From The Telegraph:
A satirical novel about Adolf Hitler, set in the present day, has climbed to the top of Germany's bestseller charts.
Er Ist Wieder Da (He's Back) has sold more than 400,000 copies since its release, keeping it at the top of the Spiegel's bestseller chart since mid December.This has been despite, or perhaps because of, a striking front cover framed by Hitler's trademark side-parting, with the title squashed into the silhouette of his signature moustache.In the novel, author Timur Vermes relates Hitler's cult of personality to our modern celebrity obsession through 397 pages of pitch-black prose.
The humour is relentlessly dark, revolving to a large extent around Hitler's interaction with modern innovations.
The fuhrer discovers jeans, sets the ringtone on his new smartphone to Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, and is disappointed to learn that Hitler89, his preferred email address, has been taken.
The narrative is written entirely from Hitler's perspective, and deliberately evokes Mein Kampf in its interior monologues and lengthy ramblings.
It begins with a woozy Hitler waking up in 21st century Berlin, oblivious to the fact that the war has ended.
Surprised by the respite in the fighting, he staggers through Berlin, unable to reconcile himself with the changes he sees around him.
His loyal sidekick Bormann is nowhere to be found, and worse still, nobody seems to be interested in the war effort.
Spotting a news stand, he is disappointed to see that his favourite paper, The Volkisch Observer, has been replaced on the shelves by a myriad of Turkish newspapers.
Picking one up, he notices the date, 30 August 2011, and faints from shock.
The kiosk owner, intrigued by a man he assumes to be a professional doppelganger, offers to introduce him to some television producers he knows.
Soon, Hitler is the star of a viral YouTube skit and a Turkish entertainment show, propelling him back towards the political spotlight....MORE
