New Bestseller: Novel About ... Hitler's Return

Germans apparently love it, and soon you can, too, dear English reader
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 23, 2013 11:22 AM CST
New Bestseller: Novel About ... Hitler's Return
The cover of the book is shown on Amazon.com   (Amazon.com)

Adolf Hitler doesn't seem like a hilarious subject, but a German writer did indeed write a comic novel about the Führer, and it's now a bestseller in the country. Er Ist Wieder Da ("He's Back") by Timur Vermes imagines Hitler waking up in 2011 with no memory of the previous 66 years, AFP reports. The nearly 400-page tome has Hitler discovering jeans and cooking shows, being surprised by the fact that a woman is in charge, and trying to create an email address only to discover that his preferred "Hitler89," a reference to his date of birth, is already taken.

The book's version of Hitler, of course, soon becomes a reality television and YouTube star. Though some think the book is in poor taste, others see it as a political satire. The author's take: "We too often harbor the negative attitude of those who see Hitler only as a monster to make themselves feel better. I thought it was important to show how he would operate and how he would act in today's world." An English-language edition is planned. (Hitler is also the subject of a high-profile new work of art.)

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