The Love for Crime Novel

Have you heard of the German TV series “Tatort”?

Tatort (English: Crime Scene) is the longest running police procedural TV series in Germany. Ever since 1970, a new episode with police inspectors from different regions of Germany solving various crimes will be shown on Sunday at 20:15. And every time there will be around 8.5 million audiences watching it.

The Germans’ love for crime doesn’t just limit to TV series. They are also crazy about crime novels. Crime as a literature genre is the best-selling genre in Germany. There are quite a few literature festivals and awards dedicated to Crime Novels in Germany. Major newspapers, TV stations or radios usually have their own “Crime Novels Chart”. Bookstores and public libraries organize activities with the theme “Crime Novels” regularly. Even Erich Kästner’s all-time children literature classic – “Emil und die Detektive” – is a crime and detective story.

Why do the Germans love Crime Novel so much? It’s like asking the question “Why do the Germans love bread and beer so much?”. Maybe it’s simply in their blood!
 

As an accompanying programme to our March and April’s Book Display, we are happy to have our German teacher Eva Wiegandt with us on Saturday, 28th March, for an enjoyable crime novel Saturday afternoon (2pm - 3pm).

While Eva will talk about this popular literature genre and introduce a few “must-read” German Crime novels to us, you are also welcome to bring along your favourite crime novels (be it English or German or Chinese), read a paragraph aloud and share your insight with all the fellow book lovers.