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Books
Books carry the knowledge and the dreams, the feelings and the stories of people throughout time.
Skip next section All Content on this topic
All Content on this topic
Heimito von Doderer: 'The Demons'
None of the novels that deal with Europe between the wars is as sweeping and yet profound as this Vienna-based epic.
Hans Fallada: 'Alone in Berlin'
Fallada's masterpiece tells of citizen resistance against a brutal Nazi regime.
Ernst Lothar: 'The Vienna Melody'
It's a love story, war drama and family tragedy all in one, and a must-read about Austria's tumultuous history.
Heinrich Mann: 'The Loyal Subject'
It's a satire of the pre-WWI German Empire — and a scathing example of the ugly German.
Kurt Tucholsky: 'Rheinsberg'
A couple head out to a resort together without being married: A love story narrated in an easy, breezy way.
Stefan Zweig: 'Beware of Pity'
"Beware of Pity" is a melancholy tale of misdirected admiration and pity.
Klaus Mann: 'Mephisto'
The literary psychological profile of a Third Reich follower was not allowed to be published in Germany for decades.
Else Lasker-Schüler: 'My Heart'
An expressionist poetess's farewell to a marriage — and an era.
Robert Walser: 'Jakob von Gunten'
The Swiss author's most mysterious book is a portrait of the most devoted revolutionary in literary history.
Robert Musil: 'The Confusions of Young Master Törless'
One is mistaken in calling this a story of disdain about boarding school. Robert Musil's novel is about power and abuse.
Thomas Mann: 'Buddenbrooks'
This is a literary masterpiece about the collapse of a family, and a panoramic view of society in the 19th century.
Georgia fights over its future
Even as it takes the spotlight at the 2018 Frankfurt Book Fair, Georgia is arguing over its European identity.
'Death in Rome' by Wolfgang Koeppen
Every big family has a black sheep. Or two. But what if the black sheep are the good guys?
'The Demons' by Heimito von Doderer
Heimito von Doderer was a Nazi and a sadist. But he could write: "The Demons" is a portrait of 1920s Viennese society.
'Payback' by Gert Ledig
Gert Ledig's "Payback" is relentless and excruciating - important reading for anyone who hasn't lived through war.
'Homo Faber' by Max Frisch
Afraid of relationships? "Homo Faber" by Max Frisch is about a serious commitment-phobe.
'The Tin Drum' by Günter Grass
AAAAAAH! A voice that can shatter glass. Curtain up for Oskar Matzerath, Günter Grass and "The Tin Drum" !
'A Woman in Berlin' by Anonymous
The end of World War II heralded a new nightmare for many women, as "A Woman in Berlin" by Anonymous reveals.
'The Blind Side of the Heart' by Julia Franck
What would drive a mother to abandon her only child? "The Blind Side of the Heart" by Julia Franck tells the story.
'The Oppermanns' by Lion Feuchtwanger
After 1945 many Germans pleaded ignorance of the Holocaust. But many authors saw this disaster coming!
'Babylon Berlin' by Volker Kutscher
If you're looking for a romp through Berlin in the Roaring 20s, "Babylon Berlin" by Volker Kutscher is the book for you.
'Threepenny Novel' by Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht's 'Threepenny Opera' is world famous. His lesser-known 'Threepenny Novel' deserves to be rediscovered.
'Broken Glass Park' by Alina Bronsky
The band Bronski Beat are pretty unmistakable. Well, novelist Alina Bronsky's got a beat, too!
'Auto-da-Fé' by Elias Canetti
What would be your worst nightmare? For Elias Canetti's protagonist it's seeing his library go up in flames.
'Visitation' by Jenny Erpenbeck
A seemingly idyllic lakeside house whose history reflects the turbulence and brutality of the 20th century.
'A Minute's Silence' by Siegfried Lenz
“Till death do us part” - sounds romantic, right? But not when that's how you lose your first love.
'Mephisto' by Klaus Mann
In "Mephisto," Klaus Mann tells the story of German actor Gustaf Gründgens. No one played Mephistopheles — the devil in Goethe's "Faust" - as brilliantly as he did. In real life, it turns out that Gründgens sold his soul as well.
'The Tower' by Uwe Tellkamp
Christian veers between conformity and resistance in Uwe Tellkamp's "The Tower" about the end of communist East Germany.
'Beware of Pity' by Stefan Zweig
It hurts when your fiancé won't acknowledge you. Never experienced that? Read "Beware of Pity" by Stefan Zweig.
'The Method' by Juli Zeh
Never get sick again? Sounds tempting. But it comes at a high price: "The Method" by Juli Zeh.
'The Seventh Cross' by Anna Seghers
See no evil, hear no evil? Many Germans claimed they did not know about the crimes of the Nazis. Really?
'An Exclusive Love' by Johanna Adorján
What if you started the day knowing that it was going to be your last?
'The Vienna Melody' by Ernst Lothar
Ernst Lothar was an Austrian Jew who fled to the US. In "The Vienna Melody" he explains Austria to the Americans.
'The Hunger Angel' by Herta Müller
Nobel laureate Herta Müller coins words for hunger and deprivation that are as beautiful as they are painful.
'Alone in Berlin' by Hans Fallada
Do you have firm convictions? And would you be willing to die for them?
'The Greater Hope' by Ilse Aichinger
In "The Greater Hope" Ilse Aichinger describes Ellen's painful childhood growing up in Nazi Germany.
'Insane' by Rainald Goetz
"You can have my brain," said Rainald Goetz, and cut himself during a reading on TV. A definitely "Insane" way to fame!
'The Discovery of Slowness' by Sten Nadolny
"The Discovery of Slowness" by Sten Nadolny is about the virtues of not keeping up.
'Berlin Blues' by Sven Regener
Sven Regener's novel "Berlin Blues gives readers a taste of what life was like before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
'The Piano Teacher' by Elfriede Jelinek
What if we don't have sex - or not the right kind? You won't be able to put down Elfriede Jelinek's "The Piano Teacher."
'The Swimmer' by Zsusza Bánk
"The Swimmer" by Zsusza Bánk is set in Hungary, 1956 and tells the tale of two kids abandoned by their mom.
'Bricks and Mortar' by Clemens Meyer
Drugs, crime and prostitution flood into a town in eastern Germany after the collapse of communism.
'Woodcutters' by Thomas Bernhard
Ever been to a party where you hated EVERYONE? In "Woodcutters," by Thomas Bernhard, it's clear you're not alone.
'Inkheart' by Cornelia Funke
Sometimes, books can seem more exciting than real life. What if you actually became part of the story?
'Raw Material' by Jörg Fauser
Pumped full of drugs and alcohol and no money to speak of, but with a snazzy typewriter in tow: Back in the 1960s nothing said "Take me seriously, I'm a writer!" quite like this baby. "Raw Material" by Jörg Fauser is about the compulsion to write.
'Maybe Esther' by Katja Petrowskaja
IIn Katja Petrowskaja's collection of stories, "Maybe Esther," the protagonist is on a mission to uncover the past.
'Night Train to Lisbon' by Pascal Mercier
Can a book change your life? In "Night Train to Lisbon" a few lines trigger a quest that turns everything on its head!
'The Trial' by Franz Kafka
Have you ever wondered what the term 'kafkaesque' means? Read The Trial by Franz Kafka, and you'll know.
'Perfume' by Patrick Süskind
Read Patrick Süskinds novel "Perfume" and take an olfactory trip to 18th century Paris.
'The Swarm' by Frank Schätzing
How far can we go before Nature strikes back? Better not read Frank Schätzing's sci-fi thriller on the beach!
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