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Jews Queers Germans
A daring novel situated roughly in the fin de siècle period of 1890 to 1930, Jews Queers Germans centers on the interlocking lives of five remarkable figures; Prince Philipp von Eulgenburg, Kaiser William's closest friend; Magnus Hirschfield, the pioneering sexologist; Count Harry Kessler, a leading proponent of modernism and the keeper of an extraordinary set of diaries; Walther Rathenau, a towering intellectual figure who (though a Jew in anti-Semitic Germany) rises to the position of foreign minister; and Ernst Röhm, head of Hitler's burgeoning storm troopers.
All five men are primarily homosexual, though they handle their erotic orientation in very different ways. Where Rathenau remains utterly closeted, Kessler feels free to bring his youthful working-class lover to the privileged soirées of the aristocracy, and the roustabout Röhm openly cavorts int he gay bathhouses and bars. Though Prince von Eulenburg, in contrast, is discretion itself, his enemies are hell-bent on his downfall; their intrigues culminate in the notorious trial of 1907 - at which Magnus Hirschfeld gives "expert" witness - that produces worldwide shock and titillation.
The drama of these astonishing lives plays out against the rich tapestry of a period in human istory in which the remnants and artifices of a moribund society contend with the rise of revolutionary insurgencies, international antagonisms, and a surge of innovation in the arts, sciences - and self-knowledge.
All five men are primarily homosexual, though they handle their erotic orientation in very different ways. Where Rathenau remains utterly closeted, Kessler feels free to bring his youthful working-class lover to the privileged soirées of the aristocracy, and the roustabout Röhm openly cavorts int he gay bathhouses and bars. Though Prince von Eulenburg, in contrast, is discretion itself, his enemies are hell-bent on his downfall; their intrigues culminate in the notorious trial of 1907 - at which Magnus Hirschfeld gives "expert" witness - that produces worldwide shock and titillation.
The drama of these astonishing lives plays out against the rich tapestry of a period in human istory in which the remnants and artifices of a moribund society contend with the rise of revolutionary insurgencies, international antagonisms, and a surge of innovation in the arts, sciences - and self-knowledge.
351 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2017
39 people are currently reading
438 people want to read
About the author
Martin Duberman
65 books88 followersMartin Bauml Duberman is a scholar and playwright. He graduated from Yale in 1952 and earned a Ph.D. in American history from Harvard in 1957. Duberman left his tenured position at Princeton University in 1971 to become Distinguished Professor of History at Lehman College in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
May 18, 2017
A+ history
good writing
yet only partly successful at what it tries to be: not a historical novel, but a hybrid of novel and history.
I had the feeling that Duberman, a historian, was unwilling to give himself the freedom to tell a tale, inventing whole scenes in order to convey some essential truths.
Duberman got me very interested in the lives of the men he follows in this book: Magnus Hirschfeld, Harry Kessler, Walther Rathenau - and a few others. In Duberman's account, each of these three tried, in his chosen sphere of life (sexuality, the arts, the economy) to pull Germany into some kind of progressive future.
But Duberman's choice to take this view has the unfortunate effect of flattening each man, they almost fuse into one noble guy who is misunderstood by his society. When Ernst Röhm finally appears late in the book, I found myself hoping to hear more about this baddie. But no.
There is almost no sex in the book, and scarcely any sexuality. Every time it seems to come close, Duberman inexplicably retreats.
There is also not nearly enough effort made to bring to life in German society, before, during, and after World War I. Take me into a military barracks, or a bar in Weimar Berlin.
The most novelistic element is invented dialogue. This is good enough, but serve mainly to illustrate the figures' views on the issues of the day, rather than to give richness to their characters and motivations. A missed opportunity.
I found myself wishing that Thomas Mallon or Gore Vidal had tried to write the lives of some of these fascinating men.
Nevertheless, I feel obliged to say that I'm *very* glad I read this book. These are important, intriguing lives.
good writing
yet only partly successful at what it tries to be: not a historical novel, but a hybrid of novel and history.
I had the feeling that Duberman, a historian, was unwilling to give himself the freedom to tell a tale, inventing whole scenes in order to convey some essential truths.
Duberman got me very interested in the lives of the men he follows in this book: Magnus Hirschfeld, Harry Kessler, Walther Rathenau - and a few others. In Duberman's account, each of these three tried, in his chosen sphere of life (sexuality, the arts, the economy) to pull Germany into some kind of progressive future.
But Duberman's choice to take this view has the unfortunate effect of flattening each man, they almost fuse into one noble guy who is misunderstood by his society. When Ernst Röhm finally appears late in the book, I found myself hoping to hear more about this baddie. But no.
There is almost no sex in the book, and scarcely any sexuality. Every time it seems to come close, Duberman inexplicably retreats.
There is also not nearly enough effort made to bring to life in German society, before, during, and after World War I. Take me into a military barracks, or a bar in Weimar Berlin.
The most novelistic element is invented dialogue. This is good enough, but serve mainly to illustrate the figures' views on the issues of the day, rather than to give richness to their characters and motivations. A missed opportunity.
I found myself wishing that Thomas Mallon or Gore Vidal had tried to write the lives of some of these fascinating men.
Nevertheless, I feel obliged to say that I'm *very* glad I read this book. These are important, intriguing lives.
December 8, 2019
I struggled a great deal with this book but I am afraid that saying so in as many words might come across as dismissive so let me first be clear:
Duberman’s writing is excellent. His descriptions are eloquent and his insights often profoundly moving. He treats his subjects with a tremendous humanity that I feel I rarely see in a work of history. Duberman steadfastly refuses to flatten then and presents these men instead in all their uneven but earnest meanderings through the tumult of late Imperial and Weimar Germany. The array of competing ideologies and frameworks described in this book is genuinely dizzying but Duberman masterfully charts how his subjects stagger from one to the next, eager to believe and rationalise and try in some action small or large to change their circumstances. And even though we know that the waters are rising and that each new organisation will disappoint as 1933 and the ascendancy of the Nazi party marches ever closer, it never feels futile or pointless. That alone feels like a tremendous achievement.
Duberman’s tone and omniscience (often chasing a train of thought forward a decade or so before returning to the main narrative) are that of a historian and the book reads more like a work of history than it does historical fiction. There are some stylistic flourishes that do go against this grain however. Not only is the book written in the present tense but interspersed in the overall narrative are a series of dialogues in direct speech between various historical figures. The extent to what material is sourced from the subject’s extensive diaries and what is Duberman’s imagination (perhaps the more charitable word here is interpretation) is never adequately clarified.
As a history, this does make the book hard to find satisfying even though as a sort of character study, it is absolutely compelling. Perhaps that is a false dichotomy to try and create but when it concerns these real people’s real experiences of violent anti-Semitism and homophobia, I still find myself having difficulties with the possibility of eliding a history and a novel. Duberman has done an excellent job of representing these figures as people but I fear they also become fictionalised in the process.
It is too late at night for me to get too lost in what it means to portray a historical figure “honestly”, either creatively or as a collection of historical sources. But it does and will continue to bother me for quite some time I think.
Duberman’s writing is excellent. His descriptions are eloquent and his insights often profoundly moving. He treats his subjects with a tremendous humanity that I feel I rarely see in a work of history. Duberman steadfastly refuses to flatten then and presents these men instead in all their uneven but earnest meanderings through the tumult of late Imperial and Weimar Germany. The array of competing ideologies and frameworks described in this book is genuinely dizzying but Duberman masterfully charts how his subjects stagger from one to the next, eager to believe and rationalise and try in some action small or large to change their circumstances. And even though we know that the waters are rising and that each new organisation will disappoint as 1933 and the ascendancy of the Nazi party marches ever closer, it never feels futile or pointless. That alone feels like a tremendous achievement.
Duberman’s tone and omniscience (often chasing a train of thought forward a decade or so before returning to the main narrative) are that of a historian and the book reads more like a work of history than it does historical fiction. There are some stylistic flourishes that do go against this grain however. Not only is the book written in the present tense but interspersed in the overall narrative are a series of dialogues in direct speech between various historical figures. The extent to what material is sourced from the subject’s extensive diaries and what is Duberman’s imagination (perhaps the more charitable word here is interpretation) is never adequately clarified.
As a history, this does make the book hard to find satisfying even though as a sort of character study, it is absolutely compelling. Perhaps that is a false dichotomy to try and create but when it concerns these real people’s real experiences of violent anti-Semitism and homophobia, I still find myself having difficulties with the possibility of eliding a history and a novel. Duberman has done an excellent job of representing these figures as people but I fear they also become fictionalised in the process.
It is too late at night for me to get too lost in what it means to portray a historical figure “honestly”, either creatively or as a collection of historical sources. But it does and will continue to bother me for quite some time I think.
September 17, 2025
My reaction on reading this brilliant and wonderful book was that it was well worth waiting for (it was not published in the UK say that it was eventually acquired by the Library here is something of a miracle) because in this historical novel Duberman traces an unusual nexus of influential German men behind social and political trends from the late 19th century to the early 1930s. He provides fascinating insight into the belle epoque and the years leading to Hitler’s emergence and at the very least readers should at last grasp that what happened in the Weimar years did not come out of nowhere.
It “isn’t quite” a historical novel, as Duberman concedes in an Author’s Note, but a “tapestry of interlocking personalities” in which he has let his period research point him “to presumptively ‘likely’ feelings and opinions” for his main characters, Count Harry Kessler, an active diarist and a wealthy player in contemporary art as patron and collector (and I defy anyone to finish this book and not want to read or buy Kessler's diaries); Walter Rathenau, the head of the AEG industrial powerhouse and rare heterosexual in the narrative; and Magnus Hirschfeld, a leader in the growing field of sexology and his efforts to kill Germany’s Paragraph 175, which criminalizes sex between men.
Duberman traces the predominantly gay coterie of noblemen surrounding Kaiser Wilhelm II which a “hard-hitting” muckraking newsman tries to expose as the reason for the Kaiser's failure to live up to his war-like words with actual war. Despite nasty libel trials which spark moral outrage the Kaisers shrugs off any criticism, though like all men of power he conveniently jettisons friends under a critical spotlight. In response the kaiser embarks on a bellicose shipbuilding competition with the British which provides a contributory spark to WWI. Kessler seems to know every major artist and most writers in Europe even collaborating with Hugo von Hofmannsthal on the libretto of Der Rosenkavalier. A Berlin salon brings him and Rathenau together, but the horror of the rising violence against queers and Jews and other Germans is distilled in the account of the assassination of Rathenau and the huge funeral that followed, leading for a brief time to a Germany that might not end up embracing Adolf.
It “isn’t quite” a historical novel, as Duberman concedes in an Author’s Note, but a “tapestry of interlocking personalities” in which he has let his period research point him “to presumptively ‘likely’ feelings and opinions” for his main characters, Count Harry Kessler, an active diarist and a wealthy player in contemporary art as patron and collector (and I defy anyone to finish this book and not want to read or buy Kessler's diaries); Walter Rathenau, the head of the AEG industrial powerhouse and rare heterosexual in the narrative; and Magnus Hirschfeld, a leader in the growing field of sexology and his efforts to kill Germany’s Paragraph 175, which criminalizes sex between men.
Duberman traces the predominantly gay coterie of noblemen surrounding Kaiser Wilhelm II which a “hard-hitting” muckraking newsman tries to expose as the reason for the Kaiser's failure to live up to his war-like words with actual war. Despite nasty libel trials which spark moral outrage the Kaisers shrugs off any criticism, though like all men of power he conveniently jettisons friends under a critical spotlight. In response the kaiser embarks on a bellicose shipbuilding competition with the British which provides a contributory spark to WWI. Kessler seems to know every major artist and most writers in Europe even collaborating with Hugo von Hofmannsthal on the libretto of Der Rosenkavalier. A Berlin salon brings him and Rathenau together, but the horror of the rising violence against queers and Jews and other Germans is distilled in the account of the assassination of Rathenau and the huge funeral that followed, leading for a brief time to a Germany that might not end up embracing Adolf.
December 1, 2019
It feels strange to classify a book as both fiction and nonfiction but that is what Duberman has concocted here. By the time I reached the end I was back on board but getting there was at times an ordeal. Whenever characters sat down to talk I started groaning. Some of these discussions failed to engage this reader. Sometimes I just longed for more of a straightforward history. Certainly the book is a massive effort and the result can feel laboured. This experiment in form was brave and not altogether successful.
May 18, 2017
I am a big fan of Duberman's work but this book which I really wanted to like, just never came together. He was probably too ambitious trying to marry historical figures with a fictional narrative that just never jelled. I think if it had opted for fiction or an academic study it probably would have worked. But the two together just never gained any traction.
August 23, 2018
slow moving, and a bit daunting, but dense and illuminating and captivating. it took me most of this year to read but I'm so glad I found it. an amazing introduction to the lives of these people of this time and place, I now want to read more books about queer Jewish folks in Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
April 14, 2017
I'm enjoying this so far, despite how chatty and gossipy it is. (Guess it's more "novel" than "history".) That period is one that I find fascinating; Duberman handles nicely the interweaving of multiple political threads and conflicted characters.
Interesting how the blurb above is a bit different from the one on my paperback. For instance, the trio of main characters expanded to five, with the addition of Rathenau and Rohm. So far it's mostly centered around Kessler, whom I consider the most interesting of the bunch. When Germany jumped into WW I, it's horrifying how an intelligent and politically left-leaning man like Kessler was quickly caught up in the fervor, and eager to participate in the slaughter. Parallels with recent events? Sigh.
Interesting how the blurb above is a bit different from the one on my paperback. For instance, the trio of main characters expanded to five, with the addition of Rathenau and Rohm. So far it's mostly centered around Kessler, whom I consider the most interesting of the bunch. When Germany jumped into WW I, it's horrifying how an intelligent and politically left-leaning man like Kessler was quickly caught up in the fervor, and eager to participate in the slaughter. Parallels with recent events? Sigh.
March 12, 2018
Well written and profoundly interesting history. But I felt a little tricked by selling it in any way as a novel. It's really not. Yes, he invents some dialogue and tweaks a few things to make it a compelling narrative, but this is otherwise a hardcore history. An important one, and a profoundly essential story we should all know. But those picking it up and expecting a novel will not find one.
September 4, 2017
I liked this concept - a large portion of the books is historical, based on research, etc, and then there will be conversations that the author creates. Interesting choice of characters to follow, and of course, these were fascinating times. But of course, I really only read it because of the title...
July 16, 2021
As others have pointed out, Martin Duberman is both a good writer and a good historian. My 3-star rating, then, reflects my own biases more than anything and I need to be upfront about that. I'm not sure what I was expecting when I bought this. I guess I didn't read clearly enough to find it classified as a novel -- fiction. I thought it was to be an actual nonfiction history text, so when I came to realize it was (bias warning!) little but historical fiction, I felt very deflated, disappointed, and mad at myself for not having realized that to begin with. Because I HATE historical fiction and have always made that clear when responding to a book, usually one that I've been pressured to read because it's "so good," typically said to me by people who don't have an appreciation for actual historical events and their ramifications themselves. To me historical fiction is nothing more than fantasy. Pick any backdrop you want -- in this case, a "historical" setting -- and then write whatever sci fi bullshit you want. I care nothing for such, unless it IS sci fi, like PK Dick's ultimate which is not historical fiction, but an alternate reality (same with Philip Roth). Writing known, stated alternative reality sci fi pieces works for me. Writing a "history" with fictional qualities, as per historical fiction, is simply allowing the author to make up any inner or outter dialogue the author wants (among many other sins) and presenting it as a quasi-history, which reeks of the recent "fake news" neo-nazi shrieks/rants about everything in the world except their own intent on destroying it and owning what's left. Oh, is that too real? Not fictional enough? I guess I'm entitled to say such as it could be viewed as technically "historical fiction" by some (a year and a half), or worse, in another couple of years, no longer fiction but on the way to hellish history, taking genocidal numbers of the Unwanted with it. But I've got to keep with fiction and history here, so I guess for entertainment value, I'd rather just go with the myriad conspiracy theories of the 18th - 20th century "secret societies" that were all created to slowly, oh so damn slowly, set out to create a One World Government and take over the fucking world in the next 9,000 years. Those bastards don't sound so bright or illuminated to me if it takes them that damn long! Now THAT is the kind of historical fiction I can dig. This? Nothing personal. It's actually a good book. He's a good writer. I just HATE the so-called genre. (See? I'm so snooty I refuse to give it "real" genre status.) But for those who do like historical fiction, I'd recommend it, I must be honest. Just not for me...
June 21, 2025
Really interesting format that I found gripping at first but its first half is better than its second. There’s so much to cover within this period, and I think Dubermann neglected important moments of history. I like the idea of a historical novel, though. Wish there was more… sexual political intrigue…
December 9, 2017
Once again, I find myself regretting that we can’t choose half stars in rating books here. This was more of a 3 1/2 star book to me than a 4 star one, but 3 seemed excessively miserly. The subjects of the book are fascinating and the intertwined biographies make for an effective telling of a fundamental moment in the definition of modern society. My difficulty with the book stems largely from its desire to be considered a novel, and not an “historical novel.” It is, ultimately, neither. It is a history book for enthusiasts and so it lacks the scholarly apparatus of footnotes. But its wish to be considered fiction is not equally repaid by its style, which is at times a bit pedantic. Still, the protagonists are fascinating and fleshed out with great sympathy. I do recommend the book, just do not consider it to be a Weimar “Wolf Hall,” as the author seems to want us to believe he has created.
June 9, 2018
This book's main motivation is novelizing the fate of a Dr Hirschfield and some pioneers of sexology up WWII. The author's interest clearly lies there and the rest is incidental, including the presence of Harry Kessler, a gay and enlightened aristocrat that cruises through this pages thanks to his access to higher circles but without consequence. Had the author just written a history book about sexology developments during the Weimar Republic, it would have been a worthy effort.
Unfortunately, the much wider and seismic historic developments in Germany are also part of the book and are used as the backdrop. At some point the reader has to start wondering why we are still concerned about the finer points of homosexual identity while the SA is tearing down the library. The author fails to make a connection between the dysfunction of social morality and the disintegration of society and economics. Why did the Jews and the homosexuals become the scapegoats? How did the fascist manipulate these forces to rouse the country against not only the Left but a wide spectrum of more moderate positions? There are hints thrown in but besides speculating on the sexual proclivities of everyone, there is little understanding of the social sickness present and it all gets chalked down to inflation anyway.
In conclusion: This book is a poor mix of novelization, actual history and a sort of authors’ indulgence. It doesn’t work. Sometimes we jump from reading a paragraph that belongs on Wikipedia to a theatrical and forced dialogue to present day events that the author can’t resist to offer as contrast, current vocabulary included. These many streams yank the reader completely out of the story. Wrapping it all under the blanket of “postmodern history" makes it even worse. Saying that history is biased by definition does not excuse embracing bias as academically desirable. The author lacks the literary chops to create a good novel anyway but a novel it is even if a historical one. As a novel it lacks internal drama, the main characters are not shown doing much but they do expose a lot. Granted it is hard to bring future developments that belong in a lecture into a historical fiction but many authors solve this problem in codas and other out-of-text devices.
The subject is immensely interesting but this book falls flat, becomes preachy, distorts the importance of some events. A circle of intellectuals arguing about fine points of science or art or race was quite irrelevant in retrospect compared to the wars that shattered Europe due to much broader problems. Nevertheless, I finished the book with some will power and got interested in googling a lot of the characters and events described as well as looking for similarities with present day circumstances. I believe our very own Weimar Republic is happening now and unlike the author, I do not believe today's ideas about sex are now set in stone -through science- or that morality is just a question of social habits. Sex might still be demonized and used to promote political agendas. Morality might have roots beyond habits and might consist on rejecting hypocrisy, for example. I find it contradictory to use science as the last word on social interaction norms and argue for a morality with no bounds.
Unfortunately, the much wider and seismic historic developments in Germany are also part of the book and are used as the backdrop. At some point the reader has to start wondering why we are still concerned about the finer points of homosexual identity while the SA is tearing down the library. The author fails to make a connection between the dysfunction of social morality and the disintegration of society and economics. Why did the Jews and the homosexuals become the scapegoats? How did the fascist manipulate these forces to rouse the country against not only the Left but a wide spectrum of more moderate positions? There are hints thrown in but besides speculating on the sexual proclivities of everyone, there is little understanding of the social sickness present and it all gets chalked down to inflation anyway.
In conclusion: This book is a poor mix of novelization, actual history and a sort of authors’ indulgence. It doesn’t work. Sometimes we jump from reading a paragraph that belongs on Wikipedia to a theatrical and forced dialogue to present day events that the author can’t resist to offer as contrast, current vocabulary included. These many streams yank the reader completely out of the story. Wrapping it all under the blanket of “postmodern history" makes it even worse. Saying that history is biased by definition does not excuse embracing bias as academically desirable. The author lacks the literary chops to create a good novel anyway but a novel it is even if a historical one. As a novel it lacks internal drama, the main characters are not shown doing much but they do expose a lot. Granted it is hard to bring future developments that belong in a lecture into a historical fiction but many authors solve this problem in codas and other out-of-text devices.
The subject is immensely interesting but this book falls flat, becomes preachy, distorts the importance of some events. A circle of intellectuals arguing about fine points of science or art or race was quite irrelevant in retrospect compared to the wars that shattered Europe due to much broader problems. Nevertheless, I finished the book with some will power and got interested in googling a lot of the characters and events described as well as looking for similarities with present day circumstances. I believe our very own Weimar Republic is happening now and unlike the author, I do not believe today's ideas about sex are now set in stone -through science- or that morality is just a question of social habits. Sex might still be demonized and used to promote political agendas. Morality might have roots beyond habits and might consist on rejecting hypocrisy, for example. I find it contradictory to use science as the last word on social interaction norms and argue for a morality with no bounds.
January 4, 2018
This book wasn't exactly what I thought I'd get (like everyone else has said in reviews, there is very little "novel"), but I like nonfiction/history books so it didn't bother me too much. I, unfortunately, found most of the parts with Rathenau dry. I pushed through, and only skimmed like 2 pages, but man does this book give way to being boring easily. I liked the second half of the book more than the first (maybe because I got used to Duberman's style, maybe it was the perilous rise of the right), and the only parts I really lost myself in was the Hirschfeld sections, and I wish there was more of them, no offense to Harry Kessler.
It wasn't bad though, if a bit boring, and I'm really glad I read it. Even if Duberman's prose feels a bit juvenile (which I don't blame him for, coming from decades of history work), I did find myself in the minds of the men and began to understand who they were as people. This is especially true of Magnus Hirschfeld, who I'm so glad I was introduced biographically to by the book (what a cool, cool, modern guy). The transition from traditional history to prose was a bit awkward at times and the prose never really came alive for me, but I mean heck — the subject manner is niche and probably the more interesting biographies of these men.
So for that, it's four stars. I wish more books showed history in this capacity to bring it alive for readers and even if this book fell short of it, the passion was there. Depending on my mood, I'd maybe even read it again.
It wasn't bad though, if a bit boring, and I'm really glad I read it. Even if Duberman's prose feels a bit juvenile (which I don't blame him for, coming from decades of history work), I did find myself in the minds of the men and began to understand who they were as people. This is especially true of Magnus Hirschfeld, who I'm so glad I was introduced biographically to by the book (what a cool, cool, modern guy). The transition from traditional history to prose was a bit awkward at times and the prose never really came alive for me, but I mean heck — the subject manner is niche and probably the more interesting biographies of these men.
So for that, it's four stars. I wish more books showed history in this capacity to bring it alive for readers and even if this book fell short of it, the passion was there. Depending on my mood, I'd maybe even read it again.
September 11, 2019
"I have the common sense!" the man shoots back. "Society tells women that they're incapable of understanding math and science, but that doesn't make it true - look at Marie Curie!"
It does feel a bit weird to have my quote for this book be about feminism rather than LGBT as it is mostly about gay history. But it also feels right - because the most important thing this book has taught me is that both feminism and gay rights were topics way before Stonewall - something we easily forget since the general history media tends to act like LGBT movements and hell, LGBT people, popped into history with the Stonewall riots. Now, I've always known it wasn't the case but it's always nice when books like Jews Queers Germans actually discuss the early LGBT movements.
The book is a weird mix of a novel and a history book, which makes me reculant to claim it as too much of a source when it comes to the non-fiction of it all - but there is no question that I was taught a lot about things during my read. Not just about the actually flourising LGBT culture in Germany before WWII but also LGBT historical figures that I at the most knew by name, like Hirschfeld.
It was an interesting read, and a really interesting view into the LGBT movements of the late 19th century and early 20th century - especially as Germany lies relatively close both culturally and politically. I don't know. The mix of non-fiction and fiction makes me a bit unsure how to view the book, but it is nonetheless a good read for its LGBT history.
It does feel a bit weird to have my quote for this book be about feminism rather than LGBT as it is mostly about gay history. But it also feels right - because the most important thing this book has taught me is that both feminism and gay rights were topics way before Stonewall - something we easily forget since the general history media tends to act like LGBT movements and hell, LGBT people, popped into history with the Stonewall riots. Now, I've always known it wasn't the case but it's always nice when books like Jews Queers Germans actually discuss the early LGBT movements.
The book is a weird mix of a novel and a history book, which makes me reculant to claim it as too much of a source when it comes to the non-fiction of it all - but there is no question that I was taught a lot about things during my read. Not just about the actually flourising LGBT culture in Germany before WWII but also LGBT historical figures that I at the most knew by name, like Hirschfeld.
It was an interesting read, and a really interesting view into the LGBT movements of the late 19th century and early 20th century - especially as Germany lies relatively close both culturally and politically. I don't know. The mix of non-fiction and fiction makes me a bit unsure how to view the book, but it is nonetheless a good read for its LGBT history.
July 16, 2025
An interesting approach to describing a difficult peirod in Germany History by focusing on the Outcasts in German society from the end of the 19th Century up to the power take over by the Nazi.
However the link that Duberman tries to make, between the the gay subculture, the struggle for acceptance by Jews and the way they were frowned upon, as a direct path to Nazisme feels constructed and sometimes farfetched.
Besides that, the form that Dubermann chooses doesn't work for me. He uses to much non fiction to get the feel of a novel and makes it a times to much of a novel to do justice to the complex background of this historical period. Dubermann is not able to make them work together, leaving it dangling a bit. This makes it difficult to get to grips with the story he's trying to tell.
What's left is a somewhat interesting kind of interwoven biography of 3 leading figures from the culture and political scene in Germany around WW I. The lives of Red Count Harry Kessler, the often misunderstood complicated figure of Walter Rahtenau and the founder of the German Sex Institute Mangus Hirschfield bring together an interesting spectrum of developments and people at controversial settings in German History.
Writen from the perspective of endangered gays and jews in the German society gives it food for thought, but not much more then that.
However the link that Duberman tries to make, between the the gay subculture, the struggle for acceptance by Jews and the way they were frowned upon, as a direct path to Nazisme feels constructed and sometimes farfetched.
Besides that, the form that Dubermann chooses doesn't work for me. He uses to much non fiction to get the feel of a novel and makes it a times to much of a novel to do justice to the complex background of this historical period. Dubermann is not able to make them work together, leaving it dangling a bit. This makes it difficult to get to grips with the story he's trying to tell.
What's left is a somewhat interesting kind of interwoven biography of 3 leading figures from the culture and political scene in Germany around WW I. The lives of Red Count Harry Kessler, the often misunderstood complicated figure of Walter Rahtenau and the founder of the German Sex Institute Mangus Hirschfield bring together an interesting spectrum of developments and people at controversial settings in German History.
Writen from the perspective of endangered gays and jews in the German society gives it food for thought, but not much more then that.
February 4, 2023
It says it's a historical fiction novel: it's not. It's written like an impersonal history book, but interspersed with invented dialogue. There is no obvious narrator and it's difficult to distinguish what was thought at the time from what is thought now.
Where the book really fails for me is that at the end, you do not know the character of any of the 4 men. I wanted to get to know them, but it's mostly description of what they did. The invented dialogue is mainly a way to give more facts, rather than develop character.
Finally, it could do with a bibliography, notes and cross-references so you can distinguish what is research from the invented bits. It seems a shame as this fascinating period of history deserves better.
It was very nearly a DNF after the discussion on homosexuality in WW1 got sidetracked into bestiality, but I pushed on through to the end. As such, I was tempted to give it 1 star, but I'm generously giving 2 for the fact that a lot of research has gone into it. If it had been either a pure history non fiction or a pure historical fiction I would have given more, but I found the mixture of the two too confusing.
Where the book really fails for me is that at the end, you do not know the character of any of the 4 men. I wanted to get to know them, but it's mostly description of what they did. The invented dialogue is mainly a way to give more facts, rather than develop character.
Finally, it could do with a bibliography, notes and cross-references so you can distinguish what is research from the invented bits. It seems a shame as this fascinating period of history deserves better.
It was very nearly a DNF after the discussion on homosexuality in WW1 got sidetracked into bestiality, but I pushed on through to the end. As such, I was tempted to give it 1 star, but I'm generously giving 2 for the fact that a lot of research has gone into it. If it had been either a pure history non fiction or a pure historical fiction I would have given more, but I found the mixture of the two too confusing.
December 3, 2017
This book is a deliberate blending of traditional history and novel forms - it follows a biographical type of plot, though encompassing about four main subjects, while imparted a great deal of the background information that informs and shapes the people in question. It reads like an incredibly engaging popular history book with interludes of dialogue. Duberman quotes heavily from diaries, and there are a few notable scenes where he presents precious little of the small details, in a way that feels very respectful of feelings that were not and could not be recorded, and thus cannot be reconstructed in narrative form. Though this leaves the reader somewhat detached from crucial moments, it also reminds one of the realness of the people involved, and prevents the complete novelisation of the events in question.
The topic and time period are also fascinating and I'm glad to have learned so much about it.
The topic and time period are also fascinating and I'm glad to have learned so much about it.
June 28, 2018
Jews Queers Germans by Martin Duberman
Germany 1890 to 1930 -- a period that encompasses the end of the German Empire, ruled by the Kaiser Wilhelm II; the Weimar Republic; and the beginning of the Nazi movement.
The book is mainly about Prince Philipp von Eulenburg, Kaiser Wilhelm II's closest friend, who becomes the subject of a notorious 1907 trial for homosexuality; Magnus Hirschfeld, a famed, Jewish sexologist who gives testimony at the trial; and Count Harry Kessler, a leading proponent of modernism, and the keeper of a famous set of diaries which layout in intimate detail the major social, artistic and political events of the day and allude as well to his own homosexuality. But it does not stop there. It basically reads like a gossip column of all the homosexuals of the era. There is no point of view, no plot. It's a slow tedious read and other than the historical significance, I see no reason to read it.
Not recommended!
Germany 1890 to 1930 -- a period that encompasses the end of the German Empire, ruled by the Kaiser Wilhelm II; the Weimar Republic; and the beginning of the Nazi movement.
The book is mainly about Prince Philipp von Eulenburg, Kaiser Wilhelm II's closest friend, who becomes the subject of a notorious 1907 trial for homosexuality; Magnus Hirschfeld, a famed, Jewish sexologist who gives testimony at the trial; and Count Harry Kessler, a leading proponent of modernism, and the keeper of a famous set of diaries which layout in intimate detail the major social, artistic and political events of the day and allude as well to his own homosexuality. But it does not stop there. It basically reads like a gossip column of all the homosexuals of the era. There is no point of view, no plot. It's a slow tedious read and other than the historical significance, I see no reason to read it.
Not recommended!
August 14, 2017
At first this book was very difficult to read. It was categorized as historical fiction, but I knew little about the era of Germany from just prior to WWI to the rise of Hitler. Other than the names of Kaiser Wilhem, Archduke Ferdinand, and Hitler and his retinue, the other German princes and luminaries of the time were unknown to me, so it was difficult to know whether the people in the story were real or fictional. It wasn't until I found the "Author's Note" at the back of the book that explained that the book is really a history, with only the dialog between characters being fictionalized, that I could appreciate the book. Putting the Author's Note up front would have done readers a service.
April 27, 2018
This book should have been right up my alley.
In graduate school, I spent numerous hours researching Magnus Hirschfeld, the members of the Scientific Humanitarian Committee, and the Institute for Sexual Science. Unfortunately, at the time, the number of books on these subjects was hopelessly limited. As is so often the case with LGBTQ historical figures, Magnus Hirschfeld and his fellow Weimar era thinkers were often ignored or intentionally stripped from the historical record. Their stories are, only now, finally returning to public (and academic) memory.
That being said, I was excited to see Martin Duberman's Jews Queers Germans. I have respected Duberman's narrative flair ever since I picked up a frayed copy of his 1993 monograph on the Stonewall riots.* …And that "flair" is on full display in Jews Queers Germans.
But therein lies the problem. This book is a clear example of form over function. Duberman's flair suffocates a fascinating story that deserves a clearly articulated academic monograph. What he has produced instead is an amalgamation, which he defines as "novel/history." In practice, this resulted in a series of imagined (and painfully artificial) conversations between some of the era's most important LGBTQ voices. These conversations are hung, like isolated set pieces, on Duberman’s larger (and better) narrative history. On more than one occasion, I found myself dreading the syntactically dull conversations and longing to return to wider narrative.
While I can appreciate that Duberman wanted to bring an exciting new approach to the standard historical monograph, his execution left a lot to be desired.
*I should probably note that David Carter's 2005 monograph Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution benefited from more thorough research.
In graduate school, I spent numerous hours researching Magnus Hirschfeld, the members of the Scientific Humanitarian Committee, and the Institute for Sexual Science. Unfortunately, at the time, the number of books on these subjects was hopelessly limited. As is so often the case with LGBTQ historical figures, Magnus Hirschfeld and his fellow Weimar era thinkers were often ignored or intentionally stripped from the historical record. Their stories are, only now, finally returning to public (and academic) memory.
That being said, I was excited to see Martin Duberman's Jews Queers Germans. I have respected Duberman's narrative flair ever since I picked up a frayed copy of his 1993 monograph on the Stonewall riots.* …And that "flair" is on full display in Jews Queers Germans.
But therein lies the problem. This book is a clear example of form over function. Duberman's flair suffocates a fascinating story that deserves a clearly articulated academic monograph. What he has produced instead is an amalgamation, which he defines as "novel/history." In practice, this resulted in a series of imagined (and painfully artificial) conversations between some of the era's most important LGBTQ voices. These conversations are hung, like isolated set pieces, on Duberman’s larger (and better) narrative history. On more than one occasion, I found myself dreading the syntactically dull conversations and longing to return to wider narrative.
While I can appreciate that Duberman wanted to bring an exciting new approach to the standard historical monograph, his execution left a lot to be desired.
*I should probably note that David Carter's 2005 monograph Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution benefited from more thorough research.
June 28, 2018
It tells an important story of the pre-World War 1 to the mid 1930's period in Europe, primarily in Germany. The title accurately reflects the predominate theme of the interaction of people of one or more of those groups. It is primarily a historical account, with the "novel" component consisting of dialogue that the author feels is within keeping of what the figures could have said in their specific circumstances, other than that, he sticks to the facts compiled through his research. The three identities are major factors, even pivotal in the turn of events in the period. There is also the fourth identity of political party affiliation with also plays a major role. I give it five stars for including the major impact that queer politics had in shaping the events.
July 4, 2022
This was a pretty dense read but was extremely absorbing and fascinating on a slice of history that I'm not too familiar with but should be.
The author acknowledges that it's halfway between a conventional historical novel and a non-fiction work of biographical history. And I can see from some reviews here that some readers didn't know quite what to make of it.
I can appreciate it, but it absolutely worked for me.
It is inevitably - given the history covered here - a pretty depressing read overall but the main characters in particular will stay with me for some time to come.
The author acknowledges that it's halfway between a conventional historical novel and a non-fiction work of biographical history. And I can see from some reviews here that some readers didn't know quite what to make of it.
I can appreciate it, but it absolutely worked for me.
It is inevitably - given the history covered here - a pretty depressing read overall but the main characters in particular will stay with me for some time to come.
July 16, 2017
History is full of irony. That four men; Kessler, von Eulenberg., Hirschfeld & Rathenau, all Germans yet outsiders due to bring Jewish or gay; could have such an impact on events not only for Germany but for the world at large during the pre and post World War I era. And then what both these groups, and the country too would endure later. The book calls itself a "novel/history". I wish there had been some footnotes to better differentiate the two.
January 8, 2019
The men covered in this book are Ernst Rohm,Nazi storm troop leader, Prince Philip von Eulenburg, Kaiser Wilhelm's closest friend,Walter Rathenau,a foreign minister and German intellectual, Count Henry Kessler. and Magnus Hirschfeld, the leading gay rights activist and scholar in the late 19th century.
July 20, 2017
well - researched: yes
interesting topic: yes
Unfortunately, I was in the mood for a novel-type story but what was delivered was something that reads so much like non-fiction that I checked the back for end-notes.
Not a bad story, just not what I was looking for.
interesting topic: yes
Unfortunately, I was in the mood for a novel-type story but what was delivered was something that reads so much like non-fiction that I checked the back for end-notes.
Not a bad story, just not what I was looking for.
November 21, 2019
Jews Queers Germans is a historical novel with a bit too much history and not enough novel. The history, though, is fascinating.
November 10, 2025
A good understanding of prior German history may be needed in order to fully grasp this book. It was less of a novel than I thought it would be but still found it interesting. Written well and more advanced, learned a lot.
October 10, 2017
Most brilliant historian I ever read! But this book can't make the leap into fiction - it's fiction that reads like history and fails for lack of character.
December 6, 2017
I haven't read a book twice in a long time until this.
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