Parting

A beautiful novella set over the course of one spring day in Paris in 1932, when a young German man must bid farewell to his lover, while the storm clouds of World War Two are gathering over Europe

Paris, 1932. Two lovers, Raimund and Teddy, have just one day and one night to spend together before Raimund must return to Berlin.

A young German barrister, Raimund has followed the irresistible Teddy to Paris, where she moves effortlessly through the city's dazzling bohemian social world, as nights dissolve into dancing, cigarettes, aperitifs and plates of pommes frites, and mornings arrive long after noon.

Together they roam through the city's cafes, restaurants and boulevards, from the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower. They bicker and flirt, scold and kiss, celebrating their freedom while knowing nothing can remain as it is, as the hours slip away toward Raimund's evening train.

This forgotten literary masterpiece, discovered long after Sebastian Haffner's death, became an instant German bestseller. Parting is an exquisite autobiographical novel capturing the last fragile moments of love and freedom before exile, fascism and war.

A W&N Essential translated by Michael Hofmann