The Adventures Of A Bed Salesman

A bed salesman extraordinaire escapes creditors, mistress, wife and children by crossing the border to East Germany in 1962. Blackly humorous and poignant by turn, this is a classic picaresque novel written with flair.

Heinrich Hampel is a lovable rogue. His creed is: 'There are bed salesmen who succeed because they understand beds, and there are bed salesmen who succeed because they understand women. The future belongs to the latter.'

Heinrich charms his way into the hearts, beds and purses of his female customers in Bavaria in the 1950s. Having persuaded them to buy the best French beds, bedding and silk sheets, Heinrich proceeds to test the quality of his goods with them personally, in their homes or even in the twilight shadows of the showroom Turnover doubles.

But when the fervour of the post-war years dies down, Heinrich finds himself in crippling debt. In 1962, he crosses the border to East Germany, hoping to find a haven from his family and the evils of capitalism. His wife and children turn up like bad eggs, but Heinrich is incorrigible, and the carousel starts again.