Monday 14 July 2014

Readers' Remedies


My previous post was all about a little writing adventure, so this one takes a look at some of what Berlin has to offer for the reader.   It’s a great city to be in for lovers of the written word, with literary events of one kind or another being held practically every week.
On Wednesday 2nd July, I made the short trip over to the Vagabund Brauerei in Wedding for the launch of the third Readux Books series http://www.readux.net/.  Readux is a small Berlin-based publisher specialising in mainly translated literature in pocket-sized books with beautiful cover designs.  There are four books in each series, at least one of which focuses on Berlin. 
The first part of the evening featured readings from Brittani Sonnenberg and Amanda Svensson, whilst the second was devoted specifically to Berlin-focussed literature.  A discussion with Isabel Cole about the works of Arthur Eloesser, whose ‘Cities and City People’ is one of the titles in the series, was followed by Katy Derbyshire and David Wagner reading from Wagner’s ‘Berlin Triptych’.  Having been at the Series 2 launch in March, I had looked forward to this one and I wasn’t disappointed – the readings and discussions were entertaining and Vagabund’s fine craft beers provided a fitting accompaniment.
I have particularly enjoyed the Literary Lounges hosted by Sharmaine Lovegrove of Dialogue Books http://www.dialoguebooks.org/ in Soho House’s Red Room – a suitably atmospheric basement space, part Victorian gentleman’s study, part Hogwarts’ library with plenty of red velvet, gothic light fittings, and baggy leather sofas.
Now that Sharmaine is returning to London, the lounges will become less frequent (they have been held roughly once a month up to now), although she has vowed to return to host more. 
The latest guest (and presumably last for a while) was Rory MacLean, who, on a sultry evening in June, came to discuss his book ‘Berlin: Imagine a City’, and to recount episodes from his forty year association with the city.  The book’s publication coincided with my arrival in Berlin so I was delighted to be able to buy it after the reading and have it signed by the author. 
I do hope the literary lounges continue and shall look out for Dialogue’s newsletter for details of any upcoming events.

In the meantime, there is plenty to keep bookworms happy in the city.  There are frequent literature and poetry festivals, and bookshops, bars and cafes regularly hold readings, author events or open mic evenings for writers to come along and share their work.
The Brecht Haus in Chausseestrasse http://www.lfbrecht.de/content/ is the last home and workplace of Bertolt Brecht and his wife Helene Weigel (their graves are both in the adjacent Dorotheenstädtischen Friedhof).  I have fond memories of studying ‘Mother Courage and her Children’ at university, so I had to check this out.  The ‘Literaturforum’ has a programme of seminars and events, all in German.
Not far from here, on Schiffbauerdamm, the Berliner Ensemble theatre http://www.berliner-ensemble.de/ naturally features plenty of Brecht in its programme besides recitals, readings and book premieres.
                                                                               ***
Bookshops in Berlin are wonderful havens, whether quirky enclaves with chaotically-stocked shelves, shabby furniture and eccentric owners or sleek streamlined spaces with on-site cafes.  German book price regulations mean that supermarkets and big chains aren’t able to undercut, so independent bookstores thrive.
Some of my favourites are:

Another Country, http://www.anothercountry.de/index.htm Riemannstrasse – an absolute delight.  Operates a bit like a lending library – take your book back and receive a refund, minus €1.50.  Regular events include Friday evening dinners cooked by the shop’s owner, Sophie Raphaeline. 

Autorenbuchhandlung, http://www.autorenbuchhandlung.com/ Else-Ury-Bogen – under the S-Bahn tracks at Savignyplatz.  English-language section and pleasant café.
Curious Fox, http://curiousfoxbooks.com/ Flughafenstrasse – A cosy, neatly arranged shop with a reasonable selection of new and used titles and a section devoted to Berlin-based writers.  Regular readings and quiz nights.

Dussmann, http://www.kulturkaufhaus.de/de/das-kulturkaufhaus/buecher/english-bookshop/  Friedrichstrasse – comprehensive collection of titles in the ‘English Bookshop’ in the city’s ‘KulturKaufhaus’.
Hundt-Hammer-Stein, http://www.hundthammerstein.de/ Alte Schonhauser Strasse – in a basement on this Mitte shopping street.  Small but decent English language section.

Literaturhaus, Fasanenstrasse – a gorgeous villa in a tranquil garden on this well-heeled shopping street just off the Kurfurstendamm.  There’s a lovely café upstairs and on sunny days it’s a treat to sit in the garden but difficult to find a space.  There is a bookshop on the ground floor with a small English-language section.  The café holds regular readings and events but my German isn’t up to appreciating them yet.
Marga Schoeller, Knesebeckstrasse – long-standing Charlottenburg bookshop with good-sized English-language section.

Marga Schoeller

Ocelot Books, http://www.ocelot.de/ Brunnenstrasse – bright, modern space with a small café.
Shakespeare & Sons, Raumer Strasse and also now at Warschauer Strasse.  Large stock of new and used English language texts. Bagels from ‘Fine Bagels’ are available at both branches.

St George’s, http://www.saintgeorgesbookshop.com/ Worther Strasse – English language literature of all kinds.  I’ve spent many a Friday afternoon browsing the shelves in here, rarely leaving empty-handed.  Books can be returned for a 50% refund; a good incentive for further purchasing.

Practically every bookstore includes a section dedicated to German writers and/or Berlin-centred literature.  Non-fiction covering Nazism, both World Wars, the Cold War etc. naturally abounds.  But Berlin has also inspired and influenced generations of fiction writers, and continues to do so. 
Alfred Döblin’s ‘Berlin Alexanderplatz’ was a masterpiece in the 1920s, banned by the Nazis and later deservedly resurrected. 

It may be clichéd, but it’s still almost impossible to mention ‘Berlin’ literature without referring to Isherwood (who is also the subject of a chapter in Maclean’s book).  ‘Goodbye to Berlin’ was another text I'd read at university, and on my very first visit to the city, I made the inevitable pilgrimage to his former address in Nollendorfstrasse where I recalled some earnest undergraduate discussions of the book.  Nowadays it is a thoroughly ordinary and respectable street – nothing like the louche, down-at-heel environs of Isherwood’s world.
Cold War Berlin was a natural focus for espionage novels; providing the twin temptations of the mystery and intrigue of the divided city, and the opportunities for political propagandising. 

Since the Wall’s demise and subsequent German ‘reunification’, writers have sought to understand and explain the ‘new’ city as characters attempt to negotiate their place within it in works ranging from the highbrow to the hilarious.  Inevitably history looms large in many of these narratives, as though acknowledging the past is a necessary part of the process when writing about Berlin.
                                                                                    ***
A selection of my favourite Berlin books, not exhaustive and in no particular order:
‘Berlin Blues’ (2001) Sven Regener (also known by the title ‘Herr Lehmann’): set in Kreuzberg in 1989, the narrative concludes with the fall of the Wall.

‘Alone in Berlin’ (1947) Hans Fallada:  Based on a true story, captures the claustrophobic atmosphere of paranoia and persecution in pre-war Berlin.
‘The Blind Side of the Heart’ (2009) Julia Franck:  German Book Prize winner, haunting narrative with a complex central character.  Some evocative depictions of Weimar-era Berlin (Franck was the guest at the first literary lounge I attended, discussing her latest translated novel ‘Back to Back’ which unforgivably I’ve yet to read).

‘The History of History’ (2011) Ida Hattemer-Higgins:  A heartbreaking novel, very loosely autobiographical. A woman stumbles out of a forest on the outskirts of the city, having no memory of the previous six months. The account of her subsequent mental disintegration, interwoven with episodes from the city’s past, culminates in a devastating denouement.
‘The Book of Clouds’ (2009) Chloe Aridjis: Account of a young South American woman’s solitary, alienated existence in the city.

‘Berlin’ (2005) Pierre Frei:  Crime novel about a deranged sex killer, which unusually provides warmly-written back stories of his victims.
‘Cold Angel’ (2002) Horst Bosetzky:  Fictionalised account of a true murder story from 1949.

‘This Must Be the Place’ (2008) Anna Winger:  An American woman in Berlin because of her husband’s job, coming to terms with a miscarriage, and finding her way in a new city, befriends a washed-up actor.
‘Rosa’ (2006) Jonathan Rabb:  First of a trilogy (I’ve only read the first two so far) featuring detective Nicolai Hoffner.  The ‘Rosa’ of the title is Rosa Luxemburg whose body was pulled from the Landwehrkanal months after her murder by fascist thugs in 1919. 

‘The Wall Jumper: A Berlin Story’ (1983) Peter Schneider: Excellent short novel about various characters who, for a variety of reasons, traversed the border, often by some very novel means.
‘The Innocent' (1990) Ian McEwan: A post office engineer sent to Berlin in the early days of the Cold War to install equipment for spying on the Russians becomes involved with an older, married woman.

'The Bullet Trick’ (2006) Louise Welsh: Noir-ish thriller partially set in Berlin (also by Welsh, a novella, ‘The Girl on the Stairs’, which is set entirely in the city).


Berlin Books
 
This has been very much a ‘dipping the toe’ approach and there is a lot I’ve left out, but it’s something I might well return to at a later date…

No comments:

Post a Comment