The Economist reads | German historical fiction

What to read and watch to understand Germany’s troubled 20th century

Our correspondent picks four novels and two films that help to explain the country’s dark history

On the fourth day of the Reichsparteitig, Nazis marched onto the Zeppelin meadow where Hitler made a proclamation to the officers and party officials. (Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
Image: Getty Images
Reuse this content

Discover more

Young mother is reading a book to her two sons for a good night sleep. Night time with reading lamp.

Books for young children that you can read over and over and over

Parents will enjoy these, too

Hillary Rodham Clinton, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton, the Governor of Arkansas, is surrounded by supporters of her husband at a Washington campaign rally in 1992.

Books that imagine that history took a different course

What if Hitler had won and Hillary Rodham had broken up with Bill Clinton?

A person carries a 'Stay Woke' sign during the 'Teach No Lies' march to the School Board of Miami-Dade County to protest Florida's new standards for teaching Black history, which have come under intense criticism for what they say about slavery, USA.

What to read about America’s culture wars

Four books on controversies that helped to shape the presidential election

What to read about grief and bereavement

Six books about feelings that are both universal and unique to the person experiencing them

Books that probe the secrets of the Mossad 

Seven books on Israeli intelligence agencies, which are spearheading the offensive against Hizbullah in Lebanon

An introduction to Lebanon, perhaps the next front in a wider war

Four books and a film on a pivotal Middle Eastern country