Fled Far Away

Name: Fled Far Away
ISBN: 9787533957742

马丁·瓦尔泽 / 黄燎宇Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaNov 2019

4.0

Word count: 61K words
Chapters: 54
ISBN: 9787533957742

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Summary

Ein fliehendes Pferd is a novel by Martin Walser, a leading figure of German literature, rich in philosophical wisdom and highly autobiographical, reviewing the writer's lifelong struggle with politics, love, and literary criticism. Reading Ein fliehendes Pferd, it is hard to separate the novel's narrator from the author himself; they are more like mutual spokespersons, together contemplating the political struggles and literary criticism they have engaged in all their lives, and recalling the lovers they once pursued—people skilled in argument and battle who also learned to flee after repeated wounds. "The suffering I have endured comes from nowhere but myself," Walser writes in Ein fliehendes Pferd. Although the fierce attacks of literary criticism, political struggle, and the anguish of love seem to come from outside and from others, Walser, with the wisdom of his old age, reveals that true flight is still the transcendence of the self. To achieve this transcendence, Walser chooses the Kafkaesque path of irony and the absurd. In Walser's plots full of distortion, exaggeration, and bold imagination shines a precious quality of humor.

Editor's review

Martin Walser's *Flight to Safety* is a long novel with a distinctly modernist style. In a calm, restrained prose that conceals sharp edges, it depicts the creative and existential crisis that befalls an elderly writer, Helmut Halm, in his late years. Through the protagonist's complex interactions with a young female journalist, the novel explores eternal themes of art, memory, aging, and desire. Walser continues his deep insight into German social psychology, placing personal predicament in a broader cultural context so that the work transcends simple psychological narrative and becomes an allegory of the spirit of the age.

In terms of reading value, *Flight to Safety* displays Walser's mature craft as a major postwar German writer. He excels at revealing characters' inner contradictions and struggles through delicate psychological description, without losing humor and irony. The novel's reflections on creative block, generational gaps, and the relationship between media and literature still carry strong contemporary relevance. Although the narrative pace is leisurely, the layer-by-layer emotional tension and intellectual depth make the work especially suited to quiet, attentive reading. Walser's language is concise and supple, and the Chinese translation preserves the style of the original well.

As an editor, I believe the work's value lies in the unique perspective it offers for examining the self and the times. It is not a light story, yet it can stir lasting resonance through slow reading. For readers willing to think deeply about the nature of life, *Flight to Safety* is like a mirror reflecting the confusion and seeking that may exist in every heart.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in modern German literature
Fiction lovers who enjoy psychological depth and philosophical reflection
Mature readers concerned with aging, memory, and creativity
Literary readers who appreciate calm, restrained narrative style

Not a good fit for

Entertainment-oriented readers seeking fast pace and strong plot
Young readers impatient with existential themes

Reading tips

Read in segments in a quiet setting, and pay attention to the subtle shifts in emotion in the text.
You may want to read Walzer's other works or learn about postwar German literature to better understand the book's themes.
Focus on the tension between the protagonist's inner monologue and his external conversations; this is key to grasping the novel's depth.

About the publisher

Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House is a Chinese publisher specializing in literary publishing. Judging from the 808 titles in the database, its publishing areas cover world classics, foreign literature, social novels, folk literature and classic works, as well as modern and contemporary literature and prose. Representative titles include foreign literary translations such as Anna Karenina, The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, In Praise of Shadows and The Complete Tragedies and Comedies of Shakespeare, alongside classic works by Lao She and Lu Xun such as Camel Xiangzi, Teahouse and Wandering. Its authors and translators include Leo Tolstoy, Cao Ying, Lao She, Yukio Mishima, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki and Zhu Shenghao. The press emphasizes the translation and introduction of classic texts and the compilation of native literary works, giving equal weight to Chinese and foreign literature. Owing to limited public information, its specific series and editorial policies are not elaborated here.

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译后记

FAQ

What is the narrative style of this book?

It uses a calm, introspective third-person narrative, emphasizing psychological description and detailed characterization, with a leisurely pace that is full of tension.

What is Martin Walser's standing in German literature?

He is one of the most important postwar German novelists, nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature multiple times, known for his profound analysis of German social psychology.

What does the title 'Flight to Safety' suggest?

It refers both to the protagonist's psychological state of trying to escape creative predicament and the reality of aging, and metaphorically to modern people's general tendency to evade existential pressure.

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About the author

马丁·瓦尔泽 Author

Martin Walser (1927–2023) was a major German writer and one of the representative figures of post-war German literature. He wrote numerous novels, plays and essays. His works often begin with the everyday lives of ordinary people and explore the psychological dilemmas and moral conflicts individuals face under social pressure, in a language that is delicate and often ironic. He was skilled at depicting inner contradiction and struggle, and his narrative style is calm and restrained, yet beneath the quiet surface lies a profound examination of social reality. His representative work Runaway Horse continues this style, using a seemingly ordinary story to show characters wavering between emotion and responsibility, reflecting the author's ongoing attention to the complexity of human nature. Walser's writing has had a lasting influence on German-language literature and offers Chinese readers an important window into post-war German society and literature.

黄燎宇 Author

Publicly available biographical information on Huang Liaoyu is limited. Judging from the six works held in the collection, his writing and editorial research center on German culture, thought, and politics. Deutsche Seele (The German Soul) shows his attention to the German spiritual tradition, while Escape into the Void touches on foreign literature and literary appreciation. Volumes six and seven of German Studies at Peking University, together with thematic collections such as In the Name of Enlightenment and From Civil Society to Citizen Society, reflect his sustained engagement with Enlightenment questions and the conceptual history of the "citizen" (Bürger). Spanning culture, foreign literature, politics, and the social sciences, his work has a distinctly interdisciplinary orientation within German studies and will be of interest to readers concerned with Sino-German intellectual comparison and conceptual history.