In Search of Berlin: The Story of Europe's Most Important City

by John Kampfner

No other city has had so many lives, survived so many disasters and has reinvented itself so many times. No other city is like Berlin. Ever since John Kampfner was a young journalist in Communist East Berlin, he hasn't been able to get the city out of his mind. It is a place tortured by its past, obsessed with memories, a place where traumas are unleashed and the traumatized have gathered. Over the past four years Kampfner has walked the length and breadth of Berlin, delving into the archives, and talking to historians and writers, architects and archaeologists. He clambers onto a fallen statue of Lenin; he rummages in boxes of early Medieval bones; he learns about the cabaret star so outrageous she was thrown out of the city. Berlin has been a military barracks, industrial powerhouse, center of learning, hotbed of decadence - and the laboratory for the worst experiment in horror known to man. Now a city of refuge, it is home to 180 nationalities, and more than a quarter of the population has a migrant background. Berlin never stands still. It is never satisfied. But it is now the irresistible capital to which the world is gravitating. In Search of Berlin is an 800-year story, a dialogue between past and present; it is a new way of looking at this turbulent and beguiling city on its never-ending journey of reinvention. 

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Travel, Germany

416 pages, Paperback

Published July 18, 2024

About the author

John Kampfner is an author, commentator, broadcaster and journalist. From 2008 to 2012 he ran Index on Censorship, from 2005 to 2008 he was editor of the New Statesman, and before that he worked for the Financial Times, the BBC and the Telegraph. He is a regular pundit and presenter for all channels on politics and foreign affairs and the author of four previous books. - from publishers Allen and Unwin

Reviews

[Puck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Top geschiedenis boek over hoe Berlijn zo random en veranderlijk is :) waardeer berlino en m’n tijd hier steeds meer hihi

[Edmund · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit confused when I went to rate this as
a) the average rating was lower than I expected and
b) there were only 5 ratings, which seemed a bit odd for a book that seemed fairly prominent in UK bookshops

I then found out it's because there's two subtitles to the book, 'The Story of a Reinvented City' and my rarer (what can i say, I'm a literary connoisseur) 'The Story of Europe's Most Important City'.

I'm not sure I agree with either of those: one of the book's core arguments is how Berlin has reinvented itself multiple times, not just once, so maybe 'A Story of Reinvention' is more apt? For my copy, as much as I love Berlin, is it reallyyyyy Europe's most important city? You could make an argument for it (but not an easy one), although Berlin's place in Europe is something the book doesn't talk too much about.

Anyway, pedantic argument aside, I really enjoyed it and thought that it provided an accessible and engaging overview of Berlin's past and present.

[Agnes Tyley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still 5*, a year later. Nice to actually be able to connect the facts to the places I know and love (or hate, cough cough Potsdamer Platz). Will probs still immediately forget all the fun facts (sorry to everyone I am supposed to tour guide).

[Rut Lundin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Marley Niesz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit repetitive at times, but an interesting read. Need to go back to Berlin now!

[Vladyslava Sokolova · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a foreigner I really enjoyed reading this book! For sure I will reread some of the chapters in order to memorise some of the facts better. And I also thank the author for the solidarity with Ukraine🙂🇺🇦

[Titus Hjelm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the three recently published Berlin 'biographies', this is the most journalistic. The back cover designation 'history/travel writing' is apposite, because Kampfner's standard approach is to take a Berlin landmark as the starting point for historical narrative in each chapter. Altogether this amounts to a well-contextualised itinerary for visitors. Although later chapters are better at talking about everyday life, the first half (until the 19th century) focuses very much on kings and queens. This, bafflingly, is popular with readers. Popular history tends to be conservative by default. Otherwise the author manages to keep a lid on his politics until the very end, when vegan hipsters get their due while he eats a hearty meal of meat and cheeses.

[Carina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently went on a tour of Berlin, this book was given to me by one of the people on the tour, and I'm very grateful they did because I've now tripled the list of things to do and see when I next go to Berlin.

This book is broadly chronological, beginning (I want to say) in the early middle ages (?) and ending (at the time of my reading it) two years ago in 2023.

Some elements here do start to feel repetitive, and I definitely slowed down my reading of this when we reached the 1900s, but if you take this chapter by chapter it's very very good. I'd certainly read this again before I go to Berlin and I'd recommend it to anyone else before they go again, especially if they've an interest in the history of the city.

[Linette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not finish this book and gave it a four anyway. I enjoy this kind of writing, start with the place and then talk about it right across history. The anecdotes and stories were interesting but you do have to read it on a chapter by chapter basis. Some chapters were easy and flew and others were more of a struggle; the trauma of the third Reich was never going to be a breezy read. And with the struggle in West Berlin I’m done. That was hard enough, East Berlin is up next. Whilst it’s about architecture and places, these things are very closely tied to people. Maybe I’ll come back when I’ve had time to breathe.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been to Berlin a few times helping on school trips. This book makes me want a wander around by myself. Really enjoyed reading but it doesn’t avoid the horror that has hit this place so often. What is it about this city that draws people in? I don’t have any connections and stumble over German but I will return and this book will be my essential guide. The last chapters will be particularly useful but don’t miss the earlier history chapters for context.

[Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent and informative book and brilliant background reading for my immanent trip to Berlin. Despite all the research I've carried out (I'm a little anally-retarded that way) there were still things I hadn't known. I would have given it 5 but I felt it ended on a bit of a flat note, almost like Mr Kampfner couldn't think of what to say about what Berlin is like today (I could have done a better job just walking round Google Street).

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice intro to many of the major themes of Berlin's history, peppered with some good personal anecdotes and insights from noteworthy locals. The author has clearly done his homework. Although as he rightly points out, you'll want a copy of Joseph Roth's "What I Saw: Reports from Berlin, 1920–1933" with you, too.

[Maurene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite an interesting book, but I found the way it was written rather confusing and not condusive to maintaining interest in the history.
There were indeed some very engrossing tales and I found myself searching more and more for such chapters.
It jumps about between different timelines and different places.

[Gregor Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic and fascinating book with a unique insight into Berlin. If you have been to or live in Berlin, then this book will allow you to develop a greater understanding. If you haven’t been it might not be as effective.

[Mike Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

An endlessly fascinating read on THAT city that is still haunting my memory. Forever changing and evolving, and will certainly look different the next time I visit it. Why is Berlin so hypnotizing? A question I hope to not find an answer to. 4/5

[Alice Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice read that gave me a deeper understanding and appreciation of my Berlin trip

[Penelope Pitstop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting story of Berlin, combining history with the present day. I’ve been to Berlin a couple of times and now I want to go back, because this book really brought it to life.

[Bethsethi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect read during a recent trip to Berlin! it gave so much history and context for what Berlin was, is, and is becoming! I loved it!

[Becky Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well researched and interesting, would have just liked a bit more on factors shaping the culture (and counterculture) of the contemporary city