It may not be the most beautiful or the oldest capital in Europe. But when I mention Berlin in response to the question of where I come from in New York, Tel Aviv, or Barcelona, a spark of curiosity, even enthusiasm, appears in the eyes of the person asking. Peter Schneider writes about his chosen home, the "eternally unfinished city" of Berlin: it is not a travel guide or a panegyric suitable for promoting Berlin, but a very personal portrait in which the author, with a keen eye and full of wit, explores the old and new absurdities of the city.