Stories Without Borders 7 German-Language Books with International Success

Sometimes a diagnosis comes as a relief; sometimes naming a disease only increases the burden. Simon Sahner takes a closer look at how the name of a disease impacts those affected.

Why do men with cancer tend to document their suffering for the public almost immediately, while women are more likely to turn to writing only after overcoming an illness? Simon Sahner examines this phenomenon and the social conditions that shape it.

Knowing how to talk appropriately to someone who is seriously ill is no easy matter. Drawing on his own experiences as a patient, Simon Sahner, explores the faux pas well-meaning family members and medical professionals can so easily make.

Manifesta 16 Ruhr is reimagining what shared spaces can become. Titled This is not a church, the biennial has transformed 12 former or at-risk post-war church buildings across Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen and Bochum into active sites for art, community, play and public participation.

The Munich-based writer Friedrich Ani has written a book about his childhood and his origins – it also explores how silence led him to writing and to his literary voice.

What remains of an author who ceaselessly reshaped her own image? A century after Ingeborg Bachmann’s birth, her work leads us back to the enduring questions of freedom, love, and identity – and compels us to see them anew.

The Uckermark Lake District boasts gently rolling hills, glittering lakes and abundant wildlife. Historic towns such as Lychen and a lovingly restored church give visitors an opportunity to delve into cultural history while experiencing this beautiful natural environment.

“Go and fetch me a bottle of beer, otherwise I’ll go on strike here and won’t write another word,” once said former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. And he was by no means alone in feeling thirsty: Germans’ love of beer is world‑famous. Armed with this beer knowledge, you too will be able to join in the conversation on your next trip to the beer garden.

A world-famous landmark necessitated by traffic chaos in a narrow valley: Wuppertal’s suspended railway. How it all began, the Kaiser’s maiden trip and a daring elephant.