Look Who’s Back
Timur Vermes
[Quercus]
Satirical jibes at Adolf Hitler are nothing new. From the outbreak of conflict in 1939, media outlets poked fun at the German leader’s appearance, oratorical idiosyncrasies and warmongering ways. In comedic spheres, Hitler has long gone out of fashion, falling into the realm of cliché or YouTube virals depicting Bruno Ganz venting his spleen. How, then, can a book about Hitler waking up in 21st century Berlin be considered “controversial”? Much of the reaction drawn by Timur Vermes’ Look Who’s Back is down to its author’s nationality. Vermes is a German journalist, plying his trade in a country where Hitler impersonations have been illegal since the intensive denazification of the mid-to-late 1940s. This satire is a bold break by a German author, bringing his country’s much-maligned sense of humour towards Hitler in line with the rest of Europe.
The book begins with a preserved Hitler waking up in modern Berlin, wandering the German capital’s streets. Mistaken by his new media acquaintances for a particularly skilful satirical actor, Hitler is given a slot on a Turkish comedian’s sketch show. The “satire” goes down a sturm, and the rest of the book charts his meteoric rise through German celebrity circles. The next sentence is one that I have never before had reason to utter: Having read Mein Kampf was beneficial, illuminating many aspects of Look Who’s Back. The structure of this modern update brilliantly reflects Hitler’s prison-written diatribe (particularly notable is ‘Reckoning’ – a direct reference) and the intonation of Vermes’ dictator is testament to the thorough research behind this novel. Although the joke may seem a little overdone by the book’s end, Look Who’s Back is a superb study of modern society’s uneasy relationship with extremism, and questions the generational preoccupation with strong leaders. Vermes teases out these issues in a funny and thoughtful manner, balancing the problem of writing a believable Hitler with the issue of maintaining a credible satire.
Words: James Hussey
