Our Short Life

The fun-loving, 26-year-old architect Franziska Linkerhand works for a famous professor. Yet, she feels restrained by he... (more)

The fun-loving, 26-year-old architect Franziska Linkerhand works for a famous professor. Yet, she feels restrained by her dependence on him and longs to take risks. When her marriage falls apart, she moves to a small town for a fresh start. Franziska approaches her new life with vigor and idealism. Many of her colleagues have given in to the dictates of economic restrictions and prefabricated apartment blocks; but Franziska hangs onto her ideals and, as in her private life, is not willing to compromise.. Brigitte Reimann's bestselling semi-autobiographical novel, Franziska Linkerhand, became a cult hit in both East and West Germany. Readers were fascinated with the radical, emancipated, sensitive protagonist who passionately rebels against social assumptions and contradictions. (less)