thuggish stormtroopers in their trademark brown shirts regularly beating up political opponents on the left. After the 1934 purge, however, the organisation was eclipsed by Himmler’s S.S., which became one of the most powerful entities in Nazi Germany and was in great measure responsible for the worst humanitarian crimes committed in the Third Reich. The D.N.V.P.(Deutschnationale Volkspartei) was another nationalist party in inter-war Germany with a more conservative and thus smaller following than the Nazis. Believing it could piggy-back on the mass appeal of National Socialism, the D.N.V.P. was one of the factions responsible for helping Hitler to power in 1933. I.G. Farbenwas a vast pharmaceutical conglomerate, which notoriously produced the Zyklon B used to gas millions in the Holocaust.

Modern German political parties love acronyms too. The C.D.U.(Christian Democratic Union) is the centre-right party of Angela Merkel; in Bavaria, the same movement is represented by its more conservative sister party, the C.S.U.(Christian Social Union). On the left is the S.P.D.(Social Democratic Party of Germany), while the F.D.P.(Free Democratic Party) is the German liberal party which has frequently been a coalition partner in government. The N.P.D.(National Democratic Party) is the home of the far right in Germany, while B.I.G.(Alliance for Innovation and Justice) is a minority party representing Muslims and their integration in Germany.

TIMUR VERMES was born in Nuremberg in 1967, the son of a German mother and a Hungarian father who fled the country in 1956. He studied history and politics and went on to become a journalist. He has written for the Abendzeitung and the Cologne Express and worked for various magazines. He has ghostwritten several books since 2007. This is his first novel.