In “Kairos”, an affair plays out momentously—and destructively—as the German Democratic Republic begins to disintegrate
” , a 21st-century story of African migrants navigating the once-divided capital city, Ms Erpenbeck has proved time and again that she is a fearless, astute examiner of a country’s soul.
Hans and Katharina conduct their clandestine relationship at a time when secrecy and paranoia is woven into the political fabric. Hans, a freelance writer and radio broadcaster, is married with a teenage son. His wife has tolerated his many affairs, but the relationship with Katharina seems a more decisive threat to their stability.
Ms Erpenbeck was born in East Berlin in 1967 and was an apprentice bookbinder before working in theatre. The similarly aged Katharina is a state-approved trainee typesetter who seeks to move into theatre design. During an internship in Frankfurt away from Hans—a character indifferent and possessive by turns—Katharina commits a youthful transgression. Thereafter the torturous, hypocritical nature of their affair becomes ever more apparent.
As the certainties and protection of the Soviet system begin to disintegrate, so the atmosphere of the book grows darker and more anxious. “How will creatures of the new age cope with the future, when they no longer know the foundations on which this future rests?” wonders Hans, who grew up in a family which embracedto the end .
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