Artsy Traveler

Reading novels set in Germany is one of my favorite ways to prepare for a trip, or to deepen the experience while I’m there.

From medieval cathedrals and glassblowing workshops to Berlin’s turbulent 20th-century art scene, Germany has inspired writers across centuries and genres.

This curated list of arts-inspired novels set in Germany goes well beyond the usual World War II narratives (though a few appear, thoughtfully and powerfully).

The Glassblower by Petra Durst-Benning

This wonderful novel is the first in Petra Durst-Benning’s Glassblower Trilogy. It tells the story of three sisters in 19th-century Germany who must learn the art of glassblowing, traditionally been done only by men, so they can take care of themselves in a harsh world.

And After the Fire by Lauren Belfer

This dual-time novel spanning over two hundred years, from Berlin in the 18th century through the Holocaust to New York in contemporary times, tells the story of a lost Bach manuscript with a disturbing message. The novel is inspired by historical events.

The Novelist from Berlin by V. S. Alexander

The Novelist from Berlin is inspired by the mysterious true story of Irmgard Keun, a novelist who defied all the rules. In 1920s Germany, even a woman as resourceful and intelligent as Niki Rittenhaus needs alliances in order to survive. She publishes her first novel, The Berlin Woman, under a pseudonym to great success. But anonymity cannot last and soon she is in great danger.

Cathedral by Ben Hopkins

This immersive read is a remarkable feat of imagination. At the heart of the novel is the Cathedral and the story of its design and construction in the 13th and 14th centuries in the Rhineland town of Hagenburg. The novel unites a vast array of memorable characters whose fortunes are intertwined with the shifting political factions and economic interests vying for supremacy.

The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth

One of six sisters, Dortchen Wild lives in the small German kingdom of Hesse-Cassel in the early 19th century. She finds herself irresistibly attracted to the boy next door, the handsome but very poor fairy tale scholar Wilhelm Grimm. As Dortchen tells Wilhelm some of the most powerful and compelling stories which will one day become his and Jacob’s renowned fairy tale collection, their love grows.

The Magician by Colm Tóibín

In The Magician, Colm Tóibín captures the profound personal conflict of the very public life of German novelist Thomas Mann.
When the Great War breaks out in 1914 Thomas Mann, like so many of his fellow countrymen, is fired up with patriotism. But his flawed vision will form the beginning of a dark and complex relationship with his homeland, and see the start of great conflict within his own brilliant and troubled family.  

The Weather in Berlin by Ward Just

This is a novel of Americans abroad. When a renowned Hollywood director travels to post-Wall Germany to spark his genius, he is unexpectedly reunited with an actress who mysteriously disappeared from the set of his movie thirty years earlier. Masterly and atmospheric, The Weather in Berlin explores the subtleties of artistic inspiration, the nature of memory, and the pull of the past.

Marlene by C. W. Gortner

Raised in genteel poverty after the World War I, Maria Magdalena Dietrich dreams of a career on the stage. This historical biographical novels follows the beautiful, desirous Marlene from Germany to America and back to Germany.