The Maimed

Franz Kafka wasn't the only Jewish German writer living in Prague; meet Hermann Ungar. Hermann Ungar was much admired by Thomas Mann, who called one story "a masterpiece that would be honored in any classic ouevre." His work, including novels, plays, and short stories, was only limited by the fact that he died young. The Maimed is one of his two novels. The Maimed tells the story of a young na*ve, neurotic, clerk who becomes the sex slave of his landlady, a widow. Simultaneously, he witnesses the steady emasculation - physically by disease, psychologically by paranoia - of a lifelong friend, who moves in with him to escape his solicitous wife. Part murder mystery, part farce - narrated in a crisp style, heavy with dark humor and sharp irony - Ungar's tale explores the result when life's order disintegrates into chaos.