Stella

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In 1942, Fritz, an even-tempered and unworldly young man, arrives in Berlin from bucolic Switzerland, seeking refuge from his alcoholic mother and dreaming of becoming a brilliant artist. At a free figure drawing class at the Feige and Strassburger art school, he is hypnotized by the beautiful model, Kristin, who becomes his guide to the bustling and cosmopolitan city, escorting him to secret jazz clubs where they drink cognac, dance, and kiss. As Fritz falls in love with the energetic and enigmatic Kristin, the war feels far away, but the Nazis are increasingly taking control over the intimate lives of German residents, the Gestapo arresting and killing anyone who shows opposition to their ideology.

Kristin is targeted by the Gestapo, and despite her seemingly carefree life, she has good reason to be afraid: her real name is Stella Goldschlag, and she is Jewish, passing as Aryan. As Fritz is forced to confront the reality of Stella's situation, and the unimaginable decisions she is making in order to protect those close to her, he finds himself woefully unprepared for the history he is living through.

Stella sets a tortured love story against the backdrop of wartime Berlin, and is a powerful exploration of naivete, young love, betrayal and the horrors of history.

Reviews

[T]old in sparse, tight prose. It's an unsettling, atmospheric read. -- Antonia Senior * The Times *
An elegant novel...Liesl Schillinger's thoughtful translation from the German original of 2019 perfectly conveys the sense of menace that hangs over it -- Caroline Moorehead * TLS *
Takis Wrger is someone out of the ordinary and this book is like him: powerful, strong, painful. Stella is a book from which we do not emerge unscathed and in which he explores the depths of the human soul. I stayed in this book for a long time after turning the final page. Wrger is surely one of the most important writers of our generation. -- Jol Dicker, author of THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HARRY QUEBERT AFFAIR
I was somewhat skeptical when I began this book, but it gripped and surprised me, and by the end I was full of admiration. -- Daniel Kehlmann, International Booker Prize-shortlisted author of TYLL
Wrger skillfully intertwines fact and fiction. This subtle, thought-provoking narrative is worth a look * Publishers Weekly *
[A] powerful, visceral portrait of individuals caught up in a pivotal year during Nazi rule. * Booklist *
Stella is a book you can hardly put down . . . It has a style which in a certain way echoes Hemingway's war reporting - you might call it "melancholy heroism." But it reads very well, you can't say otherwise. * Die Welt (Germany) *

Author Bio

Takis Wurger is a reporter for the German news magazine Der Spiegel. Named one of Medium's 'Top 30 Journalists under 30,' his first novel, The Club, won the lit.Cologne debut prize in Germany.

Liesl Schillinger is a literary critic, writer and translator, and teaches journalism and criticism in New York City. In 2017 she was named a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters of France