‘Literature’ Archives
Berlin At War
Brian Melican reviews Roger Moorhouse's excruciatingly detailed account of Berlin during World War 2... Berlin at war: the devastated city in 1945 For a comparatively young city, Berlin is by no means short on history. Paris and London may have been founded by the Romans, but the presence of the past in Berlin can be quite overwhelming – primarily, and quite paradoxically, due to the recent nature of this past. There must be nearly two million people in the city who remember the Wall [...]
Hans Fallada’s Anti-Fascist Fiction
Jonah Raskin takes a broader look at the novels of celebrated German author Hans Fallada... Hans Fallada: anti-fascist author In The Diary of a Young Girl—one of the most touching books ever written about life under fascism—Dutch teenager Anne Frank observed, “Extraordinary things happen to people who go into hiding.” Published in 1947 with an introduction by Eleanor Roosevelt, Frank’s diary awakened the world to the daily lives of Jews hoping to escape concentration camps [...]
On se left you see se Siegessäule
Brian Melican finds erudite humour in a book by German comedian and former tour guide Tilman Birr... A few weeks back, I came across a review of a book called On se left you see se Siegessäule: Erlebnisse eines Stadtbilderkärers whose title intrigued me enough to procure it. As an Englishman who has learnt German, just the moniker on its own was enough to bring a wry smile to my face: read in German, the title gives you the typical accent of a German trying (and failing) to master that [...]
A Woman in Berlin
Tam Eastley reviews one of the most controversial and poignant books to emerge from Russian-occupied Berlin in 1945... A Woman in Berlin (Eine Frau in Berlin) by Anonymous is a true diary account of the postwar city from April 20 – June 22 1945. Written by a well educated 34-year-old German woman and professional journalist alleged to be one Marta Hillers, the startlingly frank narrative is an eye opening chronicle of the fall of Berlin to the Russian Red Army. The first 65 pages of [...]
English Theatre Berlin: 10 Minute Plays
Marian Ryan chats to Maxwell Flaum, co-founder of Shakespeare im Park and curator of this year's Ten-Minute-Play Competition... Image: Shakespeare im Park Berlin Maxwell Flaum, co-founder of Shakespeare im Park, was tapped by Günter Grosser of English Theatre Berlin to curate this year’s Ten-Minute Play competition. Entries are welcome through 26 November. This year’s contest coincides with EtB’s struggle to keep its doors open in the face of steep funding cuts as the Berlin [...]
Germania: In Wayward Pursuit of the Germans and their History
Giulia Pines tackles Simon Winder's Germania and finds lashings of self-indulgence with a side of history... Simon Winder’s Germania is two parts history and one part memoir with a bit of bemused ranting thrown in for good measure. It's difficult to read a book like this without wondering what exactly the author was thinking – about both his subject and himself – while writing it. It starts off with an anecdote about a family vacation on an Alsatian canal that cemented the [...]
A Celebration Of Creativity, Culture & Cuisine in Berlin: Photo Gallery
Well that was one busy, crazy, wonderful day. We were blown away by the turn out, the great atmosphere, and the quality of all aspects of the event, from the workshops and music to the literature lounge and food stalls. Thanks so much to everyone that came - it was great to put so many faces to names and meet people in person. Thanks also to the Markthalle IX for letting us use their fantastic venue. We hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did. Feel free to leave any feedback in the [...]
Broken Dimanche Press
Rachel Simkover chats to John Holton of Berlin's Broken Dimanche Press... John Holton, a writer from Ireland, and Line Madsen Simenstad, a journalist from Norway, started Broken Dimanche Press when they moved to Berlin in 2008. It all began with the book project, You Are Here, to try and familiarize themselves with the city and it’s young writers... Why don’t you talk a bit first about some past projects? After You Are Here we found a lot of people, we were still small then, we [...]
Berlin And The Artist [1910]
![Berlin And The Artist [1910]](http://www.slowtravelberlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/productimage-picture-berlin-stories-154-1-187x300.png "Berlin And The Artist [1910]")
An extract from Robert Walser’s 1910 story, Berlin And The Artist, taken from the newly compiled and translated collection Berlin Stories... A city like Berlin is an ill-mannered, impertinent, intelligent scoundrel, constantly affirming the things that suit him and tossing aside everything he tires of. Here in the big city you can definitely feel the waves of intellect washing over the life of Berlin society like a sort of bath. An artist here has no choice but to pay [...]
Miron Zownir: A Radical Man
Natalie Holmes chats to photographer, film-maker, author and all-round "radical man" Miron Zownir... Having taken up photography during the peak of the punk phenomenon in the late 70s, German photographer Miron Zownir emigrated to the USA in 1980, living in New York, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh. It was in New York that Zownir made his name as a moody, expressionistic and unflinching photographer, capturing the darker fringes of society in the style of Diane Arbus or Weegee. In spite [...]
