Published in November 2012, Er Ist Weider Da (He’s Back) is a novel by German author Timur Vermes. Set in 2011, Hitler (yes, the Nazi dictator) wakes up from a prolonged slumber in Berlin, having fallen asleep in 1945. The novel follows his movements through motions of modern day life in Germany. People recognise him but believe he is a look-alike and his racially fuelled monologues are received with humour. Eventually, he lands a place on a TV show and proves to be a success, achieving YouTube stardom. Eventually, following support from a tabloid newspaper, he lands a career in politics, persecuting litterers and speeding drivers. The story follows with a dramatic encounter between Hitler and a group of neo-Nazis after which he winds up in hospital. Following kind words of support from his fans, and after his rise to fame as a television sensation, he ponders whether he should start a political party of his own.
Vermes told German media that: “The fact is we have too much of a stereotype of Hitler. He’s always the monster…But in reality he continues to spark real fascination in people.” This fascination is what Vermes tries to feed. It has been met with mixed reviews. Whilst some critics argue that the novel shows the past is well and truly the past, others admit that “we laugh but it’s a laugh that sticks in the throat.” Which makes you wonder, is it ever okay to laugh at something like this? Although the events surrounding Hitler occurred nearly 70 years ago, a lifetime by some measures, the horror of the Holocaust still stalks us. Mass murder is not and never will be a laughing a matter. But maybe 70 years is long enough to at least begin to mock the man behind the action?
Vermes’ characters laugh at Hitler, making him a YouTube sensation on a par with Gangnam Style. The reader is supposed to laugh with the characters. However, I can’t help but recognise a darker side to Vermes’ novel. The end shows Hitler debating whether to start a political party of his own, essentially demonstrating that anyone could rise to prominence and power if they gather a large enough fan base, which is, quite frankly, a terrifying concept.
The novel has topped best sellers lists in Germany simply because it features Hitler, not because it’s a comical, well written novel. We, as sane socially aware people, cannot even begin to fathom how a human being is capable of such levels of cruelty. The lack of understanding drives our fascination as we strive to search for a rational motive behind his actions and Vermes’ novel, although entirely fictional, feeds the public’s hypnotic fascination with Hitler and the legacy that surrounds him.