Berlin Books #2: The Wall Jumper

(In the second of his series of books about Berlin, Paul has picked The Wall Jumper by Peter Schneider)

First published in 1983, and reissued in English a few years ago, The Wall Jumper (Der Mauerspringer) is an entertaining short novel about a nameless narrator and his friends who live in West Berlin. The narrator is often crossing the Berlin Wall to visit friends and family “on the other side”, and the book tells the story of these journeys as well as those of his friends such as a drinking buddy who fled East Germany for the West, and a writer friend in East Berlin who continues to try and fool the system into leaving him alone.

Alongside these tales, Schneider also explores the stories of other “Wall Jumpers”, such as the Berliner who continually jumped the wall from the West to the East, often ending up in psychiatric hospitals on both sides for his troubles, and the tale of three school-pals who used to cross the border in the early days every Friday night to go to the cinema on Kurfürstendamm until they were finally caught.

Through the scenes in bars and apartments on both sides of the divide Schneider explores the difference between himself and his friends, between the two Germanys, and the correlation between the two – asking the question: where does the state end, and the self begin?  As well as these philosophical question that the book raises about the impact of how were are all shaped by the environment in which we grow up in, Schneider has managed in a short space to offer a fascinating and vivid glimpse of the city from a very particular period in history.

The Wall Jumper is definitely an interesting read for anyone who is interested in the history of Berlin, and the impact of the division of the city and the country on the individuals living through it.

If you are looking for a good bookshop in Berlin, with a fine selection of second hand as well as new books, and a large selection of translated German literature, check out St George’s Bookshop in Prenzlauer Berg. Otherwise, you can find The Wall Jumper here on Amazon.co.uk.