Additional information
by Karen Bermann (Author)
Karen Bermann grew up in the mad orbit of her father, Fritz, the rebellious child of a Viennese Orthodox Jewish family who fled Europe alone as an adolescent in the late 1930s. An irreverent, comic, rageful man with three names, who spoke three languages, lived on three continents, and always kept his papers in order, Fritz lived a life shaped by survival. In this memoir, told in alternating voices in brief, lyrical episodes, Bermann explores not only the mystery of her father but also the inheritance he passed on: intergenerational trauma, fragile familial bonds, and a fraught sense of belonging.
The Art of Being a Stranger is a darkly funny narrative told in poetry, prose, and mixed-media drawings. While her father taught her how to save herself, Bermann realized early on that what she truly needed was to be saved from him. Set against the backdrop of 1960s and 1970s New York City, The Art of Being a Stranger is a poignant comic-drama that offers an intimate, layered exploration of parents and children in the shadow of history.
Author Biography
Karen Bermann is professor emerita of architecture at Iowa State University, where she specialized in beginning design, drawing, and teaching in the Rome study abroad program. Prior to earning a bachelor of architecture at The Cooper Union, she worked on sweat equity rehabilitation on the Lower East Side in the building that first brought solar and wind energy to New York City. She has published and presented widely in academic contexts on questions of identity, memory, and place. She lives in Rome.
