Berlin, Meyerbeer 26
by Tanja Nause

Overview

Title: Berlin, Meyerbeer 26 [cite: 1]

Author: Tanja Nause [cite: 7]

Narrator: Josefine (nicknamed "Fi" or "Josi"), a former bookbinder who now "collects sounds"[cite: 24, 44, 108].

Setting: An apartment building at Meyerbeerstraße 26 in Berlin-Weißensee, located in the "Komponistenviertel" (Composers' Quarter) [cite: 26-29]. The house is a "Gründerzeithaus" (built between 1860-1880)[cite: 74].

Key Themes:

• Sound & Listening: The narrator explores her world through auditory observation after the visual and noisy world of her previous job became too much[cite: 108, 148].
• History & Memory: The book intertwines the personal histories of the tenants with the broader history of Berlin (WWII, the GDR, the Berlin Wall, and Reunification)[cite: 76, 264, 706].
• Community: How a disparate group of neighbors connects through shared spaces and events[cite: 1674].

Character Summaries

Josefine (The Narrator) – 1st Floor

• Profession: Trained Bookbinder. She quit her job in an industrial printing factory because the noise became unbearable[cite: 125, 148].
• Current Status: Unemployed, she describes herself as a "sound collector"[cite: 108]. She lives with Carlos, a Spanish physicist specializing in wave optics[cite: 41, 232].
• Habit: She stays up very late at night listening to the house[cite: 35].

Frau Anni Zebunke – Ground Floor Right

• Age/Tenure: 85 years old; has lived in the house for 70 years (since 1938)[cite: 418, 464, 1358].
• Catchphrase: Always asks "Wie geht's, wie steht's?" (How’s it going?) [cite: 406].
• Backstory: Worked as a pediatric nurse for 42 years[cite: 641]. In 1941, she fell in love with Hans, a young Jewish man working at the nearby Jewish Deaf-Mute Institution[cite: 674]. Hans was deported to Theresienstadt in 1942 and never returned [cite: 718-724].
• Routine: Walks the "small round" (*kleine Runde*) at the Jewish Cemetery to visit old friends and graves[cite: 417].

Prof. Dr. Kurt Hübner – 3rd Floor Left

• Profession: Astronomer. Worked at the Archenhold Observatory (Treptower Park) for 40 years[cite: 251].
• Personality: He rarely looks at stars now; instead, he discusses physics (quantum physics, electromagnetic fields) and football with Carlos [cite: 230-238].
• History: Represents the East German intellectual experience—he discusses the difficulty of travel and Stasi surveillance during the GDR era [cite: 329-343].

Sandra Kluge – 3rd Floor Right

• Profession: Professional Oboe Player[cite: 297].
• Background: From a wealthy West Berlin family (Zehlendorf). She rebelled against her parents (who wanted her to be a dentist or doctor) to study music [cite: 882-938].
• Berlin Connection: She moved to East Berlin after the wall fell specifically because she loved the composer Meyerbeer and wanted to be near his grave [cite: 990-1008].

Wolfgang Nelles – 1st Floor Right

• Profession: Works at the Federal Press Office (Bundespresseamt) in the photo archive[cite: 782].
• Lifestyle: A "commuter." He lives in Berlin during the week but flies home to Bonn every weekend because his family refused to move to Berlin [cite: 784-802].
• Hobby: He is a passionate hobby photographer[cite: 823].

The Groschmann Family – 2nd Floor Right

• Herr Groschmann: Former professor of Stochastics (probability math) who lost his job after German reunification[cite: 1152]. He loves to imitate sports commentators like Heinz-Florian Oertel[cite: 1166].
• Frau Groschmann: A former florist who dreams of opening her own flower shop in the neighborhood[cite: 1139].
• The Object: They own a valuable Meissen porcelain soup tureen, a family heirloom [cite: 1120-1127].

Olaf & Richard – Ground Floor Left

• Who are they: Two art students living in a flat share (WG). Olaf (from Dresden) studies Visual Communication; Richard (from Munich) studies Sculpture [cite: 469-471, 1300-1305].
• Role: They bring youth to the house. Their apartment is minimalist with red lights and Seemannskisten (sea chests)[cite: 1261, 1275].

Jutta Gebhardt – 2nd Floor Left

• Profession: Hairdresser who owns the salon "Schnittig"[cite: 31, 375].
• Background: Learned her trade in a PGH (Production Cooperative of the Craft) during the GDR times [cite: 1442-1446].

Extended Summary

The story follows Josefine, a woman living in Berlin-Weißensee who has retreated from the noisy industrial world of bookbinding to become a "sound collector"[cite: 108]. After her building at Meyerbeerstraße 26 is renovated, the old familiar creaks disappear, prompting her to listen intently to the new sounds to understand the lives of her neighbors[cite: 98].

The Neighborhood and History

The house is located in the "Komponistenviertel," where streets are named after composers. However, one street, Herbert-Baum-Straße, is named after a resistance fighter, leading to the Jewish Cemetery[cite: 391]. This cemetery plays a central role in the book, particularly for Frau Zebunke, the oldest resident. Through walks with Josefine, Frau Zebunke reveals her tragic past: her love for a Jewish man named Hans during the Nazi era. They could not marry, and Hans was deported to Theresienstadt in 1942, never to return [cite: 692-718].

The Neighbors' Lives

Josefine interacts with a diverse cast of characters representing different facets of German history:

• Prof. Hübner shares stories of astronomy under the GDR regime, including difficulties in travel and surveillance by the Stasi[cite: 264, 342].
• Herr Nelles represents the post-reunification government move, living a lonely life in Berlin while his family remains in the former capital, Bonn[cite: 802].
• Sandra Kluge represents the cultural bridge; a West Berliner who moved East driven by a passion for music and the composer Meyerbeer[cite: 1005].
• Olaf and Richard represent the new generation—art students who bring life and modern art (like a poster of the famous "Bruderkuss" between Honecker and Brezhnev) into the building[cite: 1278].

The Climax: The Summer Party

Josefine learns that Frau Zebunke is celebrating her 85th birthday and her 70th anniversary of living in the building[cite: 1358]. She organizes a surprise summer party in the courtyard. The neighbors come together, contributing food and company. Richard carves a wooden sculpture of a "Hühnergott" (a stone with a hole, which Zebunke collects) as a gift[cite: 1516]. At the party, Frau Zebunke is deeply moved, and the community bond is solidified.

Resolutions

The story concludes with several loose ends tying together:

• The "Small World" Phenomenon: Herr Groschmann explains the theory of "Six Degrees of Separation." This is proven when Herr Nelles shows a photo he took in Dresden, and the neighbors realize Frau Gebhardt is in the background of the photo, even though they didn't know each other then[cite: 1591, 1647].
• The Mystery Sound: Josefine finally identifies the "Grrrff, Grrrff" sound she has been hunting (see Mystery section).
• Josefine's Future: Frau Groschmann decides to open her flower shop and offers Josefine a job, giving the narrator a new purpose beyond collecting sounds[cite: 1688].

The Mystery of "Grrrff, Grrrff"

The Setup: Josefine is haunted by a recurring scratching sound at night: "Grrrff, Grrrff"[cite: 195]. She becomes obsessed with finding its source.

The Investigations

1. The Cat: She suspects Prof. Hübner's cat scratching at the balcony door. Result: Incorrect; the cat is too "refined" for that[cite: 217, 290].
2. The Porcelain: She suspects vibrating glass or the Groschmanns' valuable Meissen porcelain tureen. Result: Incorrect; the sound doesn't match the "clinking" of porcelain[cite: 1025, 1123].
3. The Hairdresser: She visits Frau Gebhardt's salon, thinking it might be the sound of scissors or nail filing. Result: Incorrect; the scissors make a "srrrrt" sound[cite: 1436].
4. The Sculptor: She convinces Richard to make a sculpture for Frau Zebunke, hoping the carving tools will recreate the sound. Result: Incorrect; Richard works with wood, and the sound is different[cite: 1367].

The Solution

At the final party, Josefine hears the sound again. It is Sandra Kluge. She is using a small knife to carve and adjust the wooden mouthpiece (reed) of her oboe. Sandra admits she knew Josefine was looking for the sound and had made a bet with Herr Groschmann about whether she would find it[cite: 1611, 1629].

Possible Exam Questions

Q1: Why does the book have the title "Berlin, Meyerbeer 26"?
A: It is the address of the house where all the characters live. The street is in the "Komponistenviertel" (Composers' Quarter), where streets are named after composers. The streets were renamed from French battle names to composers in 1951 to emphasize "Music instead of War" [cite: 27-29, 86].

Q2: What is the "Grande Dame" party?
A: It is a surprise party organized by the tenants for Frau Zebunke. The "Grande Dame" refers to a champagne brand Josefine buys, but also to Frau Zebunke herself. They celebrate her 85th birthday and her 70th anniversary of living in the building[cite: 1497, 1503, 1508].

Q3: Explain the significance of the "Hühnergott" (Chicken God).
A: A "Hühnergott" is a stone with a natural hole in it, traditionally used to protect against evil spirits. Frau Zebunke collects them instead of porcelain. At the party, Richard gives her a sculpture of a Hühnergott made of smooth wood [cite: 1063-1065, 1516].

Q4: How does the book portray the history of East and West Germany?
A:

• Herr Nelles represents the "Bonn Republic" and the struggle of the government move[cite: 802].
• Prof. Hübner and Frau Gebhardt represent life in the GDR (surveillance, material shortages)[cite: 342, 1453].
• Sandra Kluge represents the reunification; a West Berliner moving East[cite: 1005].
• Frau Zebunke represents the pre-war era and the Jewish history of the neighborhood[cite: 673].

Q5: What is the "Six Degrees of Separation" moment in the book?
A: Herr Groschmann explains this theory at the party. It is proven by the fact that Herr Nelles had taken a photo of a crowd in Dresden, and Frau Gebhardt was accidentally in that photo. They crossed paths in a different city before knowing they were neighbors[cite: 1647].

Q6: Where did Frau Zebunke’s boyfriend Hans disappear to?
A: He worked at the Jewish Deaf-Mute Institution. In 1942, he and the residents were deported by the Nazis to Theresienstadt (a concentration camp/ghetto). He never returned[cite: 718, 724].

Q7: Why does Josefine say she "collects sounds"?
A: After the house was renovated, the old familiar noises (creaking floors, old doorbells) disappeared. She felt the history was lost, so she started listening intently to the new sounds to understand the "life" of the house and its people[cite: 98, 108].