Top 10 German Novels of All Time (also 10 Best German Authors)

[@sambhavsingh7415]

As always I added these 10 books to the pile of my ever increasing books to read. I love your literature videos of specific countries. Those are the best way to get a feel of different cultures and societies of different places. And plus I get good recs which are sometimes very niche in terms of popularity.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Wonderful!

[@Laocoon283]

When I first started reading classics I was worried I would run out of great works to read lmao. What a fool I was!

[@mrcoffy1]

It's amazing how little i know about German writers, most of those were unknown to me! keep it going!

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thank you! 😃

[@harryjones84]

haven you read hans fallada?

[@jojodogface898]

No one ever mentions anything by Wolgang Koeppen. It's too bad. He an amazing writer

[@nightwish1000]

Legions of students have been tortured with him...best way to keep people from reading for the rest of their life.

[@johannesclimacus9469]

How about Hermann Hesse and his masterpieces like Siddhartha, Steppenwolf,...?

[@noras.9774]

I love also: Faust by Goethe ( it’s a play, not a novel), Heinrich Boll- The Clown and Herman Hesse - Nobel price

[@andrewlabit]

Gonna second the Clown. Crazy good read.

[@FuckfreysLuvfamily]

Isn't Hesse swiss?

[@donaldkelly3983]

I have The Magic Mountain and The Man Without Qualities on my TBR list, so thanks for featuring them. You might want to try my two favorite German language writers, Robert Walser and Setfan Zweig.

[@andrewdunbar828]

I was going to suggest a comparison or juxtaposition of Zweig's Chess Novel and Yasunari Kawabata's Master of Go to Fiction Beast a couple of months ago.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Actually I bought Chess just today. I haven't read Master of Go, but read every other novel by Kawabata.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thanks for the recommendations!

[@donaldkelly3983]

@@andrewdunbar828 Excellent comparasion! I never thought of it, but now it's obvious.

[@andrewdunbar828]

@@donaldkelly3983 I bought one then it took me years to track down the other before I allowed myself to read them both. I only bought from secondhand bookshops in those days to make it more serendipitous (and cheaper)

[@Mani.7600]

I am so much interested in German culture that I have started learning the german language. Thank you for this great video.

[@Fiction_Beast]

That's great! Thanks for watching.

[@balpreetbrar3150]

I found your channel today when I was searching for German literature. I explored it. Your way of presenting your views and content is really appreciable. I'm looking forward to see more such videos.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Wow, thank you!

[@keitaro7968]

I am a little bit late to the party. Great list and video bytheway. The amount of world-class writers in this language and german literature itself can be veeery intimidating. On this a few sidenotes and further classics: With Goethe and Kleist you named the most important 18/19th century classics. Even if there are many more names like Lessing, Schiller (Goethes best friend), Arnim, Uhland, and so on... Besides Goethe, Kleist really is the personalization of the romantic genius. Every single piece he wrote is a monument of perfection in style and substance and stood the test of time. He crushed under this weight and shot himself in the head due to depression and the unbearable heavyness of existence at the age of 34. "Lenau" (1840s) No novelist but the greatest poem-writer of the german language. He aesthetically even rivals Goethe at times and his poems are. So. Unbelievable. Beautiful. Also died tragically in a sanatorium after he lost his mind and got psychotic. "Gottfried Keller" (1870s) His "Green Henry" is often considered the most important german novel of the 19th century. It's rough around the edges and by no means perfect, but highly influential and genuinely authentic. "Wilhelm Raabe" (1890s) A contemporary of Paul Heyse (won the Nobel Prize). His earlier works are flawed due to financial and time constraints but his later novels are the swan song of german literature at the end of the century and can proudly stand beside Tcheschow and Turgenjew. "Stopfkuchen" for example is just a master at his peak. "Arnold Zweig" (1920s) One year before Erich Maria Remarque he published "The Case of Sergeant Grischa" (1927). The first and one of the greatest 1.WW classics. Highly popular in europe at this time. "Joseph Roth" (1920s) One of the greatest german storytellers of the early 20th century. Dark, symbolic, melancholic. His magnum opus: "Radetzkymarch".

[@keitaro7968]

The 1. and 2. World War marked a harsh break in tradition and ideals of german literature though. Wealthy and highly famous authors like Mann, Feuchtwanger and Brecht fled the dictatorship of the 30s but others like Tucholsky and Bergengruen tried to outsit the catastrophe or just had no other choice as to stay. But ironically this troublesome period brought german literature also to its peak. "Ernst Jünger" (1920s-1950s) It is hard to argue, whether Thomas Mann or Ernst Jünger is the greatest german writer after Goethe. For a lot of germans it is Ernst Jünger. To say he is one of the best is an understatement. He is to literature, what Wagner is to music and Heidegger to philosophy. His memoirs "Storm of Steel" overshadowed all what was written before and is as german as german can get. It transcends the unbearable suffering and fighting in the trenches of the 1. World War to forge yourself into something more than human. Get mentally totally destroyed or become kind of the "Uebermensch". Maybe the both are the same. His later novels are also highly reflective and try to give answers to the madness of this time. "Theodor Plievier" (1950s) The 2. World War brought about the 3 volume epic "Stalingrad", "Moskau", "Berlin". Plivier was a renowned writer before but the "Eastern-Front"-Trilogy is just the pinnacle of war epics and is regarded as an outstanding achievement. Even compared to "War and Peace" at times. For germans in this decade, it was hard to swallow though. They wanted to forget all thoughts of this ("Die heile Welt" Bergengruen) or to do penance ("The Tin Drum" Günter Grass). But this three novels are not that obliging. They hit like a brick wall and meticulously describe the downfall and death of millions of soldiers and civilians in unfathomable brutality. But also absurd beauty. "Max Frisch" (1950s) Often overlooked, but he is THE existential novelist of german literature. His novel "Stiller" got him world fame and starts with the famous first statment: "I'm not Stiller!" (what was taken as title for the english version), following a tale of self-doubt, pondering about existence and katharsis.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Great suggestions. Thank you!

[@rodrigoamigo3650]

Parabéns pelo vídeo e pelas informações!! Principalmente por serem traduzidas, desejo sucesso ao canal!!

[@liammcooper]

ay caraaalho

[@barbaravoss7014]

Great choices! I would add one of Hermann Hesse's books. Perhaps Siddhartha or Steppenwolf.

[@gianlucap634]

As always beautifully explained!

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@marycarberry8469]

Excellent introduction and summary.Thank you.

[@TomMarvan]

Great list! I think few would argue with Goethe as number 1. A personal favorite is Bertolt Brecht, although I find it hard seperate his best between The Threepenny Opera, Life of Galileo, Mother Courage and Her Children, The Good Person of Szechwan and The Caucasian Chalk Circle. If forced to pick, I would go with Galileo. Thank you for a thought-provoking video!

[@gazrater1820]

Loved the Kafka video. This is great work, thank you for your hard work and this is great productivity with worthwhile content.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Much appreciated!

[@adrianstaystrong]

I wasn't aware of many German authors. Thanks for sharing your recommendations.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Awesome! Thanks for the comment.

[@giorgimerabishvili8194]

Just discovered this amazing channel! Love it!

[@Fiction_Beast]

Welcome aboard!

[@giorgimerabishvili8194]

@@Fiction_Beast My pleasure. Keep it up 😉

[@geraldmeehan8942]

Thank you for another wonderful video.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thank you too!

[@percivalgraves521]

I mean isn’t the Philosophical Period of Enlightenment (Kant, Fichte, Hegel, Schelling) literally called German Idealism. So I don’t get the „pragmatism over idealism“ reference. Also the Romantic Epoch is literally the personification of idealism and the criticism of Pragmatism. So I don’t agree with the arguments made here.

[@andrewlabit]

What an awesome channel. Liked and subbed as soon as I saw both Boll and Kafka

[@Fiction_Beast]

Great! Cheers.

[@stevescott1454]

An excellent list - if you haven’t already, you might like The Drinker by Fallada. And maybe Homo Faber by Swiss German writer Frisch.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Homo Faber is on my list. I will check out Drinker. Thanks for the recommendations.

[@harryjones84]

i haven't read the drinker...but recently discovered him and Iron Gustav and Little Man what now? have blown my mind!

[@joelswo]

Great video! I've been enjoying your channel!!

[@Fiction_Beast]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@khaledjamalo1893]

An interesting list indeed .. keep up the good work

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thanks, will do!

[@wenceslaocalonge3426]

Very good list. From a non-German avid reader (a Spaniard) they are all great ! But why not 12 or 15 to fit some more authors? Perhaps Remarque and Süskind are medium-weights when compared to Roth, Fontane, Hesse, Zweig, Frisch, Sebald, Bernhard ... Roth is a monster of a novellist, Fontane, Hesse and Zweig are wildly influential. Your choice for Böll is not my favourite of his works but it is the one that better speaks to young readers.

[@omer4970]

2:10 Can I get the link of the video you used in here please? Thank You.

[@EveryoneWhoReadsitMustConverse]

Nice list and, so many greats on here! Your really giving a lot of information here. I'd love to read that Boll

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thanks, Naoh! Always great to see you here.

[@barrymoore4470]

Yet another very intelligent, erudite introduction to some major authors and their works. One caveat I would pose in relation to the approach here is the apparent correlation between the argued ten greatest authors with the argued ten greatest novels in the language. This unfortunately omits some major figures in German letters, such as Friedrich Schiller, most esteemed as a dramatist, and Friedrich Holderlin, Heinrich Heine, and Rainer Maria Rilke, who were all primarily poets--any thorough survey of German literature would be incomplete without some attention to such writers. And focusing again on extended narrative literature, an author like Theodor Fontane, perhaps best remembered for his 1895 novel 'Effi Briest' (a work I know only by reputation), would be an important figure at least within nineteenth-century parameters.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thank you for the feedback. I agree I left out some great authors.

[@nedludd7622]

Probably my favorite authors in German are Austrians Arthur Schnitzler and Stefan Zweig. It surprises me that they are rather forgotten. Zweig was even the best-selling author of his day in the 20's.

[@stefan21505]

If you're including epics, The Nibelungen is very important too. Wagner as you might know made a 4 part opera out of it...

[@RaajKaushal]

Nice one!

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thanks!

[@pavitrasankalp7533]

मी भारतीय नागरिक आहे. मी जर्मन भाषेत पुस्तक प्रकाशित केले आहे. उत्तम माहिती प्रेक्षकांना बघायला मिळाली याबद्दल तुम्हां सर्वांचे आभार तसेच तुम्ही एक असा व्हिडिओ बनवावा की, ज्या नवीन लेखकांना पुस्तक प्रकाशित करायचे आहे त्या नव लेखकांना कोणकोणते प्रकाशक संधी देऊ शकतात. ते कळवावे.

[@ryanoneiljohnson8743]

My first German lit is Faust by Goethe. I entertained by the part one, while part two quite philosophical. In this book, it narrates a scholar man exchanges his soul to a demon only to know beyond every knowledge.

[@Fiction_Beast]

I think Faust is Goethe's most famous work. Well done!

[@bastianwieland7857]

Faust was your first German literature? Respect! Most people in Germany, especially students in school, don't like and don't "understand" Faust (understanding it is almost impossible, because there are so many things in it you can discover). I love it, but I'm studying German and my favorite subject is German literature.

[@zafariqbal6436]

Good review

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thanks!

[@elizabethlau644]

Can we add Friedrich Schiller and E.T.A. Hoffman to your list.......................Learn so much today.............Thank you !

[@Fiction_Beast]

Good call! I am not too familiar with either of them.

[@barrymoore4470]

@@Fiction_Beast I'm not sure either Schiller or Hoffman ever wrote novels, the focus of the video here. They certainly are both central to German literature generally.

[@julietide2253]

Nutcracker as first taste then lots more odd tales, good for the mind.

[@zr6935]

Others have already mentioned Thomas Bernhard and Joseph Roth - I cannot recommend them enough: if I had to replace two names in your list, I would take these two instead of Böll and Süskind... but why not just add them, there is always room for another book on the list, or two... :-). And another one: Arthur Schnitzler - his psychological short stories are very clever and subversive. Then there is Gustav Meyrink, his name almost a synonym for supernatural fiction. My personal favourite pre-WWII (interwar) work is the novel Auto-da-Fé (Die Blendung, 1935) by Elias Canetti (Nobel Prize 1981), a devastating madhouse of a book, prophetic, yet darkly funny. And I would mention a not very well known author, if I may, who in my opinion deserves more attention: Hans-Henny Jahnn, especially his short novella The Night of Lead (Die Nacht aus Blei) - symbolistic, carnal, Kafkaesque and queer - and a large novel cycle The River without Banks (Fluß ohne Ufer).

[@Fiction_Beast]

Good suggestions.

[@grafplaten]

Goethe's "Elective Affinities" (Die Wahlverwandtschaften) is IMO a much better novel than Werther. I would include Hermann Broch's "Sleepwalkers" (Die Schlafwandler) on the list, and probably something by Thomas Bernhard as well.

[@nicholasschroeder3678]

Werther is really all about a poor loser.

[@JTM1809]

Goethe, Mann, Kafka, Musil, Remarque must be in every German lit. top 10. But none of the remaining five should be there over Hermann Hesse. I know, that there are many left out, but Hesse is definitely a top 10 German language writer of all time. Also, I feel like there’s a lack of distinction in the Anglosphere between German-language literature and German (national) literature. While English and American literature are being carefully distinguished, when it comes to German language literature, all of a sudden it’s Austrians, Germans, Swiss, German-writing Czechs all in one bucket.

[@laurakuhlmann1626]

I would rename this: German-written novels. I know Austrians would HATE being called German. I called an Austrian lab mate German by accident once and he called me Russian (I'm Romanian) until I apologized (which didn't even make sense, at least they speak German in Austria, in Romania we don't even speak a Slavic language! But I got the point). That being said: "The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum" is the most interesting novel on your list, so I hope I'm not to late for the giveaway. There was still a lot of disdain for Bild and Bild-readers in academia in Germany in the early 2010s when I lived there. The titles and articles were easier to read for a newcomer who barely spoke the language (let's say they didn't try to make you think too hard when reading their articles :) )

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thank you, Laura! Yes I tried to keep it to the German language not country, so I included Kafka, Musil and the rest. I agree it is a sensitive issue everywhere. Scottish people hate to be included as English. In the video I used German to mean the Language not the country. Maybe I should've made it clearer. Your take on Bild is interesting. I have never lived in Germany (visited a couple of time) so I know very little about the culture and country first-hand.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Hey Laura, you are the winner of the book giveaway. Please send me your address via email or instagram DM. You can find both on my About page. Please don't write your address here.

[@jesuisravi]

I wish you would post the date this video was uploaded.

[@Fiction_Beast]

I have no control over that.

[@kabiansadi]

Perfume a pick and no Hermann Hesse broke my heart

[@Fiction_Beast]

You got a point but what hesse will get a dedicated video soon

[@julietide2253]

Perfume pretty lurid too or worse. Not interested in going that into the dark side thanks.

[@debanjanchowdhury4397]

I would like to suggest one thing. In this list you should include Goethe's Faust. Without that masterpiece German Literature is unfulfilled.

[@harryjones84]

OKi admit i haven't read many of the authora on your list BUT if we are talking of either best German novels OR best German authors imo it is a pretty gross oversight not to have ANY Hesse novels and even more so no Fallada...Hesse can maybe split opinion or is a bit of counter-culture cliche but I think when read more subtly Steppenwolfe is still genius but equally is Damian...BUT i can understand him being omitted BUT my only explanation for Fallada not being on there is you haven't discovered him as i only did recently? But iron gustav is one of best things I've read

[@thelightsaber100]

This really got me wanting to read german litterature. I've never read any before so The Lost Honor... might be a good way to start!

[@Fiction_Beast]

Great! Hope you win.

[@ameduimsizedguy]

I think you should have included Hesse's Glasperlenspiel.

[@videocatalao]

Sebald's Austerlitz is the best thing I've read in years.

[@Grinn991]

Great sense of humor

[@sinsinsabarecoulibaly7007]

Why didn't you mention Heinz Konsalik ?

[@Fiction_Beast]

I didn’t know

[@Lanzay08]

No Hermann Hesse? ☹☹☹

[@Fiction_Beast]

Good call. i considered him. Esp Siddhartha and steppenwolf.

[@liammcooper]

I was thinking "I wonder if he'll mention Doblin or Musil". Although leaving out Thomas Bernhardt is somewhat bold

[@Raindrop2424]

Nice video. Will check out different countries for new recommendations 😊 and in case someone Is searching for some female author recommendations. Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, Irmgard Keun, Nelly Sachs, Hannah Arendt (who sadly both had to flee germany), Herta Müller, Else Lasker-Schüler, Bettina von Arnim, Cornelia Funke. Just to Name a few.

[@HorseIRL]

No Hermann Hesse? :O nonetheless, thanks for the list.

[@Fiction_Beast]

good call.

[@harryjones84]

Hesse and Fallada are THE best for me!

[@LlamaDuck2211]

I think this list is very... limited. Surely one of the countries with the biggest literature traditions has as much to offer, as the US and France in other videos. Surely the country with some of the most beautiful love poems and the one that invented Romanticism is not that pragmatic and surely people wouldn't expect Hitler to be in the video and is not people's initial association with German literature. I am not German, but I've enjoyed your videos I've seen so far, and I was very disappointed by the dismissive attitude towards German literature in this one.

[@elpa6206]

Read Stefan Zweig "chess", "amok" anything of Stefan Zweig, my favourite author of all time. Also give Bertold Brecht a chance "the good person of szechwan", "mother courage and her children". So many good authors, so little time ;-)

[@suchendnachwahrheit9143]

You totally forgot, I am sorry for the severity, it is necessary though,Gottfried Ephraim Lessing and his book "Nathan the wise". It has a fundamental clue about the right religion and the proper way to settle this question

[@batuhan_a_kocak]

I read The Sorrows of Young Werther and it was really annoying. It's not a romance story. It is a thriller from the point of view of the stalker. The poor woman tells him directly that she doesn't want him and that she's engaged but Werther keeps stalking her. He changes his path to intersect hers so that he can look at her. He goes to social events that he knows she will be in and corners her when she's alone. Werther is a creepy stalker and as a man, I'm afraid of the men who relate to Werther and feel sorry for him. The Marquise of O... was a hard read because the language is too heavy. Many sentences consist of several lines and some paragraphs go on for more than five pages. But the story itself is really interesting and it keeps you in despite the heavy language. I've read Metamorphosis and didn't like it but this may be due to my high expectations. This book suddenly became popular and many people were praising it a lot but it wasn't that good. Also, the translation may be a factor. I read The Sorrows of Young Werther and The Marquise of O... in German but the Metamorphosis in Turkish. I've added others to my TBR but since my TBR has more than 100 books, it will take years before I get to these. Hopefully, my german will get much better until then and I will read the original German versions without hardships.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thanks so much for the comment. Yes Werther is a bit old-fashioned seeing from a modern point of view. I wish I could read them in German. I have come to realise that Turkey is a literary country.

[@nicholasschroeder3678]

Yes, Werther is a craven narcissitic. Read Metaphoris for the humor.

[@snoopenny]

Hermann Hesse. Steppewolf!

[@julietide2253]

Brothers Grimm. Come on now! Yes they recorded also wrote the folk stories down.

[@kaiserrino8774]

I noticed German literature in general is not really popular outside of the German speaking countries. Kafka, Hesse and Nietzsche are the most popular, from what I've seen and heard from people outside of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

[@Fiction_Beast]

I think German literature is a bit dark and gloomy and I love it.

[@racine1967]

Great video but - Where is Herman Hesse? He is much better than Remarque and Grass.

[@Sanjay-lw6sy]

The lost honor of Katharina bloom 🤔is the only one I haven't heard of . though I knew about the author .

[@Fiction_Beast]

Cool, hope you win so you get to read it.

[@cuongvo369]

Hermann Hesse.

[@seansleep3275]

no mention of Michael Ende

[@ascensionvaldes1412]

I like your analysis but dont give spoilers, please, I want to read the novels!

[@michaelhenault1444]

Arthur Schnitzler? Eyes Wide Shut... Kubrick thought it good.

[@heavensarchitecture3590]

Do you really think that young Werther is better than Faust?

[@davidalejandroromerovelasc1893]

greetings from Ecuador

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thanks for stoppig by. Can you suggest a great novel from Ecuador?

[@davidalejandroromerovelasc1893]

@@Fiction_Beast huasipungo de jorge Icaza

[@Fiction_Beast]

@@davidalejandroromerovelasc1893 Thanks so much. Actually I have been aware of this novel, but I haven't got a copy yet so now I will try to find and read it.

[@sahhaf1234]

surprised me that you have bypassed simplicius simplicissimus..

[@Fiction_Beast]

good point! 10 is not enough for sure.

[@sukumarbhattacharya9837]

My choice is Goethe. The sorrow of young Werther.

[@storyleaks1681]

Nice

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thanks

[@Skyscraper21]

Oh man, I am here for mein K(r)ampf...

[@Fiction_Beast]

Maybe top 10 manifestos. If I get the time.

[@jungwestfale98]

A list of the best German authors without Ernst Jünger? Heresy…

[@Ty-nm6qb]

Ummm surely, Kant and Hegel are continental idealists

[@nicholasschroeder3678]

This guy can't speak German OR English

[@ExxylcrothEagle]

You say guten tag....then you say grrr-tuh

[@bilybak2]

Kafka was Czech!!

[@swagkachu3784]

German speaking tho. And he wasnt czech he was a jew

[@mango4ttwo635]

Huge spoilers ahead

[@Fiction_Beast]

Yes.

[@robmason6466]

A random comment

[@Fiction_Beast]

Got it.

[@Banjo56]

Uh, greatest philosopher’s: Karl Marx? No sir. You read the wrong articles to come up with this list.

[@ottokarvonschnallenburg2572]

Böll ist schrecklich zu lesen. Beinahe unerträglich...

[@errolmichaelphillips7763]

Reference to Hitler was unnecessary.

[@mattjmjmjm4731]

Thomas Mann is the GOAT

[@Fiction_Beast]

Agreed!

[@harryjones84]

have you read Fallada Mann loved him

[@mattjmjmjm4731]

@@harryjones84 no I haven't but he is on my TBR.

[@harryjones84]

@@mattjmjmjm4731 recently discovered him and he's INCRED start with Iron Gustav i think it's brilliant

[@selwynr]

Broch is about, oh, a million times better than Suskind. But lists never satisfy everyone and I do get that this also includes famous/popular novels, and Broch is remarkably underrated.

[@edwinputman9890]

A random comment

[@edwinputman9890]

I like your work. Thanks.