The Third Reich

The Chilean author Roberto Bolano wrote the sensational novel The Third Reich in 1989. It was published in Spanish in the year 2010, as it was discovered among his papers after his death. The complete novel was planned to be published in four installments with Leanne Shapton doing the illustration work. The four installments were planned to be released over a period of one year. The first installment was published in the spring of 2011 and second in the summer.

Natasha Wimmer translated this novel in English, which first was published in 2011. It is a story about a German war hero, Udo Berger, who goes on a vacation along with his girlfriend, Ingeborg. They return back to Costa Brava, which is a small town where Berger had spent his childhood. Berger and Ingeborg meet many people, such as a burnt victim who speaks Spanish and now looks after pedal boats, some locals like a lamb and a wolf. Michael Schaub described the book as deeply felt, disturbing and compassionate. The main character Udo Berger described by Bolano is sometimes frustrating, sometimes complex and absolutely unforgettable. This book was published by Picador in 2012. It is available in paperback.