Reading and travel, two of my favourite things. Reading about travel, even better. I confess that when I travel I like to have at least one book in my suitcase that is either about the country or written by a native. This summer we drove across Germany: here is my list of books to read in Germany.
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Table of Contents
HISTORY BOOKS TO READ IN GERMANY
THE SHORTEST HISTORY OF GERMANY by James Hawes
Everything you need to know about German history from the earliest settlement, through the Roman occupation, the many German principalities, the rise of Hitler, post war economic recovery and reunification. Told succinctly and in an incredibly easy to understand manner. This is the book that all four of us read during our Germany holiday this year. There were unseemly scuffles to get hold of our now battered copy as one person finished it. Even if you are not visiting Germany, I would recommend that you read this.
- The Shortest History of Germany by James Hawes
- Paperback £8.99
THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE by Thomas Harding
The story of twentieth century Germany is told via the history of one house and the five families that lived in it. It was built by a Jewish family as a rural retreat from Berlin, when they fled Germany, it was taken over a composer and his film star wife. They, in turn, were forced to leave the house at the end of second world war. We follow the house through Soviet occupation and through to reunification. Somehow because we get to know the people and the house, the nation’s history seeps through in a way that dry texts just don’t.
- The House by the Lake by Thomas Harding
- Paperback £8.99
STASILAND: TRUE STORIES FROM BEHIND THE BERLIN WALL by Anna Funder
We talk to the teens about the Cold War and the Iron Curtain and it is nothing more to them than the Second World War reminiscences of my parents …. ancient history. On the ground it is hard to believe that East Berlin and East Germany were once not only forbidden territory but hugely different to our reality. In Stasiland, Anna Funder talks to and tells the stories of the people who lived behind the wall. We learn what it was like to be watched and controlled by a less than benevolent state.
TRAVEL WRITING TO READ IN GERMANY
THREE MEN ON THE BUMMEL by Jerome K Jerome
Following the huge success of Three Men on a Boat, Jerome K Jerome wrote about his three heroes’ travels in the Black Forest on bicycles. This had me snorting with laughter at various points. A Bummel, in case you were wondering, is a journey of any length that has no set route but does have a set amount of time in which to be completed.
- Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K Jerome
- Paperback £6.99
A TIME OF GIFTS by Patrick Leigh Fermor
OK, so I included this in my Books to Read in the Netherlands selection but it is one of my favourite ever books. Eighteen year old Patrick Leigh Fermor sets out to walk from the mouth of the Rhine to the mouth of the Danube in the lead up to the Second World War. Inspiring, beautiful writing. One day I will travel from mouth to mouth.
- A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor
- Paperback £10.99
TO THE END OF THE RHINE by Bernard Levin
This is no longer in print but available for pence second hand on a well known internet bookseller. Bernard Levin was a giant of a journalist in the latter part of the twentieth century and this is his account of his journey from the mouth of the Rhine to its source. I include it here because it came out during the period that I lived on the Rhine (Mannheim and Basel at different times) and just captured the way that the great river flows through the history and economics of region.
- To the End of the Rhine by Bernard Levin
- Out of Print but available second hand from World of Books
CLASSICS TO READ IN GERMANY
THE SORROWS OF THE YOUNG WERTHER by Johann Wolfgang van Goethe
Goethe is German literature to many people. He wrote Romantic literature and poetry (he dabbled in politics, science and garden design too): an all round clever clogs. The Sorrows of the Young Werther was his breakthrough novel but he also wrote Faust. We visited Weimar where Goethe lived and worked read more about the town here.
- Sorrows of the Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang van Goethe
- Paperback £7.99
GRIMM TALES: For Young and Old by Philip Pullman
I know, Philip Pullman didn’t write the Grimm Tales. The Brothers Grimm wrote the tales but in all honesty the siblings prose is a little dense and very scary to the modern eye. Philip Pullman has retold his fifty favourite tales Snow White, Rapunzel and Cinderella are all here. Fantastic stories retold by a master. Read about my road trip down the Fairytale Road.
- Grimm Tales by Philip Pullman
- Paperback £9.99
ELIZABETH AND HER GERMAN GARDEN by Elizabeth von Arnim
Another of my favourites. Elizabeth von Arnim was an Australian who married a German Count. Elizabeth and her German Garden tells of a foreign woman married into the German aristocracy trying to integrate into society. Tending the garden of her country estate gives her great solace as things go from bad to worse. On the way you get a scene where our heroine whooshes across snow clad plains in a horse drawn sledge, I want to be that woman.
- Elizabeth and her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim
- Paperback £7.99
STEPPENWOLF by Herman Hesse
More dark nights of the soul with Steppenwolf. This time we have a middle aged man who feels that he is ill suited to everyday life, especially its more frivolous aspects. On his travels he discovers a magical theatre. There is no happy ending for anyone.
- Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse
- Paperback £9.99
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT by Erich Maria Remarque
All Quiet on the Western Front tells the tale of veteran of the First World War. We follow him from his enlistment soon after the outbreak of war, back home on a visit and through many nameless battles. This book made me cry, made me think about the ordinary men on both sides that became soldiers and made me realise that every story has two sides.
- All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
- Paperback £8.99
GOODBYE TO BERLIN by Christopher Isherwood
You’ve heard of Caberet, the musical, well Goodbye to Berlin is the novel that it is based on. Meet Sally Bowles and the cast of Berlin habitués in the interwar period as Hitler begins his rise. Slowly being Jewish or gay or even just different becomes harder and all the time the party keeps on going.
- Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood
- Paperback £9.99
MODERN GERMAN LITERATURE
PERFUME by Patrick Süskind
Now I look at my copy of Perfume, it was published in 1985 …. not so modern any more, but as I bought it when it was new, modern it is. Perfume is one of those books that stays with you. It is gruesome and grisly and yet somehow deeply compelling. An ugly man with a profound sense of smell becomes obsessed with beautiful young girls. To tell you more is to spoil the story. Suffice to say that you will learn a lot about extracting the essence of aroma.
- Perfume by Patrick Süskind
- Paperback £8.99
AUSTERLITZ by W G Sebald
W G Sebald is another of my favourite authors, he manages to introduce an amazing sense of place into his work. That having said he is not a straight forward read. Photographs pop up during the book, they appear to be real but we are reading a work of fiction. Austerlitz tells the story of a man who arrived in the UK on the Kindertransport during the Second World War. We learn of the story of his mother and her death in Theresianstadt and then onwards to Paris to unearth his father’s tale.
- Austerlitz by W G Sebald
- Paperback £9.99
THE HIDING GAME by Naomi Wood
The Hiding Game follows four Bauhaus students from the early 1930s right up to the present day. We follow them from Weimar, to Dessau and Berlin and then to London. A tangled love affair and death stalk the book, whilst the maelstrom of mid twentieth century German politics swirls around them. I couldn’t put the The Hiding Game down, the story of the students pulled me on, the history of the Bauhaus had me fascinated and macabre horror of watching the creeping rise of the Nazis added an extra frisson.
- The Hiding Game by Naomi Wood
- Paperback £8.99
Do you like to read books that have an affinity to the region that you are visiting? Do you have any favourite German flavoured books that I have missed out? For travel minded bibliophiles I also have Books to Read in the Netherlands post that you might like.
The Rough Guide to Germany was sent to me in return for an honest review. All views are my own.
That is such a good idea to read books relating to the country you’re traveling in. I’ve read a couple of these. I remember reading All Quiet on the Western Front in school. And I read Grimm’s Fairytales to my daughter recently. #FarawayFiles
Thank you, I had fun looking through my shelves at the books, some of them I read many many years ago!
I was recently wondering about must-read books about Germany! This will come in handy! I’ve read a few at university, but some of these also sound interesting like wlaking from the mouth of the Rhine to the Danube! #FarawayFiles
Between Woods and Water is one of my all time favourite books and you are perfectly placed to explore each river from source down!
Great list! I’ve read some of these. I love Hesse’s books!
#TheWeeklyPostcard
This is a fantastic list! A time of gifts and Goodbye to Berlin are personal favourites. Will be adding many of these to my reading list, thank you for the suggestions.
I was born in Germany and still live there but I’m also interested in the books you recommend here. A wonderful list. I think it’s a great idea to be informed well when traveling.
Always good to combine two passions!
Wow I am a bookworm and I have never heard of most of these books! I love German history too! I will have to look into it. That perfume book sounds crazy but interesting at the same time.
Perfume is crazy but amazing
Interesting mix of books. I am definitely interested in the history books to really get an idea of what Germany is about and who the Germans are. We tend to associate this country solely with the events of World War II and Hitler, but there is so much more to it. I’ll have to add a couple of these to my reading list! #TheWeeklyPostcard
Germany is so much more than the first 5o years of the 2oth century, lots of things to discover beyond those years.
Bookmarked because (obviously) we have such similar taste – loved Stasiland and Perfume is in my top 10 books of all time. I also loved the Book Thief
How could I have forgotten The Book Thief and Perfume is in my top ten too!
Saved this list for later, lots of books still unread at my place but your list has many interesting ones that I’d like to read also. #TheWeeklyPostcard
My ‘To Be Read’ is enormous but not as bad as it was immediately after the children were born when I continued to buy books at my before baby rate but was soooo tired that none of them got read!
Yes, reading is a great way to prep for a trip and entertain yourself during sightseeing breaks! I love the idea of reading the Grimms Brothers fairy tales retold. I feel like it would bring back lots of childhood memories. Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
I was a bit dubious that they wouldn’t be so ‘real’ as the originals but loved the retelling
This is great list. I would love to read the war stories ones, as I am fascinated with history. I love reading so will be adding a few of these to my “to read” list.
History seemed to be everywhere we looked in Berlin!
VERY excited to hear how much you loved the Patrick Leigh Fermor book, Catherine! I read it last year and I adored it. Absolutely loved his writing. I’m saving up the second volume for a rainy day – I tend to hoard second and third parts of books and not read them all at once. I love the Grimm brothers too but haven’t read the Pullman version. I didn’t love Austerlitz or Steppenwolf but I’m not sorry I read them. I hadn’t realised Jerome K Jerome had written a sequel. That sounds like a lot of fun! I liked Alone in Berlin too! #FarawayFiles
Patrick Leigh Fermor makes me want to do that journey but maybe a mixture of train and boat rather than walking!
It was quite hard core travelling but I admired him so much for doing it at that young age and at that time in history.
Good list! I would definitely add Mark Twain’s “A Tramp Abroad” & “The Awful German Language”.
Twain stayed several months in Baden-Wuerttemberg during a trip through Europe, and he had a go at learning German…without success. His account of it is hilarious!
Fantastic, will search them out!
I love Germany and I want to read novels set in Germany or Bavaria in modern times. Almost all of the books have to do with Berlin or with WWII. At there any recommendations?
Author
Good question! I’ve had a quick google and can’t find anything. Perfume, Austerlitz and The Hiding Game are all relatively new and none set in Berlin but I am stumped for truly contemporary Bavarian literature, sorry