First published 2016
Germany defies simple storytelling. For 500 years it existed as scattered political units rather than a unified nation. Its borders shifted constantly. Königsberg, where Immanuel Kant lived and worked, became Russian Kaliningrad. Strasbourg, where Johann Wolfgang von Goethe found inspiration in the cathedral, now sits in France. The comfortable stories Germans told themselves before 1914 crumbled during the next three decades of upheaval. Neil MacGregor, who wrote A History of the World in 100 Objects, tackles this fragmented history through tangible artifacts and shared cultural memories. He begins with Gutenberg's printing press in the 15th century and moves through objects that still speak to modern Germany. Dresden porcelain sits alongside rubble from the same city's destruction. Bauhaus design shares space with traditional German sausages. Charlemagne's crown contrasts with the gates of Buchenwald. Through these carefully chosen items, places, and people, MacGregor reveals how Germans understand themselves thirty years after reunification. This approach captures something no traditional historical narrative could achieve.
Genres: 20th-century, germany, 21st-century, art-history, cultural, german-literature, academic, cultural-studies
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, fragmented-narrative
Setting: Königsberg, Strasbourg, Dresden, Buchenwald
Period: 15th Century, 20th Century, 21st Century
640 pages · Paperback · Penguin UK