At the Edge of the Night

This poignant novel, beautifully translated by Simon Beattie, was, in Lampe’s words, "born into a regime where it could not breathe;" he hoped that one day it might rise again. It has no one main character, but evokes the sensations and impressions of a sultry September evening on the waterfront of Bremen, with its charm and tenderness, squalor and lust. It contains a stream of images with many characters: children, old and young people, men and women, townsfolk, performers, students and seamen. Things happen as they happen, horrible things, touching things. Its depiction of raw reality was unacceptable to the Nazis: the book was seized by them in December 1933 and withdrawn from sale.

Acest roman inversunat, frumos tradus de Simon Beattie, a fost, in cuvintele lui Lampe, „nascut intr-un regim in care nu putea respira;” spera ca intr-o zi se va putea ridica din nou. Nu are niciun personaj principal, dar evoca senzatiile si impresiile unei serii sufocante de septembrie pe malul apei din Bremen, cu farmecul si tandretea sa, mizeria si pofta.