Books set in Berlin

12 days exploring Berlin, by bike, train and foot.

Berlin is elusive.
You can visit the sites.
Interact with locals.
Read all about the history, good and bad.
But I could not quite tap into the essence of Berlin by the end of our trip.

Plenty of people come to Berlin for six months and stay for ten years. What am I missing?Away from the city centre, Berlin feels free and unencumbered is that what appeals to all the people that stay for ten years? Or are they still trying to figure it all out?

I enjoyed every moment of our trip, however it was not until I extended the holiday by delving into some books set in Berlin that the puzzle came together for me.

Berlin: City of imagination by Rory MacLean

MY RATING: 5 of 5

This is an ingenious and entertaining book.

Starting in 1469 this is a collection of short stories based on an individual's life at a particular time in Berlin through the ages. Each chapter is a surprise, I did not have a clue where each chapter was going but by the end, I could feel and walk the streets in that person’s shoes.

Some of my favourite chapters included:

• the dreams of Schinkel in building a great capital
• JFK’s visit as a play in 1963
• David Bowie let loose in the city

I read it slowly to savour every story and by the time I finished, I wanted to go back again and visit Berlin with fresh eyes.

Roads to Berlin by Cess Nooteboom

MY RATING: 2 of 5

Cess is a Dutch journalist that lived in and out of Berlin from 1960s to 1980s.
He is a great observer of human behaviour and gets under the skin of what is happening on both sides of the wall from politicians and soldiers to ordinary people on the street.
The first chapter and the last few chapters are a delight. However, the rest of the book is tedious. The book is also supposed to be funny however does not match my Aussie style of humour. Having said that I did get some good insights on what it might have been like to live on different sides of the wall and the tumultuous times as the wall came down.

At one point he states that the entire city is sitting in the waiting room of history. I think that is still true now, Berlin has not yet found its true identity, and its past is still a heavy load to bear.

When Hitler stole pink rabbit by Judith Kerr

MY RATING: 4.5 of 5

You can’t escape WW2 on a visit to Berlin, nor in many of the books. However, this gem narrated through the eyes of 9-year-old Anna shares a child’s perspective as the Nazi’s come to power and set the world on a path of destruction.  

The story starts in Berlin and then travels through Europe as the family escapes the political turmoil and adjusts to a new life. I enjoyed the simplicity of Anna and her brother Max’s viewpoints. 

At one point Max quips, I always knew we should have brought the games compendium, Hitler’s probably playing snakes and ladders with it this very minute.

The Wall by Tom Buchwald

MY RATING: 3.5 of 5

A non-fiction book that gives a good summary of when the wall appeared, how the wall divided the city and ultimately fell. 

With compelling pictures on every page as an outsider, I was able to gain some understanding of what it must have been like to live through these turbulent years. 

The author uses very emotive language, like ‘…The Berlin Wall: The monstrous product of unmitigated evil’ which from my comfy life in Australia I found a bit strong. I assume he has personal experience of the wall which would make all the difference. Overall I found this book useful as I try to understand the complexities of modern-day Berlin.

Those Crazy Germans!: A Lighthearted Guide to Germany by Steven Somers

MY RATING: 3 of 5

Want to know about rules, German hip-hop or skinny dipping then this is the book for you. 

Full of obscure but useful information like an explanation of mountain TV. A channel that shows real-time views of the mountains accompanied by weather and classical music. Or how cities are named in Germany and that's why Berlin has the symbol of a bear. 

An easy to consume read for insights into a different culture. Recommended for first-time visitors that like to understand more about the country they are visiting.

Written by an American and not strictly set in Berlin it still helped on my quest to improve my understanding of Berlin.

My Berlin reading had slowed down and I wanted to do one more book. I tried Walking in Berlin: a flaneur in the capital by Franz Hessel which sounded great however I stopped very quickly, it was going nowhere. Then I selected A Princess in Berlin set in the 1920's I was hooked from the first page. However it was not available on Kindle and out of print, for me continuing to read in PDF was not enjoyable. Hopefully, this book will make a debut on Kindle one day soon.

The Good German by Joseph Kanon

MY RATING: 5 of 5

The final book was an excellent choice. I did not want to put it down and kept sneaking a few more pages between meetings.  Set in the months immediately following the surrender in Berlin during WW2, the book is a vivid portrayal of what life on the streets must have been like in those dangerous days, from dinners at the Aldon to escaping along the route to the Victory Tower.
Jake, an American war correspondent returns to Berlin after being away all through the war, he has a mission to find his lost love but quickly gets tangled in all the dirty deals between the Americans, British, Russians and Germans. Who is good and who is telling the truth?
With in-depth characters, love, espionage and a powerful story I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  The story took me on a journey always questioning the motivations of the characters in their darkest hours.  What would I have done to survive in the same situation? Joseph Kanon has another fan.

Other Berlin book lists that I found helpful:

• I heart berlin, one of my favourite websites
• Guardian, as always, reliable and honest evaluations

A Woman in Berlin by Anonymous

MY RATING: 5 of 5

Added  - May 2018

A powerful memoir of 6 fateful weeks at the end of WW2 in Berlin. The author blow by blow captures each day vividly describing what she and other civilians (mainly women) endured. The days are full of fear, rape and gallows humour but somehow it's palatable. This is not a book I would have ever expected to enjoy or recommend but it’s essential reading on two levels. One for the superb writing, another to fully understand the horrors of war on a civilian population. 

Later I learned about furore when it was published, the authentication as a real story and then how it was republished in 2002 once the author had passed away.  (In my edition all this is explained in the forward which I think is best read after the story if you don't like spoilers.)

This book will stay with me forever.