Read Your Way Through Berlin

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Berlin is just not fairly. You ought to know that beforehand. You don’t come right here for the gorgeous structure of an outdated European metropolis.

The Berlin Cathedral feels outsized. Across the road, there may be the absurd Stadtschloss — a citadel that was torn down in 1950, changed by a reasonably Brutalist constructing after which not too long ago rebuilt from scratch true to its nineteenth century facade, with a hyper-modern inside. On Potsdamer Platz, a tent-like glass roof serves as a wierd time capsule of what individuals within the early Nineteen Nineties thought their future would seem like. Just down the highway stands the Brandenburg Gate, a neoclassical monument that grew to become an emblem of the brand new, reunited Germany.

The twentieth century has left deep marks on this metropolis. Not too way back, Berlin was nonetheless divided by a wall. And historical past earlier than the wall was darker nonetheless: Watch for the small golden rectangles on the pavement — the Stolpersteine, or stumbling stones — each carrying the identify of a Jewish resident of Berlin killed by the Nazis, and a relentless reminder of the individuals whose kids and grandchildren may very well be residing right here now. In Berlin, if you already know your historical past, you will see ache on each nook.

But when the climate is good and also you bike from the Neukölln district to Kreuzberg to Friedrichshain to Prenzlauer Berg, the structure recedes and you will see a way of freedom in zooming by the countless stretches of cafes and eating places and parks full of individuals, talking so many various languages.

Much of Berlin’s attraction lies in what occurs indoors — in its cafes and golf equipment and inside individuals’s flats. The metropolis’s grim historical past has given rise to a seek for pleasure, at occasions excessive. There is a severe dance and membership tradition starting from techno music to Afrobeats, in dance colleges and on the streets. The availability of many massive areas after the autumn of the wall additionally resulted in lots of nice artists having a studio in Berlin and due to this fact in a thriving up to date artwork scene. And as for literature, many distinguished German-language writers, together with these from Austria and Switzerland, at the moment are residing in Berlin.

But the very best factor about Berlin could also be that its mantra of everybody being equal nonetheless performs out in some ways. Berlin remains to be inexpensive (properly, comparatively talking) and also you don’t want a lot cash be cool. With type and angle, you’re going to get into Berghain or one other unique membership over any billionaire. I don’t know when it occurred, however Berlin someway rose above its tragic previous and have become a fantastic place to be.

What ought to I learn earlier than I pack my luggage?

The massive basic is Alfred Döblin’s “Berlin Alexanderplatz.” It’s one of many nice modernist novels of the twentieth century, and attending to know Berlin is only one of many good causes to learn it.

What books or authors ought to I deliver with me?

Vladimir Nabokov’s “The Gift.” It’s the final guide he wrote in Russian — a giant novel a couple of man and a girl whom destiny tries to deliver collectively (for a very long time, to no avail). It’s additionally concerning the enormous group of Russians who took refuge in Berlin after the revolution. For apparent causes, this can be a well timed matter.

Irmgard Keun’s “The Artificial Silk Girl.” This is a extremely unique, extraordinarily trendy novel about Berlin within the early twentieth century. The narrator is a younger lady whose irreverent and humorous voice you’ll not simply neglect.

Hans Fallada’s “Every Man Dies Alone.” This is the one massive social novel that takes place in Berlin beneath Nazi rule, written by somebody who lived by means of it. It offers you nightmares, but it surely does provide you with an thought of what it actually felt like, the way in which solely nice novels can.

Thomas Brussig’s “The Short End of the Sonnenallee.” One of essentially the most good satirical novels about life in East Berlin, within the shadow of the wall (fairly actually). A translation by Jonathan Franzen and Jenny Watson, with an introduction by Franzen, shall be revealed in April 2023 by Picador Original.

Sven Regener’s “Berlin Blues.” One of the funniest German books ever, it explores what it was prefer to reside in Berlin after the reunification with a number of booze and no cash.

And should you learn some German, attempt Jens Bisky’s newly revealed and due to this fact not but translated historical past, “Berlin.” Just as with town itself, don’t be deterred by its massive measurement.

If I’ve no time for day journeys, what books might assist me discover additional?

Any of the novels of Theodor Fontane, the good nineteenth century author. They typically happen within the reasonably idyllic panorama of Brandenburg, the area surrounding Berlin.

And Voltaire’s “Memoirs of the Life of Monsieur de Voltaire.” Potsdam is just one hour from Berlin, and the friendship of Frederick the Great and the best author of the 18th century, which led to a whole lot of extremely entertaining mutual slander, is endlessly attention-grabbing to discover.

What author is everybody on the town speaking about?

Right now, for apparent causes, persons are speaking concerning the nice Ukrainian writers — for instance Yuri Andrukhovych and Andrey Kurkov — in addition to the Russian dissident writers who made it to Germany and aren’t in a position to return to their dwelling for political causes, similar to Vladimir Sorokin, Ludmila Ulitskaya and Victor Erofeyev. These are family names in Europe, which suggests they’re, just like the names of almost all of the world’s nice writers not writing in English, little recognized within the U.S.

Tell me what audiobook would make for good firm whereas I stroll round.

Listen to Bertolt Brecht’s “Threepenny Opera.” There is even a BBC manufacturing with David Bowie. Yes, it’s formally set in London, but it surely’s the quintessential play about Berlin within the Twenties. Don’t attempt to make sense of the story: Just benefit from the songs.

Who are the literary icons I’d see named on avenue indicators, statues, public monuments?

While listening to the “Threepenny Opera,” you would possibly wish to take a stroll round Berliner Ensemble, the theater the place “Threepenny Opera” premiered in 1928 and the place Brecht himself directed his performs after he returned from his Hollywood exile. There can also be a statue of Brecht however the true monument is, after all, his theater.

What literary pilgrimage vacation spot would you suggest?

This is a not a enjoyable advice, however go to Hohenschönhausen jail, the place the East German secret police interrogated dissidents, lots of them writers. Back then, you couldn’t discover it on any map: Very few individuals even knew it existed. Now, former inmates are the tour guides! The ex-prisoners are so younger, comparatively talking, that one understands viscerally how not too long ago the dictatorship was nonetheless in place. It could destroy your day, however it can enable you to perceive extra concerning the latter half of the twentieth century than most books or museums.

What’s a very good place to curve up with a guide on a day without work?

From the Berliner Ensemble take a 10-minute stroll previous Friedrichstrasse prepare station — which within the occasions of the wall was the prepare station between East and West — to the big bookstore referred to as Dussmann, on Friedrichstrasse. It has every little thing, in all languages, and is so massive you would possibly by no means discover your means out.

Or, should you’re already within the western a part of town, go to Bücherbogen at Savignyplatz. It’s smaller than Dussmann, but it surely’s in all probability Berlin’s most lovely unbiased bookstore.

Then take all of the books you’ve purchased and, if it’s spring or summer season, go to gritty Volkspark Friedrichshain and keep till the solar lastly units. If it’s winter, although, don’t even attempt. Avoid the park.

Actually, if it’s winter, don’t come to Berlin in any respect.

Daniel Kehlmann’s Berlin Reading List

• “Berlin Alexanderplatz,” Alfred Döblin

• “The Gift,” Vladimir Nabokov

• “The Artificial Silk Girl,” Irmgard Keun

• “Every Man Dies Alone,” Hans Fallada

• “The Short End of the Sonnenallee,” Thomas Brussig

• “Berlin Blues,” Sven Regener

• “Berlin,” Jens Bisky

• Novels by Theodor Fontane

• “Memoirs of the Life of Monsieur de Voltaire,” Voltaire

• “Threepenny Opera,” Bertolt Brecht

Daniel Kehlmann’s newest novel, “Tyll,” inserts humor right into a story set in a Europe devastated by battle, and is being tailored into a serious movement image. It is his eighth novel, and has been, or is being, translated into greater than 20 languages.