These stories, written between 1946 and 1952, are stunning accounts of German soldiers in a war they did not want and the bleak aftermath of Germany in ruins.

Contents:

• The Embrace
• The Unknown Soldier
• Jak the Tout
• The Murder
• Vingt-et-Un
• Cause of Death: Hooked Nose
• Vive la France!
• The Casualty
• The Cage
• I Can't Forget Her
• Green are the Meadows
• The Rain Gutter
• Autumn Loneliness
• Beside the River
• The Green Silk Shirt
• The Waiting-Room
• An Optimistic Story
• I'm not a Communist
• Contacts
• At the Border
• The Surfer
• In Friedenstadt