Small People

汉斯·法拉达 / 王辰Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaApr 2025

Rating 4.5
Word count
273K words
Chapters
53
ISBN
9787559493583

Tags

Foreign Literature German SocietySocial ObservationEconomic DepressionMarital BondResilience and OptimismExistential DilemmaHeartwarming NarrativeDelicate StyleJoy and SorrowOrdinary Perspective

Summary

Hans Fallada's classic *Little Man, What Now?* tells the story of an ordinary young couple struggling to survive during the German economic depression of the 1930s. The protagonist Pinneberg and his wife Lämmchen strive to make ends meet amid unemployment, poverty, and social upheaval. Despite the hardships of life, Lämmchen sustains the family with her resilience and optimism, becoming her husband's emotional mainstay. Through delicate strokes, the novel portrays the struggles and warmth of ordinary people, offering both a profound critique of reality and a celebration of human warmth. This work is not only a deeply moving novel of social realism but also an ode to ordinary people who hold on to hope in adversity.

Editor's review

Fallada's classic tells the story of an ordinary young couple trying to survive during the German economic depression of the 1930s: Pinneberg and his wife Lämmchen struggle to make ends meet amid unemployment, poverty, and social upheaval. Rather than turning hardship into legend, the novel uses delicate, restrained strokes to lay out everyday predicament and mutual support, with Lämmchen's resilience and optimism becoming her husband's emotional mainstay. Its value lies in placing ordinary people back into concrete social circumstances, critiquing reality while celebrating human warmth; it reads as heavy but not hopeless. For today's readers, the book offers a mirror: how ordinary people preserve dignity and hope under economic pressure and uncertainty. Best read slowly, paying attention to the couple's dialogue and details of daily life, to feel how the author accumulates emotional power in the trivial.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Read slowly chapter by chapter, paying attention to the couple's dialogue and details of daily life, and feel how emotion accumulates.
  2. Briefly learn about the background of the German economic depression in the 1930s before reading to understand the characters' circumstances.
  3. After each section, record one choice by Lämmchen that impressed you most.
  4. After finishing, compare it with the pressures of ordinary life today and write a short reflection.

About the publisher

Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1958

Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House focuses on literary publishing while also covering the humanities, social sciences, and books on art and daily life. Its approximately 1,535 titles in the database span social novels, world history, design, science fiction, classic works, and film and television: they include modern Chinese literary classics by Lu Xun such as A Madman's Diary: The Complete Short Stories of Lu Xun, Call to Arms, Four Generations Under One Roof, and Teahouse, as well as foreign literary memoirs like Stefan Zweig's The World of Yesterday. In science fiction it offers Asimov's Galactic Empire series, while in architecture and art it publishes Liu Dunzhen's Classical Gardens of Suzhou and design titles from Phoenix Space. Its authors are concentrated among classic writers such as Lu Xun, Zweig, and Asimov, with translators including Liang Xijiang, Zhong Haonan, and Ye Lihua. Its overall character is built on classic works while embracing genre fiction and visual culture. Public information is limited, and this introduction is based on the titles in the database.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 序幕 无忧无虑的人
  3. 第一部分 小城
  4. 从蜜月旅行开始，婚姻便真正地开始了。可我们需要炖锅吗？
  5. 皮内贝格神秘兮兮的，小绵羊开始猜哑谜，但有只给默克尔准备的金公鸡？
  6. 皮内贝格一家登门拜访了沙伦赫费尔太太，老太太哭了，订婚的钟表敲个没完
  7. 小绵羊有选择的权利，伯格曼和克兰霍尔茨，神秘主义的面纱揭开了，还有为什么皮内贝格不能结婚
  8. 我们该吃什么？我们能和谁跳舞？我们现在必须结婚吗？
  9. 开始剥洋葱了，纳粹分子劳特巴赫（Lauterbach）、好色之徒舒尔茨（Schulz）和隐婚丈夫遇到了麻烦
  10. 豌豆汤煮好了，信也写好了，但是水太多，汤太稀了
  11. 克兰霍尔茨和库比（Kube）挑起麻烦，而员工们却退缩，毕竟是签了合同的，但并未履行合同中的约定
  12. 皮内贝格本没什么打算，但他还是来了一次旅行，一次让他傻了眼的旅行
  13. 皮内贝格与自己的天真和小玛丽·克兰霍尔茨争斗的局面，已无法挽回
  14. 弗里德里希先生、鲑鱼和伯格曼先生，但这一切都是徒劳的：皮内贝格一无所获
  15. 来了一封信，小绵羊穿着围裙穿过小镇，跑到克兰霍尔茨那里哭诉
  16. 第二部分 柏林
  17. 米娅·皮内贝格太太妨碍了什切青火车站的交通。小绵羊喜欢她，她的儿子却不喜欢她，她还讲到谁是雅赫曼（Jachmann）
  18. 一张真正的法式贵族床，但太贵了。皮内贝格夫妇洗着碗，雅赫曼不知道工作的事，小绵羊不得不请求他
  19. 雅赫曼撒谎，塞姆勒（Semmler）小姐撒谎，莱曼先生撒谎，皮内贝格也撒谎，但无论如何，至少他得到了一份工作，还有一个父
  20. 皮内贝格穿过小动物园，走在回家的路上，他就像鲁滨孙胆战心惊、心神不安，但因为他有了一份工作，应该感到高兴才是
  21. 凯斯勒（Keßler）是个什么样的人，皮内贝格是如何避免失败并因此促成了一笔生意
  22. 谈到三种类型的销售员，销售部助理雅内克会喜欢哪一种？邀请去家里吃黄油面包
  23. 皮内贝格领到了工资，他内心忧郁又多愁善感，他有进取心，但对销售员的态度不好，他还想有一张梳妆台
  24. 小绵羊感受到了作为母亲那种诗意般的感觉，有客人来访，她变成了一位优雅的女士，并在镜子中看到了自己。整晚都没谈钱的事
  25. 在皮内贝格家的夜晚。婚姻习惯。母与子。雅赫曼总是救世主
  26. 凯斯勒揭露了真相，脸上挨了一记耳光，但皮内贝格夫妇不得不搬走
  27. 小绵羊在找房子。没有人想要孩子，她晕倒了，但这是值得的
  28. 从来没见过这样的住宅。普特布雷泽先生帮着搬家，雅赫曼先生也来帮忙。不是皮内贝格太太说的那样
  29. 家庭开销预算是做出来了。但肉类越来越少，皮内贝格发现他的小绵羊变得有些奇怪
  30. 香喷喷的圣诞树和两个孩子的母亲。海利布特认为：你们很有勇气。——我们有勇气吗？
  31. 小伙子得吃午饭，丽莎（Lisa）必须以身作则。如果我再也见不到她怎么办？
  32. 要洗的碗碟太少了！默克尔出生了。小绵羊也会尖叫
  33. 他真希望能有人可以说说话，但海利布特只会自言自语。皮内贝格被诱骗去参加裸体运动
  34. 皮内贝格对裸体主义的看法以及诺特纳格尔（Nothnagel）夫人对此的意见
  35. 皮内贝格得到了一杯免费的啤酒，偷了一束郁金香，最后他对小绵羊撒了谎
  36. 造物主有了孩子。小绵羊拥抱了普特布雷泽，皮内贝格不得不在电影院屋顶上抽烟
  37. 婴儿车和两个敌对的兄弟。哺乳津贴什么时候付？
  38. 四月份让他感到害怕，但是海利布特帮了他。海利布特去哪儿了？海利布特不见了
  39. 皮内贝格被“逮捕”了，而雅赫曼真是活见鬼。不放茶的朗姆酒
  40. 违背意愿的留宿。大有裨益的好事情
  41. 雅赫曼是个发明家，小人物成了王——我们彼此在一起
  42. 蹩脚的电影与生活。被冒犯的小个子男人和伤心的女孩。雅赫曼脸色苍白地从挪威消失了
  43. 寻找雅赫曼。默克尔病了。年轻的父亲，怎么了？
  44. 审问官和费舍尔（Fischer）小姐。又一次暂时的宽容，皮内贝格！
  45. 米娅夫人又来了。那些是我的行李箱！警察来了吗？
  46. 演员施吕特和阿克街的年轻人。一切都结束了
  47. 尾声 一切还在继续
  48. 应该偷木柴吗？小绵羊赚“大钱”，交给了她的小伙子一项任务
  49. 男人成了“家庭主妇”。使人愉快的水和“瞎眼”的小默克尔。为了六马克争吵
  50. 为什么皮内贝格一家不住在他们应该住的地方？照片中央的海利布特。有人来打听皮内贝格，莱曼被辞退了
  51. 皮内贝格成了争论的焦点。弗里德里希大街。被遗忘的黄油和警察。一个足够黑的夜晚
  52. 居住的地方有汽车光临。两人在暗夜里等待。您真的不考虑一下吗？
  53. 灌木丛中的“灌木”。往日的爱情

FAQ

Is this book the same as *Little Man, What Now?* It is the same work under a different translated title. This book is Hans Fallada's classic novel *Little Man, What Now?*, telling the story of a young couple's survival during the economic depression. The content is identical; only the translated title differs.
Is it too depressing to read? The overall tone is realistic and heavy, but not purely hopeless. Lämmchen's resilience and optimism run through the book, and the warmth between the couple is an important support. If you are sensitive to poverty themes, read it in sections rather than all at once.
Is it suitable for students? It can be read from middle school upward, but requires some historical background knowledge. The book involves unemployment, poverty, and social upheaval, which younger readers may find hard to understand. It is best read alongside historical background information or with teacher or parent guidance for discussion.
What is the contemporary relevance of this book? It makes concrete and palpable the struggles and persistence of ordinary people under economic pressure. For readers today facing employment and cost-of-living pressures, its depiction of dignity, mutual aid, and hope still has reference value, though it should not be treated as a practical guide.

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About the author

汉斯·法拉达 Author

Hans Fallada is a German writer whose biographical details, such as nationality and dates of birth and death, are limited in publicly available sources and are not speculated upon here. One of his works is held in the collection, with Little Man as his representative work. Judging from the title and the common category of foreign literature, his writing tends to focus on the circumstances and fate of ordinary people, depicting with plain strokes the struggles, hardships, and dignity of small figures in everyday life, and carrying a realist flavor. Such subject matter often does not rely on grand narratives but presents the texture of life among the lower social strata through specific characters and scenes, allowing readers to approach the emotional world of ordinary people. Fallada remains relatively little known among Chinese readers, and translations and research are limited, yet his attention to ordinary people and his plain, restrained narrative style still offer a noteworthy perspective for understanding the social concern in twentieth-century German-language literature, and are suitable for readers interested in foreign literature and realistic themes.

王辰 Author · Chinese · 1981

Wang Chen, born in Beijing in 1981, writes under the pen name Tiandong and works as both a popular-science writer and a nature photographer. He holds a master's degree in botany from Beijing Normal University and serves as an editor at Bowu, a magazine published by Chinese National Geography. He has long been engaged in communicating knowledge about nature and science. His 18 works in the library span social sciences, medicine, and foreign literature, and include representative titles such as Medicine in Rural China, Internal Medicine: Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2nd Edition), China's Path of Science and Technology: Health Volume—Healthy China, and The Flexner Report. He has also published more than 700 pieces in various periodicals and is active online as the science communicator Tiandong ASP on Bilibili. His writing combines professional rigor with accessible expression.