Transit is a novel by German writer Anna Seghers, set in Vichy Marseilles after France fell to Nazi Germany.[1][2] Written in German, it was published in English in 1944, and has also been translated into other languages.
It has been described as an "existential, political, literary thriller" about storytelling, boredom and exile.[3]
Plot summary
The novel takes place in France during World War II after the German invasion and occupation of the north. The twenty-seven year-old unnamed narrator has escaped from a Nazi concentration camp and is traveling from Rouen. Along the way to Marseilles, where he hopes to get passage on a ship to leave the country, he meets a friend, Paul. Paul asks the narrator to deliver a letter to a writer named Weidel in Paris. When the narrator tries to do this, he learns that Weidel has committed suicide. The narrator also finds that Weidel left behind a suitcase full of letters and an unfinished manuscript for a novel, which he takes with him.
Arriving in Marseilles, the narrator describes the chaos of a town full of people from across Europe who are desperate to escape the Nazis. Most of his time is spent in cafes, where he begins to recognize people who are also waiting, while the city has ever more limited amounts of food and alcohol on sale because of the increased population. A mystery woman who haunts the cafes is Weidel's estranged wife, desperate for his help to leave France. She doesn't know Weidel is dead. The narrator falls in love with her and tries to arrange matters so she can leave with him, without her knowing that he has assumed Weidel's identity (in order to use his visa and Mexican visa).
Throughout the novel, the narrator talks with several other refugees, sharing stories and experiences along the way.[4] The story draws on Seghers's own experience in wartime France.[5]
Early Life
Netty Reiling, popularly known under her pen name Anna Seghers, was born on November 19th, 1900 in Mainz, Germany (Anna Seghers Society, 2022). The only daughter of a prosperous Orthodox Jewish family, she too grew up practicing the Orthodox Jewish faith; however, she frequently interacted with Christian (namely, Catholic) friends within her neighborhood. She developed an open mind and gained respect for both religions; however, she did not officially detach from the Jewish community until 1932. Additionally, Seghers was an introverted, illness-prone child who sought the sea and rivers for respite– symbols frequently appearing in her literary work (Romero, 2021).
Time in University & Berlin
During her time at the University of Heidelberg from 1920-1924, Seghers showed interest in East Asian culture (particularly language and art), European literature, the social sciences, and Marxism. She graduated with a doctorate in art history. (Romero, 2021). While in school, she met her future husband Laszlo Radvanyi, who was a Hungarian emigrant studying economics (New York Review Books, 2024). Together, they had 2 children: Peter and Ruth (Anna Seghers Society, 2022). They moved to Berlin, where Seghers published her first 2 breakthrough pieces which both won the Kleist Prize: Grubetsch in 1927 and Aufstand der Fischer von St. Barbara in 1928 (Akademie der Kunste, 2021). She originally published her work under the surname “Seghers–” likely referring to the Dutch painter Hercules Seghers. Additionally, she joined the League of Proletarian-Revolutionary Writers, a group closely associated with the Communist Party of Germany, under this pseudonym (Anna Seghers Society, 2022).
Hitler's Arrival & Segher's Exile in France
In 1933, Hitler became chancellor of Germany and began targeting German Jewish individuals. Seghers was briefly arrested and released, which motivated her family’s escape from Germany to Switzerland and then to Bellevue, France. She joined a literary magazine, Neue Deutsche Blätter, and reestablished the Association for the Protection of German Writers (Anna Seghers Society, 2021). She also became a member of Volksfront, an anti-fascist coalition led by Communists (Romero, 2021). Most notably, in 1942, Seghers published one of her most famous novels, Das siebte Kreuz, translated into The Seventh Cross, which would eventually be adapted into a film (Akademie der Kunste, 2021).
World War II & Exile in Mexico
When World War II began in 1939, French authorities declared Seghers and her husband “national suspects” due to their opposition to Hitler as communists and Laszlo’s Hungarian passport (Anna Seghers Society, 2021). Laszlo was temporarily sent to an internment camp, and when he was released, Seghers and her family attempted to find refuge in the United States; however, they were denied entry (Anna Seghers Society, 2021; Romero, 2021). They journeyed south to Mexico where they resided for 6 years (Akademie der Kunste, 2021). During this time, Seghers began focusing on her Jewish heritage which can be seen in her autobiographical story “Der Ausflug der toten Mädchen” (Romero, 2021). Seghers also began working on another acclaimed novel, Transit, which was published in 1944 in Spanish, English, and French. The novel would not be published in German until 1948. Her husband became a professor at the Workers’ University of Mexico and its national university (Anna Seghers Society, 2021).
Return to Germany & Activism
In 1947, Seghers solely returned to Berlin while her husband remained teaching in Mexico before reuniting in 1952. Her children both attend university in Paris (Anna Seghers Society, 2021). She became an active member of multiple organizations, such as Kulturbund zur demokratischen Erneuerung Deutschland, the Deutscher Schriftstellerverband (DSV), and the Deutsche Akademie der Künste (Akademie der Kunste, 2021). She won the George Büchner Prize from the city of Darmstadt and spoke at the first German Writers’ Congress. Seghers became a prominent figure in advocating for peace and recognition of the arts. For the former, she became a member of the World Peace Council, supported the Stockholm Appeal which prohibited nuclear weapons, and eventually received the World Peace Council’s Cultural Prize in 1975. For the latter, she founded the German Academy of Arts and became the chairwoman of the German Writers’ Association. Throughout this period, she continued to publish literary works like Crisanta, The Dead Remain Young, The Argonaut Ship, Peace Stories, and Three Women from Haiti– her last publication, since she began suffering health complications and made routine hospital visits (Anna Seghers Society, 2021; Romero, 2021). On June 1st, 1983, Seghers died and was buried in Dorotheenstadt Cemetary (Anna Seghers Society, 2021).
General Historical Context of Writing
Anna Seghers began writing Transit in 1940, publishing in 1944. Her life around this period, between 1933 and 1947, was marked by intense political and social upheaval, particularly in Europe, as fascism spread across the continent and ultimately culminated in World War II. Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in Germany in 1933 set off a series of aggressive geographical expansions and oppressive policies targeting Jewish communities, political dissidents, and other marginalized groups. Many intellectuals, artists, and writers—especially those associated with leftist ideals—were forced into exile. These exiled communities constantly relocated, often further West to France, the United States, or Latin America, as Nazi influence and military operations spread throughout the region. The Nazi occupation of France, along with the establishment of the Vichy government in 1940, led to even more instability and danger for political refugees. WWII formally ended in 1945, but the period was followed by years of recovery, with many exiles remaining in foreign countries due to the lingering political consequences in postwar Europe. Against this backdrop, Transit reflects refugees' struggles and complex social dynamics while attempting to navigate a world consumed by war and bureaucracy.
Exile in Paris, France
To fully contextualize Segher’s writing, one must examine her broader life experiences, which likely influenced her writing. Our first stop on our voyage of understanding is Paris, France. After Hiter came to power in 1933, Seghers – a vocal Jewish and anti-fascist writer – fled to France via Switzerland for safety after being temporarily arrested and labeled as an “undesirable author.” Her husband and children joined her in Paris a few months after her arrival. Seghers remained in Paris for seven years before the Nazi blitzkrieg in 1940 forced her to flee with her children. While in Paris, Seghers assumed leadership of the Association of Proletarian Revolutionary Writers (BPRS), which she joined in 1928 when she joined the communist party and won the prestigious Kleist Prize for emerging writers. The following year, 1934, Seghers traveled to Austria to document the February Uprising or Austrian Civil War. The product of the journey was a story called “The Last Journey of Koloman Wallish,” one of her many writings created in French exile. During this period of exile, Anna Seghers writing began to transform from an intensely political perspective to an equally powerful introspective and nostalgic perspective, focused on her own experiences as a refugee. However, Seghers continued to define herself as an active anti-fascist political voice, helping organize and speaking at the first International Writers Congress in Defense of Culture in late June 1935. In 1936, she worked on a collaborative project titled “Heldenbuch,” or the Book of Heroes, which was instrumental in inspiring her most famous novel, The Seventh Cross. The goal of Heldenbuch was to commemorate victims of the Nazi regime, an active retaliation against efforts of the Nazi regime to eliminate targeted authors from history, mainly through book burnings. Seghers was influential during the second International Writers Congress in Defense of Culture in 1937 in Spain. In the same year, Seghers published a novel about German unemployment titled “The Rescue” and a radio play titled “The Trial of Jeanne D’Arc.” The following year, 1938, Seghers began work on the Seventh Cross and a book titled “Women and Children in Exile,” which signals her reflection on her exiled status, ultimately culminating in Transit. Seghers life became chaotic in 1940 with the death of her father and the imprisonment of her husband, László Radványi. After hiding for some time in Paris, she fled with her children, Peter and Ruth, to Vichy, France.
Exile in Vichy-Controlled Marseille
Although Seghers remained in the region for less than a year, this period remains extremely critical in developing a comprehensive understanding of Transit because Seghers's experiences characterize the story. In Vichy-France, Seghers resided in Palmiers, just south of Toulouse, and frequently traveled to Marseille to secure visas. Primarily due to the disorganized government at the time, Seghers was fortunate to avoid internment in any of the Vichy-controlled concentration camps, which, in October 1940, began targeting Jewish persons for internment, especially considering that even before the German invasion, undesirable foreigners were being subjected to strict surveillance. Seghers began writing Transit between schooling her children and acquiring the proper visas. In 1941, Seghers, her husband, and children departed Marseille on the refugee freighter Paul Lemerle for the United States of America, with stops in Martinique and the Dominican Republic. Just over a year after leaving Marseille, the Vichy government canceled all exit visas for foreign Jews and began deportation. Seghers certainly wrestles with her emotions related to this period in Transit. Seghers traveled to Mexico via the United States and Cuba in June 1941.
Exile in Mexico
In Mexico, Seghers found and developed a populous and active exile community in Mexico City. However, a year after she arrived in 1942, she lost a valuable community member, her mother, to deportation after her visa arrived too late. Undoubtedly, this event was extremely difficult for Seghers. Furthermore, this traumatic event may give credence to some readers arguing that her writing was noticeably nostalgic and infused with a longing for home around this period, especially Transit. Her mother’s date of death is unknown. She published The Seventh Cross, her most profitable book the same year. The following year, 1943, Seghers published Transit, and shortly after, she was involved in a serious hit-and-run accident in Mexico City and remained hospitalized for several months. Thankfully, she recovered and continued to publish several pieces in multiple languages before returning to Germany in 1947. She eventually gave up her Mexican passport to become an East German citizen when the country was split in 1949.
Publication history
Written in German, it was published in an English translation by James Austin Galston in 1944. It has since been translated into other languages. It was published by the New York Review of Books in 2013 in a new English translation by Margot Bettauer Dembo, as part of its Classics program.
Transit (2018 Film)
Audience
Transit (2018), directed by Christian Petzold, appeals to both arthouse cinema enthusiasts and viewers interested in historical refugee narratives. The film, based on Anna Seghers' 1944 novel, uses a unique blend of historical and modern elements that set it apart from traditional war films
Critical Praise
Transit has been widely praised, holding a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviews highlight its atmospheric quality and thought-provoking themes:
Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian noted its "mysterious, dreamlike quality," which initially felt alienating but later became immersive.
Manohla Dargis from The New York Times referenced Walter Benjamin, saying, “The 'state of emergency' in which we live is not the exception but the rule," aligning this with Petzold’s film as a warning against fascism.
Sheena Scott from Forbes described Transit as a haunting movie, with a lingering impact on its viewers
Director & Cast
Christian Petzold
Christian Petzold, born in 1960 in Hilden, Germany, is one of the leading directors of the Berlin School, a movement of young German filmmakers. His work, including Barbara (2012) and The State I Am In (2000), reflects a consistent exploration of individuals in transit, both literally and metaphorically. Petzold is quoted saying, “If we want to move on, first we have to remember,” and emphasizes that “cinema should be about people in transit.”
Key Cast Members
Franz Rogowski as Georg: Rogowski, born in Freiburg, Germany in 1986, was named one of the “European Shooting Stars of 2018."
Paula Beer as Marie: Beer, born in Mainz, Germany in 1995, brought a complex portrayal of Marie, adding depth to the film's layered narrative.
Awards & Box Office Performance
Awards
Transit garnered recognition on the festival and awards circuit:
Bavarian Film Award for Best Screenplay (2019).
Jury Prize at the Portland International Film Festival for Best of Masters (2019).
Best Film at the Nuremberg Film Festival "Turkey-Germany" (2018).
Dublin Film Critics Award for Best Film (2019).
Box Office
The film grossed approximately $1.45 million worldwide, with a domestic total of $815,290 and an international total of $639,024.
Adaptation from Novel to Film
Setting & Time Period
In adapting Transit, Petzold deliberately removed references to WWII, blending modern and historical elements to evoke a timeless narrative. The film's atmospheric style relies on visual cues rather than explicit textual references from the novel, shifting the narrative focus from inner monologue to visible actions and behavior.
Differences in Tone & Style
The novel's tone is more introspective, while Petzold’s film adaptation emphasizes ambiguity, particularly in its open-ended conclusion. The shift from a sympathetic protagonist in Seghers' book to Petzold’s more complex characterization encourages a nuanced interpretation of the refugee experience.
Critical Reactions to Refugee Portrayal
Anna Seghers' Transit (1944) drew mixed reactions, particularly regarding its portrayal of refugees. While some reviewers acknowledged the inherent tragedy of Seghers' subject matter, others found her depiction of the protagonist less sympathetic than expected for a war refugee. For example, Helen Bower, writing for the Detroit Free Press on May 14, 1944, expressed detachment, noting that although "the refugees pouring a floodtide into Marseille is tragic and moving of itself," the author's style left her "personally, cold."
Henry Miller, in his Town & Country review (August 1945), echoed a similar sentiment. He argued that "the sympathy one has for the countless, nameless refugees is diverted from him," suggesting that the protagonist's plight was as much a result of "his own stupidity and inertia" as it was of the war itself.
Reviews
1944 Reviews
Milton Merlin of the Los Angeles Times offered a more positive take, comparing Transit to H.E. Bates’ Fair Stood the Wind for France. He described Seghers' work as "the story of the uprooted millions in frantic migration" and found the narrative effective in capturing the chaotic displacement of refugees during the war. Miller, however, offered a more complex view in his Town & Country review, interpreting Transit as a reflection of the "disregard for the dignity of life" seen in both war and peace. While admiring its themes, Miller ultimately critiqued the novel as "too expertly done," and compared the protagonist to the detached figure in Arthur Koestler’s works.
Comparison to Other Works by Anna Seghers
Critics also compared Transit to Seghers’ other works, particularly her previous novel, The Seventh Cross. Harry Hansen, in Red Book (July 1944), found Transit "a moving one" but felt it did not reach the same literary heights as The Seventh Cross. William Du Bois of the New York Times was less favorable, stating that readers who appreciated The Seventh Cross might find themselves "let down" by Transit. He described Seghers' characters as "symbols, not men," attributing a "Teutonic mooniness" to her narrative style that detracted from its emotional impact.
Comparison with Other Popular Refugee Literature
Transit stands distinct within the WWII refugee narrative genre, marked by a dispassionate storytelling approach. The novel’s portrayal of bureaucratic absurdity and statelessness contrasts with more personalized refugee accounts, such as:
The Diary of Anne Frank (1947), focusing on intimate reflections.
If This Is a Man by Primo Levi (1947), with an intense focus on Auschwitz.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl (1946), offering an optimistic tone.
Scum of the Earth by Arthur Koestler (1941), addressing overarching political themes in the WWII refugee crisis.
Bibliography
Transit. Translated by Galston, James Austin. Little, Brown. 1944.
Fehervary, Helen. Anna Seghers: The Mythic Dimension. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2001. ISBN 0-472-11215-5 (Fehervary, 2001).
Cernyak, S. E. (1982). Anna Seghers: Between Judaism and Communism. In J. M. SPALEK & R. F. BELL (Eds.), Exile: The Writer’s Experience (Vol. 99, pp. 278–285). University of North Carolina Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5149/9781469658421_spalek.24
Jennings, E. T. (2018). Escape from Vichy: The refugee exodus to the French Caribbean. Harvard University Press.
Fehervary, H., Zehl Romero, I., & Kepple Strawser, L. (Eds.). (2017). Anna Seghers: The challenge of history. Brill.
Janzen, M. (2018). Writing to change the world: Anna Seghers, authorship, and international solidarity in the twentieth century. Camden House.
OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT language model (November 2023 version). Retrieved October 28, from https://chat.openai.com
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