Katharina Hacker: The Lifeguard

Quite simply this modest book is a narrative tour de force. It is a sustained first person narrative, which is nothing new, but the voice, that of simple Hugo the lifeguard, is superbly rendered. It is no surprise, then, to discover that Katharina Hacker has gone on to win the 2006 German Book Prize, the second time it has been awarded, for her most recent book 'The have-nots'. The Lifeguard is a simple story. Hugo has been made redundant after a lifetime at the Swimming Baths. The baths have been closed down and it is likely they will be destroyed because they are falling down. The baths' destruction has been scheduled as part of the renewal of East Berlin after the fall of the Wall (the Wende). From the perspective of this review, the symbolism seems obvious; the book is about a changed way of life. But Hacker is such an able writer that this message is never overt in the text. Because Hugo's voice is so compelling, we see everything from his point of view and we obtain a picture of his life that is disturbing and discomforting. Hugo is a man who has suffered, yet he never realises that he has.