my german father
my german father, a finalist for the II Libros del Asteroide Non-Fiction Prize, is an essayistic biography written by the Spanish journalist and author Ricardo Dudda. The work was published by the Libros del Asteroid publishing house on September 11, 2023, managing to position itself not only as one of the most interesting books of the year, but also as a reference for family research.
The latter has become a trend in autobiographical texts, which, to be credible, require arduous research and conscientious reflection. Ricardo Dudda stands out in both aspects, and presents his father's memories, his family and himself as the chef behind a gourmet dish. my german father It is an attractive story, but, just everything, honest.
Synopsis of my german father
How to braid all the stories
Everybody, at least once, They have had one of those long conversations with their parents in which memories of the past arise, family photographs, birth documents, family trees, among memories. Richard Dudda was no stranger to these magical talks, from which questions emerged that gave rise to the most amazing anecdotes.
The author's curiosity about his father's life began long before writing this book.. In high school, he had already done work on it, but he needed to know more to understand his parent. Years later, in the present, the idea of a biography appears, a compendium of remembrances composed of small notes, notes, musings and summaries.
In an old country that no longer exists
Ricardo Dudda conducts an excellent interview, and, through the investigation, reconstructs the childhood and youth of his father, who was forced to remain in the Nazi nitration camps for ten years. Later, He had to leave his home in Prussia when World War II ended.. Along with the biographical story, the author strives to portray the society of the 20th century.
In itself, this implies talking about an innumerable number of dark situations, such as the consequences of war and those turbulences that shook much of the West in recent times. El war conflict and its evolution are used wisely as a backdrop, while Ricardo Dudda tells the convoluted and moving story of his predecessor.
Much more than a father
Ricardo Dudda alludes to the temporal distance that exists between him and his father, who is fifty-two years older than him. This margin allows the writer to detach himself a little from his mother and tell his story in the most sincere way possible. That is how talks about how this man has been the support of other people, and has loved women who were not his mother finding true affection in them.
Similarly, mentions other ladies whom the lord abandoned, as well as those who left him. The book goes back as far as Dudda's father's childhood, detailing anecdotes about the author's grandparents, whom he himself never met. At the same time, he describes Prussian scenarios, which he misses thanks to conversations with his father.
The common thread of the book
As absorbing as the author's narrative about the war is, the most charming sections—like the central axis of the plot—are dominated by the conversations that the writer has with his father, Gernot, in El Hoyo, the house next to the beach in Cabezo de Torres, Murcia, the place where the latter has resided for some years. The curious thing about the text is the way it is structured.
En my german father the past and the present are mixed through essay and reflections, all this through Gernot's confessions. It is here where the writer has the duty to arrange the pieces of the puzzle so that readers have the full spectrum of facts. Likewise, old photographs play a very important role when the people in them become the protagonists of the story.
Narrative style of the work
Maybe which generates more confidence in the reader regarding my german father is his own narrative style by Ricardo Dudda. This is presented calmly, with touches of humor at the right moment, such as the one in which the author admits to feeling defenseless in the face of his mother's native language despite having known it before even learning to speak. From this results a kind of defenselessness in the face of communication.
These moments cause tenderness, and are perfectly complemented by those where Dudda addresses more sensitive topics, not only about the society in which his father grew up, but also about Gernot's most established experiences, secrets, defects, and reprehensible behaviors. . In this sense, It is notable how the author abandons his prejudices and becomes a storyteller at the service of the public.
About the author, Ricardo Dudda
Ricardo Dudda was born in 1992, in Madrid, Spain. Despite his young age, he has collaborated in some of the most famous publications in his native country, as well as in international portals. As a journalist, he has worked as an editor and writer for the cultural magazine Free Letters. On the whole, has been a columnist for The Objective, as in El País, where it has had a recurring participation for five years.
He currently writes forums for El Mundo. Similarly, has lent his pen to create articles on opinion, politics, society and culture in Ethic, Book Magazine, New Society, Playground and other publications. Working in all these media led him to write the books for which he is best known today, giving him a place on the list of great contemporary authors, and being an inspiration for inexperienced creators.
Other books by Ricardo Dudda
- The truth of the tribe: Political correctness and its enemies (2019)