Oh the joy when I heard this gem had finally been translated into English! A bestselling phenomenon in mein Fazerland since its publication in 2012, it had tickled my curiosity since I first heard about it, and delighted me when it was gifted to me by the ‘rents last Christmas. A novel about Adolf Hitler waking up in a 2011 Berlin car park, rescued by a newsagent who thinks him a hilarious and scarily convincing impersonator and promptly introduces him to some media fellers who in turn jump on the chance to line their pockets and boost the ratings by giving him some air time. The bewildered Fuehrer, meanwhile, has to adjust to modern society, its gadgets, people, multiculturalism and social media addiction, and slowly planning, naively, clumsily, but with chilly calculation, his return to power, thus delivering a commentary on modern Germany that is equally frightening and hysterical. Let’s just say, when I read the German original, it was like hearing Adolf speak. I don't know if Vermes studied the speech patterns of Hitler before he started writing, but he did a wonderful job rendering his persona in his book. And the translation, although it inevitably lost the classic Berlin dialect spoken by some of the characters, managed to get incredibly close to the original. It’s obviously funny seeing Hitler in his 1940s mindset interact with the contemporary age, similar to seeing Socrates and Billy the Kid stumble their way through 1980s mall strip California in “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”, but at the same time it scathingly satirises an increasingly dumbed-down, historically uninformed or indifferent multi-media generation that is too distracted by Reality TV, sensationalist headlines and Facebook Likes to see the danger the “born again” Fuehrer really poses. Needless to say, there is a debate whether it is acceptable to make Hitler a subject of comedy. But it’s been done before countless times, with “The Producers”, with “The Dictator”, some more gratuitous, some with enough satire in it to render it more “acceptable”. If anything, “new” about it is only that the Germans are increasingly seen to have a sense of humour about their own history. Not in a belittling or insensitive manner, mind. Hitler and the Holocaust continue to remain a serious subject over there, deeply embedded in the German mentality and Constitution. But the – in my book – ridiculous and unhelpful self-flagellation by people who were barely the glint in daddy’s eye in 1945, undermining any approach of the subject in a grown-up way, is finally starting to cease; Hitler as a subject of comedy becoming less and less restricted to the terrain of risqué Stewart Lee-type German comedians, and is particularly well-balanced in this novel. Comedy will always remain in the grey areas of acceptability, and perhaps that’s exactly what keeps us on our toes and debating; to speak the truth like a jester, in joke form to escape medieval beheadings or modern censorship. Take from this book what you will. I for one both enjoyed and pondered it. Thoroughly.

Like other reviewers I'm tempted to say that this book is a work of genius. It manages to have some moments that are simply perfections of ridiculous satire and yet also can say dangerously profound things about modern race relations, and about perceptions of Germany during the Third Reich. Considering some of the messages about general German war guilt, I am impressed that this has been such a big seller in Germany. A proper review to follow once I've had a moment to digest this totally.... OK, so I've had a bit of a chance to think about this book and having done so I am actually more inclined to see it as something really quite scary. There are certainly comic moments where Hitler is forced to confront modern day living, but overall the message seems to be just how easily something could grow again. The analogy that springs to mind right now is the situation in The Crimea and the Ukraine vs Russia. It's evident that propaganda has just as much impact in the modern world as it ever did, greater access to information does nothing to reduce the impact of clever propaganda and in fact only allows more outlets for it. In this particular book it is the very fact that Nazi horrors have become part of the history and fabric of Germany's past that allow a complacent public to listen to Hitler once again. Timur Vermes has created something that works well on both a superficial and quite profound level, as I said at the outset this is a genius of a novel.

This book has been doing the rounds in Germany for a couple of years now and has been garnering a lot of attention in the press throughout Europe. I can now see why... The stage is set with a returned Fuhrer, and he's puzzled. At every stage of his progression from homeless wanderer to internet sensation we are treated with razor sharp satire and some truly biting speeches. What is great about this book is that whilst it poses us questions about the emergence of a modern day Hitler and his place in the 21'st century, it never crosses the line and preaches what the right answer might be. It's been mentioned before, but "Look who's back" is a contemporary Swift-ian masterpiece of satire. There is plenty on offer here for both historical buffs that are lured by the Third Reich angle (like myself) and fans of modern day fiction with a twist. Strongly recommended.

While the concept for this book sounds highly controversial and not the most obvious basis for comedy, Look Who's Back is a very readable and amusing satire. It exposes how a powerful voice like Hitler might gain a platform and garner popularity in the modern world via the use of social media and broadcasting. A lot of the comedy is derived through the misunderstanding that Herr Hitler is really a master comedy impersonator, not the real deal. His shocking, extreme views are seen as part of an act thus not taken too seriously by his fans and followers. At first, on finishing the book, I felt it ended rather abruptly and could have gone further. On reflection, I think the author has, very cleverly, left the reader to ponder the possibilities and what-ifs and question how easy it was/is to be swept along by a powerful voice. A must-read!

The premise seems impossible yet imaginative. Hitler is in the present, and how does one regain power in 2011? Becoming an internet sensation, of course! It’s a fascinating experiment and exploration into today’s attitude towards politics. It pushes the limits of satire and questions who is at fault: Hitler for holding these views or the people that gave him a voice? An understanding of World War Two enhances the reading as our protagonist reflects on decisions he made and colleagues no longer alive.