Explore Essays and memoir
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Last Week at Marienbad
Lauren Oyler
‘The only thing on the schedule was spa.’
Lauren Oyler on her trip to Marienbad.
From the Planetarium
Ryan Ruby
‘For some it is an endpoint, for others a tear in the very fabric of time.’
Ryan Ruby on the fall of the Berlin wall and the Zeiss-Großplanetarium.
The Killing of a Berlin Power Broker
Peter Richter
‘Why does the centre of Berlin look like an abandoned shopping mall on the edge of Omaha?’
An essay from Peter Richter, translated by Shaun Whiteside.
In the Movie Bunker
Lutz Seiler
‘On 6 April 1981, I walked into the District Conscription Office, thereby obeying the very first command of my time as a soldier.’
Memoir from Lutz Seiler, translated by Martyn Crucefix.
A Very German Coup
Jan Wilm
‘The suspected ringleader was a 71-year-old real-estate developer with an engineering degree.’
Jan Wilm on an attempted coup in 2022.
How Lustig is It
Peter Kuras
‘Germans don’t really have a word for ‘funny’, which seems appropriate enough.’
Peter Kuras on German humour.
Out of Germany
Michael Hofmann
‘It is pleasant – to me, confusingly so.’
Michael Hofmann on returning to Germany.
Notebook 2021
Peter Handke
‘‘Order is half of life’ – and the other half? – You get one guess.’
Extracts from Peter Handke’s notebook, translated by Peter Kuras.
Reunified German Images
Fredric Jameson
‘Political or not, the element Rauch works in is certainly what we call History.’
Fredric Jameson on the paintings of Neo Rauch.
Israel in 600 Words or Less
Etgar Keret
‘My mind contains a lot of good answers to bad questions’
Etgar Keret on the impossibility of representing a nation.
Ed’s Things
Robert Glück
‘The past is no longer behind me but in front.’
An extract from About Ed by Robert Glück.
The Solution is Within
Évelyne Trouillot
‘How are we living? Every morning we wake up and wonder what happened last night.’
Évelyne Trouillot on the crisis in Haiti.
A Boat Ride to the Confluence of the Two Niles
Isma’il Kushkush
‘April 2022 marked my first visit to my ancestral homeland in seven years.’
Memoir by Isma’il Kushkush.
