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Description
Like the narrator of her novel The Land of Green Plums, Herta Muller grew up a German minority in Ceausescu's Romania, which she eventually left to settle in Germany. Her own experience lends credibility to the voice of her young narrator, who inhabits a deprived police state in which... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis
Summary
Five Romanian youths under the Ceausescu regime are the focus of this moving depiction of the struggle to become adults who keep "eyes wide open and tightly shut at the same time." Through the suicide of a mutual friend, the unnamed narrator a young woman studying to become a translator meets... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Memorable Quotes
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“You think you're innocent, but no one gets beaten up without cause.”
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“And then I have the feeling that whenever someone dies he leaves behind a sack of words.”
First Sentence
When we don't speak, said Edgar, we become unbearable, and when we do, we make fools of ourselves.
Table of Contents
Awards
- Nobel Prize (2009: Literature)
- International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award (1998)
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