Siblings

The spirited English-language debut from Reimann (1933–1973) chronicles young love, idealism, and disillusionment in 1960s East Germany. Twenty-something siblings Elisabeth and Uli Arendt visit their parents over Easter weekend, accompanied by Elisabeth’s fiancé, Joachim, a Communist Party member and manager of a mill. Elisabeth, a painter, loves Joachim, but she treasures her bond with Uli, which borders on romantic, so it’s a shock when Elisabeth learns that Uli, an engineer frustrated with political difficulties that have hurt his career, is planning to defect to West Germany, as their materialistic, resentful older brother Konrad has already done. Desperate to keep Uli with her, Elisabeth contemplates informing on him to Joachim. As the weekend unfolds, Elisabeth reflects on painful memories of their childhood during fascism and on her own difficulties under communism, all the while arguing with Uli, who vows to bring communist principles to “his” shipyard in the west, a contradiction Elisabeth calls him on. There are plenty of engaging discussions about industry and politics, which Reimann enlivens with Elisabeth’s volatility and enthusiasm. It stands as a solid work of socialist realism. (Mar.)