Overview

A panoramic and picaresque novel of the first years after the fall of the Berlin Wall is told through the experiences of a young man making his way in a time of constant change.

A bestseller in Germany and winner of the prestigous Leipzig Prize.


Star 111 (the name of a popular East German transistor radio) begins with the world turned upside down. It is the fall of 1989. The communist government of the GDR is losing its grip on power. Carl Bischoff, a very young man, trained as a bricklayer, now a college student, is abruptly recalled by his parents to the small town in the middle of nowhere where he grew up. His hardworking unprotesting parents inform him, that with the border open, they intend to leave the country and check into a West German refugee camp. Will Carl to look after the house and take in the mail? They promise at some point to be in touch.

Deserted by his parents, Carl has no idea what to do. Then he packs the family car and heads to Berlin, where he joins a group of squatters led by a shepherd with a goat. Carl participates in the anarchic life of an anarchist commune, and keeps his distance too. He has all sorts of things to learn about himself and others. He is hungry for sex and love and sometimes simply hungry. He worries about his parents. He wants to be a poet.  

Star 111 is a story about unforeseen ends and new beginnings, about different kinds of families, biological and improvised, and one innocent young aspiring poet in pursuit of experience at a moment in history when everything is about to change and nobody knows how. A tender, entrancing, and comic tale of youth and adventure, it is a book that looks back on the history of our time to ask the most fundamental of question: what does it mean to lead a good life?

ISBN-13

9781681378534

ISBN-10

1681378531

Weight

1.35 Pounds

Dimensions

5.74 x 1.03 x 8.47 In

List Price

$19.95

Format

Paperback

Language

English

Pages

496 pages

Publisher

New York Review Books

Published On

2024-10-01



View All Offers

Sort by:

Rows per page:

1–5 of 5

Condition
Seller
Seller Comments
Price
Used, Good
Seller details
Goodwill
★★★★★

Brooklyn Park, MN, USA

All pages and cover are intact including the dust cover if applicable. Spine may show signs of wea...
$6.59

 Free delivery by: 03 Apr 2026

Used, Good
Seller details
BooksRun
★★★★☆

Philadelphia, PA, USA

It's a preowned item in good condition and includes all the pages. It may have some general signs ...
$9.97

 Free delivery by: 03 Apr 2026

Used, Very Good
Seller details
Half Price Books Inc
★★★★☆

Dallas, TX, USA

Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and ...
$11.30

 Free delivery by: 03 Apr 2026

Used, Very Good
Seller details
Half Price Books Inc
★★★★☆

Dallas, TX, USA

Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and ...
$11.30

 Free delivery by: 03 Apr 2026


Bookstores.com relies on cookies to improve your experience.