Crazy In Berlin

Look inside
Paperback
$19.00 US
On sale Aug 15, 1982 | 448 Pages | 9780385281171

Crazy in Berlin is the first volume in the saga of Carlo Reinhart. As an army medic stationed in Allied-occupied Germany, Reinhart is a young man of large bulk (two hundred pounds, plus)—good-hearted, intelligent, and something of a fool. He pursues with anxiety and bewilderment his custodial role over a shattered and noxious civilization, accompanied by an assortment of influences: Nathan Schild, an American Communist acting as a U.S. intelligence office; the war waif Trudchen, an accommodating Heidi; Schatzi, a charter-member Nazi, now a Russian courier and black market virtuoso. Crazy in Berlin is a lusty tale, full of irony and wit, of a stumbling American Odysseus.

Praise for Crazy In Berlin
 
“Thomas Berger is a name to remember. . . . A novelist with a great career before him.”—Harvey Swados, The New Leader

“One of the best war novels, and one of our best novels no matter what kind.”—W.G. Rogers, Associated Press

“An ambitious mixture of high moral earnestness and knock-about farce.”—Pearl Bell, Commentary
Thomas Berger (1924–2014), whom the Times Literary Supplement called “one of the century’s most important writers,” was the author of twenty-three novels. Little Big Man has been published in more than fifty editions throughout the world. View titles by Thomas Berger

About

Crazy in Berlin is the first volume in the saga of Carlo Reinhart. As an army medic stationed in Allied-occupied Germany, Reinhart is a young man of large bulk (two hundred pounds, plus)—good-hearted, intelligent, and something of a fool. He pursues with anxiety and bewilderment his custodial role over a shattered and noxious civilization, accompanied by an assortment of influences: Nathan Schild, an American Communist acting as a U.S. intelligence office; the war waif Trudchen, an accommodating Heidi; Schatzi, a charter-member Nazi, now a Russian courier and black market virtuoso. Crazy in Berlin is a lusty tale, full of irony and wit, of a stumbling American Odysseus.

Praise for Crazy In Berlin
 
“Thomas Berger is a name to remember. . . . A novelist with a great career before him.”—Harvey Swados, The New Leader

“One of the best war novels, and one of our best novels no matter what kind.”—W.G. Rogers, Associated Press

“An ambitious mixture of high moral earnestness and knock-about farce.”—Pearl Bell, Commentary

Author

Thomas Berger (1924–2014), whom the Times Literary Supplement called “one of the century’s most important writers,” was the author of twenty-three novels. Little Big Man has been published in more than fifty editions throughout the world. View titles by Thomas Berger

Three Penguin Random House Authors Win Pulitzer Prizes

On Monday, May 5, three Penguin Random House authors were honored with a Pulitzer Prize. Established in 1917, the Pulitzer Prizes are the most prestigious awards in American letters. To date, PRH has 143 Pulitzer Prize winners, including William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Josh Steinbeck, Ron Chernow, Anne Applebaum, Colson Whitehead, and many more. Take a look at our 2025 Pulitzer Prize

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

In June we celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual + (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month, which honors the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. Pride Month is a time to both celebrate the accomplishments of those in the LGBTQ+ community and recognize the ongoing struggles faced by many across the world who wish to live

Read more