And What About Me?
Published by Diogenes as Und was wird aus mir?
Original Title: Und was wird aus mir?
It all began in the 1970s, as hopeful young actresses Johanna and Heidi and the inventive director Rainer made it all the way to Hollywood with their very first film. But the illusion factory of Hollywood is always on the lookout for something new, and the three newcomers are soon no longer so refreshing. Johanna returns to Germany to work as a props supervisor, Heidi begins to earn her living as channelling medium – only Rainer cannot seem to say goodbye to the film business. The love of Rainer's life is his teenage daughter, Allegra, who lives with his ex-wife and visits him only once a year. For her sake, he maintains the illusion that he has made it in Hollywood and that every year he moves into a new mansion – which in reality he is only housesitting. And then it happens. The owner of the mansion decides to come home earlier than planned. Rainer hits upon an idea of how he can save the situation. He pretends that he has been called in for a ›highly urgent shoot‹ and asks Johanna to take Allegra to a trendy yoga hotel until he returns. And so begins a rather curious road movie…
Cinema, Contemporary Literature
432 pages
2007

978-3-257-06564-0
Doris
Dörrie

Doris Dörrie, born in Hannover, studied acting and theatre in California and in New York, but then decided to direct instead, attending film school in Munich. Parallel to her film career (including Men, Straight to the Heart, Cherry Blossoms – Hanami) she has published short stories and novels (including The Blue Dress), a book about writing (Living, Writing, Breathing), auto fictional texts (including The Heroine's Journey) and children's books. She lives in Munich.

Photo: © Mathias Bothor / laif

Quotes

Tiroler Tageszeitung, Innsbruck
»In ›And What About Me?‹ Dörrie brilliantly masters the tightrope walk between comedy and tragedy.«
Hallertauer Zeitung & Landauer Zeitung, Straubing
»Seldom have estrangement and self-deception been as funny as in Doris Dörrie's stories. A masterly piece of light fiction.«
Annemarie Stoltenberg
Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Hamburg

»Doris Dörrie truly understands the narrator’s craft: she creates stories for which I would gladly give up every night in front of the TV.«