
A quiet, wandering voice guides the listener through a series of short, impressionistic scenes that capture the restless pulse of early‑twentieth‑century Berlin. The narrator drifts from the cool morning along the Linden trees, through the glow of lanterns on the river, to the echo of a lingering melody that haunts his thoughts. In these opening moments the prose blends lyrical description with a subtle humor, sketching a city that never sleeps while hinting at a yearning for a simpler, more grounded existence.
The piece moves between the ordinary and the introspective, letting listeners feel the tug between the clamor of literary life and the desire to retreat to quiet fields and sunrise‑lit mornings. As the narrator resolves to step away from the frantic rhythm of his work, the narrative invites reflection on the balance between creative ambition and the small, everyday pleasures that sustain us.
Language
de
Duration
~2 hours (117K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2012-05-12
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1862–1941
A leading voice of German Naturalism, this playwright, novelist, and translator helped bring a new plainspoken realism to literature at the end of the 19th century. His work also opened German readers to writers such as Walt Whitman and Émile Zola.
View all books