Ferdinand, The Man With The Kind Heart Av Irmgard Keun

<p><b>''A great writer'' Ali Smith<br><br>Newly translated by Michael Hofmann, the touching final novel from the author of <i>Child of All Nations<br></i></b><br>''I don''t think I''m that unusual, and I don''t think I''m crazy either''<br><br>Bombed-out Cologne after the war is a strange place to be. The black market in jam and corsets is booming, half-destroyed houses offer opportunities for stealing doors and eggcups, and de-Nazification parties are all the rage. Ferdinand - daydreamer, former prisoner of war, wearer of a curious jerkin - drifts around the city, observing life''s absurdities, strenuously avoiding his fiancée and drinking brandy with his fabulous cousin. When he gets a job as a ''cheerful adviser'' to those down on their luck, will Ferdinand''s fortunes change too?<br>Irmgard Keun''s exuberantly funny and touching final novel takes the tiny moments of triumph and defeat in one man''s life, and turns them into a moving portrait of the human spirit.</p>