About the book: 1958 / There are no annotations in the book. The novel depicts a soulless bureaucratic machine, bribery, mutual responsibility, barracks drill, prevailing in the magistrate of a certain West German city . There is nothing heroic about the hero of this book, Martin Bruner. A modest official, he dreams of little: to the best of his ability to help the townspeople who turn to the magistrate, if possible, on the most modest scale available to him, to eliminate evil and do at least tiny good deeds, and in his free time from service to live a calm and quiet family life. life. But even his most modest hopes turn out to be unrealistic, and his basic decency is dangerous for the magistrate where he serves.