Earlier this week this list of 10 essential German novels, all written by men, started recirculating around Facebook. It’s not what you want to read during Women in Translation Month, is it? So Tony from Tony’s Reading List and I curated the following alternative list:
1) Malina – Ingeborg Bachmann
Chosen by but not yet read by myself. Top of my German-lit TBR!
2) The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine – Alina Bronsky
Chosen and reviewed by myself.
3) Child of the Parish – Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach
Chosen and reviewed by Tony.
4) Visitation – Jenny Erpenbeck
Chosen and reviewed by myself.
5) Summerhouse, Later – Judith Hermann
Chosen and reviewed by Tony.
6) The Artificial Silk Girl – Irmgard Keun
Chosen and reviewed (if somewhat negatively) by myself.
7) Blumenberg – Sybille Lewitscharoff
Chosen and reviewed by Tony.
8) Transit – Anna Seghers
Chosen by myself. Shares top spot of my German-lit TBR with Malina. Tony’s review is here.
9) The Mussel Feast – Birgit Vanderbeke
Chosen and reviewed by Tony.
10) Cassandra – Christa Wolf
Chosen and reviewed by Tony.
What do you think of our alternative list? All titles are available in English translation, should you be tempted to read them. Is there another work that you would like to see included? If so, which title would you replace it with?
Thank you for these interesting recommendations. I’m delighted to see Transit represented here. It’s a personal favourite of mine, a book that deserves to be much better known. The Artificial Silk Girl is sitting in my TBR pile just waiting to be read, so I have something to look forward to there!
You’re welcome, Jacqui. It was your review of Transit that “put” it on my TBR in the first place! I shall read it next #germanlitmonth.
Excellent list, I might try again with Visitation this year and keen to read Transit after seeing Jacqui recommend it, loved The Mussel Feast.
Great list! I haven’t read Judith Hermann, Irmgard Keun or Sybille Lewitscharoff, will try and see how easy they are to find!
Wonderful list. I will read those I can for German Literature Month in November
That’s the spirit! I’ll be joining you – I’ve only read 50% myself .
A great list. A have an Irmgard Keun novel waiting for German Literature Month – there are so few I feel I must eke them out! I may read my first Christa Wolf then as well.
What do I think, Lizzy?
I’d like to devour the books on this list!
Thanks so much for pulling it together–fantastic!