Die Ermordung einer Butterblume und andere Erzählungen

A vivid tapestry of early‑twentieth‑century life unfurls in this assorted set of stories, each rendered with Döblin’s sharp eye for detail and a quietly ironic voice. From bustling seaside promenades to cramped cafés, the narratives capture fleeting moments of curiosity, alienation, and the restless search for meaning that hover just beneath everyday routines. The prose moves fluidly between the external world of wind‑blown dunes and the inner whirl of characters whose thoughts drift like the tides.

In the opening tale, a weary Brazilian traveler drifts through the bright glare of Ostend’s harbor, haunted by memories of Parisian salons and a lingering illness, while enigmatic strangers flicker in and out of his perception. Other pieces—such as the unsettling “Murder of a Butterflower” and the surreal “The Transformation”—offer brief, haunting glimpses into ordinary lives that suddenly tilt toward the uncanny. Together, the stories invite listeners to linger over the strange beauty of ordinary moments, discovering humor and melancholy in the same breath.