A Ladder to the Sky

In the spring of 1988, German-born Cambridge professor Erich Ackermann is in West Berlin, having recently won a literary prize for his novel Dread. At the Savoy Hotel bar, he reflects on his career and his childhood in Berlin as a member of the Hitler Youth. An attractive young waiter at the hotel distracts him, because he reminds Erich of a friend named Oskar from his past.

When the waiter’s shift ends, the young man introduces himself as Maurice Swift, who is a fan of Erich’s work. Flattered, Erich accepts Maurice’s invitation for a drink.

Six weeks later, in April 1988, Erich recalls receiving a short story from Maurice a month earlier; he found it well-written but unoriginal. Despite this, Erich invites Maurice to Copenhagen as his paid assistant for a literary festival.

During lunch, the two men discuss their backgrounds. Erich discloses that he is one-quarter Jewish and gay, while Maurice explains he comes from a farming family. Maurice speaks of his intense ambition to become a writer and his desire for a family. When Maurice admits he struggles to invent plots, Erich offers him some advice: He tells him that he should listen to those around him and to consider what secrets people are hiding, and that when he discovers a story, he should “make it [his] own” (22).