Whether fantasy, young adult fiction, or historical fiction: these seven books are not only bestsellers in Germany, but have also achieved international success. Translated into numerous languages, they have reached readers around the world. Discover which titles have traveled the farthest in our selection.
Two brilliant but profoundly different scientists shared a goal: to measure the world. Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859), the naturalist and explorer, travelled tirelessly through distant countries and landscapes, while the eccentric mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) sought to understand the mysteries of the physical world from the confines of his home in Göttingen. In his 2005 novel Die Vermessung der Welt (Measuring the World), Daniel Kehlmann builds on these opposing worlds, alternating between the life stories of two exceptional scientists. He takes creative liberties, adds his own embellishments and playfully blends fiction with reality. Readers embraced the novel immediately – and not only in the German-speaking world. According to its publisher, Rowohlt, Measuring the World has been translated into over 50 languages, making it one of the most widely translated works of contemporary fiction, with publishers from Albania to Vietnam and from Brazil to Thailand acquiring the rights. Kehlmann was already an established author, but Measuring the World brought him truly global fame.
Cornelia Funke, author of children’s and young adult books, is an international literary superstar. In 2005, TIME magazine included her in its list of the world’s 100 most influential people. The accompanying tribute suggested that the key to Funke’s success lies in her masterful use of language, which captivates children, teenagers and adults alike. Particular praise was given to Inkheart (2003), the first novel in a four-book series that continued with Inkspell, Inkdeath and The Colour of Revenge. Inkheart is built on a highly original premise described by TIME as simple yet irresistible. Translated into around 30 translations, it clearly also holds broad international appeal. The novel’s protagonist, Mo, a bookbinder, possesses the extraordinary gift of being able to bring characters from books to life simply by reading their stories aloud. This ability draws Mo, his daughter Meggie, wife Resa, companion Dustfinger and the occasional scoundrel into numerous adventures both inside and outside the fictional “Inkworld”. Centred on the power of words, the series stands as one of the most internationally acclaimed German-language fantasy works of the modern era.
As a novelist, lawyer, essayist and honorary judge in the German state of Brandenburg, Juli Zeh is a highly visible figure in Germany’s literary and political spheres. But how well known is she internationally? The answer: very well indeed. Her debut novel, Eagles and Angels, which received the Deutscher Bücherpreis in 2002, was translated into numerous languages and marked her international breakthrough. That success continued with subsequent novels, including the highly acclaimed Unterleuten (2016), which has likewise been translated and published by numerous houses outside the German-speaking world. International awards such as the Per Olov Enquist Prize (2005) and the Prix Cévennes (2008) further attest to Zeh’s international recognition and standing.
Published in 2010, Wolfgang Herrndorf’s Tschick quickly achieved cult status and is now considered a classic of young adult literature. It’s a road novel about two teenagers – one from a well-off but broken home, the other from the precarious world of Russian immigrants – who steal a car and set out for Wallachia, though they never actually arrive. Along the way, they experience more than they bargained for. The novel has a tragic backstory: after being diagnosed with brain cancer, Herrndorf was determined to finish the manuscript for a young adult novel he had begun years earlier. His editor praised the novel’s masterful use of language: “It is an artificial language that sounds like teenage slang to adult ears. And that is its strength. A novel written in the slang of its day would already feel dated within a few years.” A compelling plot and a timeless voice help explain why publishers in more than 40 countries have since added translated editions of Tschick to their catalogues. Wolfgang Herrndorf only briefly witnessed the worldwide success of his novel, dying by suicide in 2013.
In 2024, Jenny Erpenbeck became the first German author to receive the prestigious International Booker Prize for her 2021 novel Kairos. The £50,000 prize was shared equally between Erpenbeck and her English translator, Michael Hofmann, drawing well-deserved attention to the vital work of literary translators. The novel charts the start and end of a romance between 19-year-old Katharina and Hans, a man in his mid-fifties, both living in East Berlin. The gradual breakdown of their relationship mirrors the inevitable collapse of the German Democratic Republic. This combination of personal heartbreak and historic turning point struck a chord with publishers in more than 30 countries, and the book is now available to readers in numerous languages. Given the international prestige of the Booker Prize, these publishers could be fairly confident that the novel’s exploration of German reunification and its broader implications would attract considerable attention.
Nelio Biedermann’s novel Lázár stands out for two reasons. First, the Swiss-born author was only 22 years old when the book was published in 2025. Second, Lázár was released simultaneously with its German edition in nearly 20 other countries, including the United States, France, Spain, Poland, and in Hungary – where it is set. The novel traces the fortunes of an aristocratic Hungarian family, beginning with the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and ending in Soviet-occupied Budapest in the 1950s, with the flight of the last Lázár descendants to Switzerland. Its autobiographical elements, its nods to major literary influences such as Joseph Roth and Thomas Mann and its melancholic, poetic tone – with distinctive characters and their overwhelming passions immediately drawing readers in – have all undoubtedly contributed to the enormous popularity of both author and book around the world. Music and poetry legend Patti Smith met Nelio Biedermann during a reading tour in New York, sharing the encounter on Instagram with the words: “Writers, readers, now friends.”
Mona Kasten’s writing career began in 2014/2015 with a self-published manuscript. Through this route, Kasten, who studied library and information management, published her first series, Schattentraum, aimed at fantasy fans. A publisher soon took notice, and Kasten released her successful Again series (2017–2020), establishing herself as a New Adult author with a rapidly growing reputation. She went on to create another series, the Save trilogy (2018), which had bestseller potential from the outset. Its sales and international reach increased dramatically after the series was adapted for television as Maxton Hall – The World Between Us, which premiered on Amazon Prime in 2024. Publisher Bastei Lübbe sold the translation rights for the Save series in more than 20 language markets. Mona Kasten is thus a contemporary German author who has achieved success in the New Adult category not only in Germany but internationally – a genre traditionally associated more with the English-speaking world. She can now take pride in the wide global reach of her romance and college novels.
