Description
Prater Violet is a satirical novel set in 1930s Berlin, during the rise of Hitler, and it explores the film industry through the lens of a fictionalised version of Isherwood himself. The story revolves around the making of a film called Prater Violet, which is set in 19th-century Vienna. The film’s director, the brilliant and eccentric Friedrich Bergmann, is portrayed as a passionate and somewhat tyrannical figure whose uncompromising vision for the film clashes with the commercial demands of the industry.
As the young screenwriter, also named Christopher Isherwood, works on the film, he becomes deeply involved in the process, both in terms of the film’s creative direction and the tension between the idealistic world of filmmaking and the harsh realities of life under Nazi rule. The novel juxtaposes the seemingly frivolous world of film with the growing darkness of the political climate in Europe, offering an insightful and often ironic commentary on both the film industry and the cultural and political turmoil of the time.
Isherwood’s writing is sharp and humorous, capturing the absurdities of the film industry and the surreal atmosphere of pre-WWII Berlin. The novel is more of an exploration of character, atmosphere, and social commentary than a traditional narrative-driven plot, but it provides a fascinating snapshot of a time and place on the brink of monumental historical change.
