An autobiographical novel written during the Second World War in Germany in 1944 during the author's confinement in a medical asylum. It is a self-portrait of an alcoholic and the effect of his behaviour on his surroundings, especially on his deteriorating marriage. Hans Fallada (1893-1947) was a documentary novelist, most famous for his "Little Man, What Now?". John Willett is the editor of the English-language edition of the works of Bertolt Brecht and has written widely on 20th century literature.