''Subs'' is a 2011 satirical novel by the German writer

Thor Kunkel Thor Kunkel, a German author, was born in Frankfurt am Main on 2 September 1963. Kunkel claims to have spent his youth associating with drug friends and American soldiers stationed in the then West Germany. In 1981, on a scholarship to the United S ...

. The main characters are a wealthy Berlin couple, the cosmetic surgeon Claus Gordian Müller-Dodt and his lawyer wife Evelyn, who advertise for "slaves" to do household chores for them, and acquire a young woman and an older man. The ''subs'' of the title comes from

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged in ...

and is short for submissives.

Deutschlandfunk Kultur Deutschlandfunk Kultur (; abbreviated to ''DLF Kultur'' or ''DKultur'') is a culture-oriented radio station and part of Deutschlandradio, a set of national radio stations in Germany. Initially named ''DeutschlandRadio Berlin'', the station was ren ...

compared the portrayal of slaves to real-life

illegal immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...

and called the book "a disturbing and at times very funny critique of culture and civilization". The novel was the basis for the 2018 film ''

Herrliche Zeiten ''Herrliche Zeiten'' is a 2018 German comedy-drama film directed by Oskar Roehler, starring Katja Riemann and Oliver Masucci. It tells the story of an affluent couple looking for a new housekeeper. As a joke, they write in the ad that they are loo ...

'' directed by

Oskar Roehler Oskar Roehler (born 21 January 1959) is a German film director, screenwriter and journalist. He was born in Starnberg, the son of writers Gisela Elsner and Klaus Roehler. Since the mid-1980s, he has been working as a screenwriter, for, among ot ...

References

2011 German novels Novels by Thor Kunkel German novels adapted into films German satirical novels Dystopian novels Novels about slavery Novels set in Berlin {{Europe-novel-stub