Berlin Alexanderplatz is the German urban novel of world literary significance. The setting is 1920s Berlin - with its bustling crowds, street noise, and tangled buildings. Schnoddy and sentimental, interspersed with biblical-apocalyptic imagery, Döblin tells the story of Franz Biberkopf, a transport worker released from prison, who wants to return to life as an honest man. The city itself becomes the antagonist to the good-natured yet quick-tempered Biberkopf, who tries to resist this alluring but relentless world. It is one of the great passion stories of the 20th century.