The Class

By Hermann Ungar

Diese Hardcover-Ausgabe ist Teil der TREDITION CLASSICS. Der Verlag tredition aus Hamburg ver ffentlicht in der Buchreihe TREDITION CLASSICS Werke aus mehr als zwei Jahrtausenden. Diese waren zu einem... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1903517192
• ISBN13: 9781903517192
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Dedalus
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

The Cost of Insecurity

"The Class" is a good reading experience. It's always a bit of a stretch to read a work written over 75 years ago and in another language. Translator Mike Mitchell does a good job of creating the flow and pacing from the original German as it was originally published in 1927. Ungar was a popular novelist before World War II, often mentioned at the time with Kafka. The main character Josef Blau is a secondary schoolteacher at a boys' school. Apparently not all that comfortable as a teacher, he spends a good portion of his time in mental agony over his ability to maintain control of his students. His insecurity also extends to his beautiful wife Selma whom he suspects as having an affair with a blond schoolteacher Herr Leopold who exercises "naked" (i.e. no shirt) with his students. Blau & his wife have a young son born in the midst of the tale, which only heightens Blau's insecurity. When word arrives that one of his students has bought a note which would make the poor teacher indebted to the rich student, Blau's insecurities mushroom resulting in the unfolding of events including his wife shaving her head to show that she is not trying to attract other men. Ungar gives us the flavor of a time when opportunities were limited and people struggled for the little they had. He also delves into some heady theological discussions on the existence of God, which actually has a unifying effect as the tale concludes. I found "The Class" a somewhat difficult although an ultimately rewarding reading experience. Ungar's novel does stand the test of time and does speak to us seven decades after it was written. Enjoy!