LONDON ¨C If Hitler were alive today, would he become a standup comic? Incredible though that may sound to anyone who lived through World War II, that is the scenario sketched out in ¡°Look Who¡¯s Back,¡± a satirical novel by Timur Vermes, which topped the best-seller lists in Germany after its publication in 2012 and is now about to be published in English.
In the opening pages, Hitler wakes up on a building site in Berlin in 2011. His memory of how he got there is hazy: ¡°I think Eva and I chatted for a while, and I showed her my old pistol, but when I awoke I was unable to recall any further detail.¡±
The owner of a nearby kiosk recognizes him ¡ª after all, 66 years after his death the man¡¯s face is still ubiquitous ¡ª and, assuming that Hitler is an extra from a new World War II film who is remaining resolutely in character (¡°Bruno Ganz was superb, but he¡¯s not a patch on you¡°), the kiosk owner hooks him up with a local comedy promoter.
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