Summary of Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman
A pregnant German woman strolls through the streets of Rome, from Trastevere to the Lutheran church (‘Christuskirche’) on Via Sicilia, to attend a Bach concert. It is 1943, her husband is a German soldier in North Africa, and she muses about the beauty of Rome and her future. “Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman” is a delicate character study of a naïve young woman who enjoys a comfortable life under the Italian sun amidst the turmoil of the Second World War.
Reasons to read Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman
“Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman” is not a plot-driven novel. Its appeal lies rather in the gentle, introspective daydreaming of a young woman as she wanders through Rome, while a dreadful war looms in the background. Friedrich Christian Delius was a prominent German writer, honoured with several literary awards, including the Georg Büchner Prize in 2011. He is also the author of the novel “The Pope’s Left Hand”, which is also set in Rome.
Setting: Rome (Italy)
Original title: Bildnis der Mutter als junge Frau
Year of publication: 2006
Nr of pages: 128
