The ‘ignominy of division and joy of reunification’ are only part of the journey when exploring Germany through its fiction • MORE IN THIS SERIES: RUSSIA | GREECE | FRANCE | SPAIN Germany, land of _Dichter und __Denker_ (poets and thinkers), has produced some of the world’s finest literature, though its literary scene didn’t really get going until the 18th century with heavyweight figures such as Goethe and Schiller. For modern readers curious about the country, the 150 years following unification in 1871 are of most interest. Since becoming a modern nation state, Germany has seen intense industrialisation, two world wars, nazism and communism, the ignominy of division and the joy of reunification. Given this history, there are different Germanys to read about, and I have compiled this list with that in mind. As elsewhere, until the postwar era most high-profile books are by white males, but the proportion of female and BAME voices has increased since reunification, and is reflected in my more recent choices. Continue reading...
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