Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
London : Picador, 2010.
Description
"Germania" explores how people are misled by history, how they twist history, and how sometimes it is best to know no history at all. The work is full of curiosities, odd food, castles, mad princes, and fairy tales--the unseen sides of Germany.
Media reviews
While the British generally contemplate their European neighbours with puzzlement, none arouses a greater sense of bafflement than the Germans
Early on in the book, he confesses that he has never really managed to get his head around the compound nouns and modal particles of the German language ("I reeled into my adult life with a virtual language blank, beyond an ability to order beer or ask for platform numbers"). Which in itself is
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fine, but is it really an excuse for the fact that in over 400 pages, Winder doesn't manage to have one proper conversation with a German? Some of them speak English, apparently. It makes the "personal history" bit seem like little more than a publishing fad, and adds a cheap gloss to an otherwise rewarding read. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member CatherineCl
If you would like to know more about German history than just the events of the Second World War, then I recommend this laugh out loud history of the Germans. Simon Winder has organised his view of Germany history using his travels around Germany and its neighbours to develop themes such as a
Here is one example from p150, 'One very odd aspect to many European countries, not often noticed, is that, if you start in their top north-wests they are generally unattractive, gloomy, harsh places - but if you travel south-east life gets better. This is drastically true in Scandinavia, but more curiously it works for Spain, Italy, France and Greece.'
If you, like me, reside in the fair city of Sheffield (the greenest city in Britain), you too can borrow this excellent book from the public library.
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Germanic cultural obsession with the Middle Ages, the horrors of the Black Death and the Thirty Years War and the role of Free Imperial Cities. Those readers who have a more extensive knowledge of Central European history than me can have fun disagreeing with his vividly expressed opinions and amusing asides. Here is one example from p150, 'One very odd aspect to many European countries, not often noticed, is that, if you start in their top north-wests they are generally unattractive, gloomy, harsh places - but if you travel south-east life gets better. This is drastically true in Scandinavia, but more curiously it works for Spain, Italy, France and Greece.'
If you, like me, reside in the fair city of Sheffield (the greenest city in Britain), you too can borrow this excellent book from the public library.
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LibraryThing member dudara
Germania is, surprisingly, a history of Germany. The thing is though, it's not told from a stuffy, rigorous perspective but instead is told in an easy and humorous manner by the author. It is at times irreverent and long-winded, but it is always entertaining and illuminating.
Winder is a man
The book is peppered with laugh out loud comments and observations, but when finished reading, I realised that I had also absorbed a large amount of factual knowledge. If only all historical writing was this captivating.
Winder is a man
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obsessed with all things German. Ever since a childhood holiday in Germany, he has been fascinated by this country that sits at the heart of Europe, but which yet took so long to solidify into a coherent sovereign state. Winder mixes descriptions of favourite locations around Germany with a very liberal dose of history, and a unique perspective on the Germans. The book stops just shy of WWII as the author clearly does not feel comfortable with this dark period in German history. However, the book stretches back in time to the Romans, thus covering a significant period of time.The book is peppered with laugh out loud comments and observations, but when finished reading, I realised that I had also absorbed a large amount of factual knowledge. If only all historical writing was this captivating.
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LibraryThing member nbmars
I enjoyed Simon Winder’s book Danubia enough to seek out his earlier combination travelogue/history, Germania - a "personal response," as he calls it, to German history.
Writing “German” history prior to 1871 presents a daunting task because before that date there was no country known as
Winder is not one to make heroes of long-gone historical characters. Of Charlemagne he writes:
"As usual with such leaders, historians – who are generally rather introverted and mild individuals – tend to wish Charlemagne to be at heart keen on jewels, saints’ relics and spreading literacy, whereas an argument might be made for his core competence being the efficient piling-up of immense numbers of dead Saxons.”
Rather, the “heroes” of Winder’s story are the Free Imperial Cities such as Strasburg , Nuremberg, and the Hanseatic League that endured the middle ages as independent entities fostering trade and cosmopolitan values.
Winder breaks off his history in 1933 with the rise of the Nazis, avoiding not only the nastiest period in German history, but also its remarkable economic recovery after World War II. But he does manage to get in a few jabs at modern Germany, as with his exploration of what it means to “be” German, spoofing the Nazi’s efforts to create a pure Aryan race. After a short summary of the shifts of various unrelated tribes over the territory for about a thousand years, he says, “In practice Germany is a chaotic ethnic lost-property office, and the last place to be looking for ‘pure blood.’” Indeed, he sees German reverence for their deep past as having a corrosive and disastrous effect:
"There can be few stronger arguments for the damage that can be done by paying too much attention to history than how Germany has understood and taught its ancient past, however aesthetically pleasurable it can be in operas."
Winder livens up his sweep of German history with a tourist’s eye for the unique and noteworthy in his travels, describing the Christmas markets, the Ratskellers (with their massive glasses for serving beer), the ubiquitous castles, dense forests, flower-bedecked windows on half-timbered houses, marzipan in a variety of shapes (including, in one Lübeck shop, models of the Brandenburg Gate, the Eiffel Tower, and the Houses of Parliament) and “endless sausages.” He quips, “There is always a pig and a potato just around the next corner…..”
Evaluation: Germania, like Danubia, is a quirky book that could hardly be classified as serious history, although it contains a lot of factual information on an important topic. ("Germany," the author writes, "is a place without which European culture makes no sense.”) Perhaps “travelogue with historical background” might be a more apt description. The writing is sprightly and entertaining, and the book presents an often delightful and decidedly unique guide to the region.
(JAB)
Writing “German” history prior to 1871 presents a daunting task because before that date there was no country known as
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“Germany.” The land we think of as Germany was composed of numerous principalities, dukedoms, bishoprics, and independent city-states that popped in and out of existence owing to the vagaries of hereditary suzerainty and noble marriages. Winder notes that successive historical maps of the country resemble nothing so much as "an explosion in a jigsaw factory." He does not undertake to present a chronological narrative; rather, he travels around the countryside and regales the reader with stories relevant to the place he is visiting, although the history still manages to be presented in roughly chronological order.Winder is not one to make heroes of long-gone historical characters. Of Charlemagne he writes:
"As usual with such leaders, historians – who are generally rather introverted and mild individuals – tend to wish Charlemagne to be at heart keen on jewels, saints’ relics and spreading literacy, whereas an argument might be made for his core competence being the efficient piling-up of immense numbers of dead Saxons.”
Rather, the “heroes” of Winder’s story are the Free Imperial Cities such as Strasburg , Nuremberg, and the Hanseatic League that endured the middle ages as independent entities fostering trade and cosmopolitan values.
Winder breaks off his history in 1933 with the rise of the Nazis, avoiding not only the nastiest period in German history, but also its remarkable economic recovery after World War II. But he does manage to get in a few jabs at modern Germany, as with his exploration of what it means to “be” German, spoofing the Nazi’s efforts to create a pure Aryan race. After a short summary of the shifts of various unrelated tribes over the territory for about a thousand years, he says, “In practice Germany is a chaotic ethnic lost-property office, and the last place to be looking for ‘pure blood.’” Indeed, he sees German reverence for their deep past as having a corrosive and disastrous effect:
"There can be few stronger arguments for the damage that can be done by paying too much attention to history than how Germany has understood and taught its ancient past, however aesthetically pleasurable it can be in operas."
Winder livens up his sweep of German history with a tourist’s eye for the unique and noteworthy in his travels, describing the Christmas markets, the Ratskellers (with their massive glasses for serving beer), the ubiquitous castles, dense forests, flower-bedecked windows on half-timbered houses, marzipan in a variety of shapes (including, in one Lübeck shop, models of the Brandenburg Gate, the Eiffel Tower, and the Houses of Parliament) and “endless sausages.” He quips, “There is always a pig and a potato just around the next corner…..”
Evaluation: Germania, like Danubia, is a quirky book that could hardly be classified as serious history, although it contains a lot of factual information on an important topic. ("Germany," the author writes, "is a place without which European culture makes no sense.”) Perhaps “travelogue with historical background” might be a more apt description. The writing is sprightly and entertaining, and the book presents an often delightful and decidedly unique guide to the region.
(JAB)
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LibraryThing member RobertDay
This is an early review of a book I have just purchased; a fuller review will follow.
The author claims this to be a 'personal history' and it consists of a roughly chronological dip into events and personalities of German history. I saw it and it was a book right up my street, but I have two
Secondly, he lumps Austria in with Germany.
I know some Austrians who would be enraged at this. At best, it's like including Britain in a history of the USA. Winder himself says "Historically, the areas now called Germany and Austria have been so entangled that generally I do not differentiate between them." No, no, NO! Their histories have at times been closely connected, but not to the extent that the author suggests. It would be possible - very interesting, in fact - to write a similar book about the German-speaking peoples, but it should not and could not be called 'Germania'. In doing this, Winder has merely perpetuated a myth and a misunderstanding and does little to bring enlightenment to this issue. This will influence my star rating when I finally read the book, which otherwise looks very good.
The author claims this to be a 'personal history' and it consists of a roughly chronological dip into events and personalities of German history. I saw it and it was a book right up my street, but I have two
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cautions. Firstly, it breaks off roughly at the outbreak of the Second World War; and whilst the author does address some of the issues around Nazism, it becomes clear that he only feels able to address it on his own terms. He has attempted no analysis or explanation. I could say that as he is not a professional historian, then this doesn't matter. But I can't say that. I'm not a professional historian either,and I've grappled with this issue myself.Secondly, he lumps Austria in with Germany.
I know some Austrians who would be enraged at this. At best, it's like including Britain in a history of the USA. Winder himself says "Historically, the areas now called Germany and Austria have been so entangled that generally I do not differentiate between them." No, no, NO! Their histories have at times been closely connected, but not to the extent that the author suggests. It would be possible - very interesting, in fact - to write a similar book about the German-speaking peoples, but it should not and could not be called 'Germania'. In doing this, Winder has merely perpetuated a myth and a misunderstanding and does little to bring enlightenment to this issue. This will influence my star rating when I finally read the book, which otherwise looks very good.
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LibraryThing member MarthaJeanne
Winder makes German history somewhat easier to grasp, but he gets so much wrong through not understanding German, that the process is painful. Also it is rather ridiculous what things he complains about in Germany - most of them are at least as true about England. What saves this book is that just
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when you are about to give it up in disgust he comes up with a rather nice story. Show Less
LibraryThing member nemoman
I lived on the Mosel in Germany for three years. During that time I wondered at all the history that surrounded me - castles, schlosses, cathedrals, walled cities, and even Roman ruins (e.g., Trier). I could never get a cohesive handle on German history because it seemed so compartmentalized and
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fractionated. Simon embraces the fact that Germany, until at least the twentieth century, in fact did not have a cohesive history. He presents an extremely readable history of Germany from Roman times to WWII. The narrative is chronological and he tells the story through his own personal travels to small towns and cities throughout Germany and Austria. His writing is humorous, be it poking fun at the ugly art, failed architecture, mundane cuisine, ponderous music, and innumerable, dysfunctional and incompetent minor nobility who ruled hundreds of small, disjunctive, and unimportant principalities. Show Less
LibraryThing member Steve38
German history made interesting
A really good anecdotal and idiosyncratic history of Germany. Simon Winder doesn't let his lack of expertise or German get in the way. His love of Germany overcomes everything. He glories in the Ruritanian past of today's European superpower. As well as history he
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A really good anecdotal and idiosyncratic history of Germany. Simon Winder doesn't let his lack of expertise or German get in the way. His love of Germany overcomes everything. He glories in the Ruritanian past of today's European superpower. As well as history he
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provides a wonderful travelogue with lots of ' I must go there, see that' moments scattered throughout the book. And he is a master of digression if not quite on the scale of Tristram Shandy. He shows a little lack of imagination by using a traditional chronological approach to telling the historical tale but he doesn't fail to engage the reader on what could be (is) a long, difficult and complicated story.Read less
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LibraryThing member annbury
A wayward book indeed, which starts out seeming like an eccentric (and very British) travelogue but ends up as an often perceptive overview of German history. He starts at the beginning, with the Germania described by Tacitus, and ends in 1933 -- because, it seems,,he could not bear to go further.
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Some of the book verges on cutsey see-how-quaint the pre-Prussian statelets were, but some is perceptive history and powerful writing (the section on the 30 Years War is hard to forget). He doesn't answer The Question about German history -- who can -- but does look behind it, around it, beside it, and through it. Well worth reading, and I would guess very helpful as a travelling companion. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dettingmeijer
Essays about the identity of the Germans starting with Tacitus (Germania) and stopping with remarks of today but avoiding the Nazi-period although it is looming in the background at least in half of the chapters. Amusing with sometimes great insights from one who considers himself an outsider.
LibraryThing member PDCRead
Germany. The industrial and economic behemoth of the modern Europe. But it hasn’t always been that way. In this book Winder takes us way back into Germanys past, as far as the Romans even, before bringing up to the relatively modern age. The Germany of this age was a frontier of the Roman empire,
Until relatively recently, 1871 in fact, Germany was a patchwork of princedoms, mini states and bigger empires, some really tiny too. Sometimes they all got along, but frequently they didn’t. As he travels around the country he reveals snippets of history about the places he visits. There are tales of battles, disputes, religious leaders whose remains were displayed in gibbets around the town (the gibbets are still there too), of aristocrat princes and barons and the castles and cathedrals that they built.
He does avoid recent World War 2 history, partly because the history that the Germans prefer is prior to that too, and also that they are countless other books on that conflict. He does brush gently against it, looking at the events that lead to Hitler and the Nazis seizing power in the 1930’s.
I was quite looking forward to this one, as I had enjoyed reading another of his called Danubia. That book was interesting, and also witty and fairly often really funny. Sadly this one didn’t seem to have that lighter humour that it really needed to lift it. IT is stuffed full of fact and anecdotes, and come across as being fairly well researched. Worth reading if you have a fascination with Germany, but may not be for everyone. 2.5 stars
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similar to the far north of England; over the line were the barbarians. There is still architecture from those days too, that has survived countless wars and skirmishes.Until relatively recently, 1871 in fact, Germany was a patchwork of princedoms, mini states and bigger empires, some really tiny too. Sometimes they all got along, but frequently they didn’t. As he travels around the country he reveals snippets of history about the places he visits. There are tales of battles, disputes, religious leaders whose remains were displayed in gibbets around the town (the gibbets are still there too), of aristocrat princes and barons and the castles and cathedrals that they built.
He does avoid recent World War 2 history, partly because the history that the Germans prefer is prior to that too, and also that they are countless other books on that conflict. He does brush gently against it, looking at the events that lead to Hitler and the Nazis seizing power in the 1930’s.
I was quite looking forward to this one, as I had enjoyed reading another of his called Danubia. That book was interesting, and also witty and fairly often really funny. Sadly this one didn’t seem to have that lighter humour that it really needed to lift it. IT is stuffed full of fact and anecdotes, and come across as being fairly well researched. Worth reading if you have a fascination with Germany, but may not be for everyone. 2.5 stars
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LibraryThing member nmele
Years after reading Mr. Winders subsequent book, Danubia, I finally located a copy of Germania. Winder is a quirky person and this book is at times hilarious, at other times horrific and sometimes hateful about Germans. I coud not stop reading. Now I have to read the third book in this group,
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Lotharingia. Show Less
Awards
Stanford Travel Book of the Year (Shortlist — 2011)
Language
Original publication date
2010
Physical description
466 p.; 23 cm
ISBN
9780330451390