The ins and outs of law firm mismanagement

the long version

This novel by one of Germany's leading satirists follows the thoughts and adventures of Harry von Duckwitz. Duckwitz is an aristocratic, left-leaning lawyer who suddenly leaves his law firm, enters the foreign service, and gets posted to Cameroon and Ecuador. He has outrageous opinions about almost everything under the sun, but he is thoughtful as well, and self-critical. He pursues ideas and women with the same conflicted, contrary volatility he brings to his diplomatic career. Whether insulting or trying to understand people, from left-wing intellectuals to right-wing colonels, he stumbles across a number of truths, half-truths, and perspectives.