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Love Letters From Cell 92
A brilliant theologian hanged by the Nazis in 1945 for taking part in a plot to kill Hitler, Dietrich Bonhoeffer lived out his Christian commitment to the very end of his life. This collection of correspondence between Bonhoeffer and von Wedemeyer--long anticipated but never before published--offers an understanding of a mature theologian who was in love with a 19-year-old woman.
378 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
About the author
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
369 books1,887 followersWorks of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Protestant theologian of Germany, concern Christianity in the modern world; for his role in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, people executed him.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer served as a Lutheran pastor. He, also a participant in the movement of Resistance against Nazism and a member, founded the confessing church. Members of the Abwehr, the military intelligence office planned his involvement, which resulted in his arrest in April 1943 and his subsequent hanging in April 1945 shortly before the end of the war. His secular view influenced very many people.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietric...
Dietrich Bonhoeffer served as a Lutheran pastor. He, also a participant in the movement of Resistance against Nazism and a member, founded the confessing church. Members of the Abwehr, the military intelligence office planned his involvement, which resulted in his arrest in April 1943 and his subsequent hanging in April 1945 shortly before the end of the war. His secular view influenced very many people.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietric...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
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June 28, 2011One of my elderly kinswomen mentioned this in passing in a positive way back in the day when my grandmother was still alive so I picked up a copy.
Bonhoeffer of course has a very positive reputation, theologian, man of virtue, opposed to Hitler. However the more I read the less comfortable I felt, the relationship between Bonhoeffer and von Wedemeyer (his fiancee)didn't feel like one between equals. Their correspondence did not read like that between lovers or even people in love but with each letter like that between a teacher and a schoolchild.
Perhaps this should have been self-evident before I started it, there were 18 years between them afterall.
The more I read the less heroic he seemed. No just human but a deeply odd person, pursuing a relationship in a way that Rousseau recommended in the eighteenth century with the man educating the future bride through a correspondence course. The oddest thing was thatfrauline von Wedemeyer seemed to find this perfectly normal.
Bonhoeffer of course has a very positive reputation, theologian, man of virtue, opposed to Hitler. However the more I read the less comfortable I felt, the relationship between Bonhoeffer and von Wedemeyer (his fiancee)didn't feel like one between equals. Their correspondence did not read like that between lovers or even people in love but with each letter like that between a teacher and a schoolchild.
Perhaps this should have been self-evident before I started it, there were 18 years between them afterall.
The more I read the less heroic he seemed. No just human but a deeply odd person, pursuing a relationship in a way that Rousseau recommended in the eighteenth century with the man educating the future bride through a correspondence course. The oddest thing was thatfrauline von Wedemeyer seemed to find this perfectly normal.
February 17, 2020
I read this book with my reading buddy and I’m so glad we read it together. It’s a truly beautiful and heartbreaking book. Filled with such love and hope. It’s hard reading it and feeling their happiness knowing how Bonhoeffer’s story ends.
Want to Read
August 12, 2016I am sure I will bawl but my eyes out BUT GIMME.
August 18, 2024
There is something almost reverent about reading these love letters. They were so real! Through Maria’s insecurity and Bonhoeffer’s doubt at times it was really special to see evidence of their love growing while they were apart. It was so sad to be reading this knowing their fate, but seeing the palpable hope
in suffering and their encouragement to one another which was an encouragement to me. Highly recommend!!
in suffering and their encouragement to one another which was an encouragement to me. Highly recommend!!
June 27, 2023
I picked this up for research, and found it weird to be reading other peoples' love letters. But I was slowly won over and came to feel the utter privilege of seeing inside the hearts and minds of other people, let alone people in such a unique situation as Maria von Wedemeyer and the imprisoned nazi-resistor Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Their letters of 1943-45 are at times moving, insightful, and -- embedded in the well-edited background notes of their story -- heartbreaking. I already felt I knew Dietrich, so what I appreciated most was the opportunity to really come to know his fiancé Maria in her own right (and thus to better understand him as well). Maria's humour and vitality shine through her youthful letters despite the agony of a two year relationship in which she would never be with Dietrich alone. Her strength of personality then carries through the remarkable postlude, wherein her older sister Ruth-Alice ably tells the story of Maria's fascinating life after 1945. In the end I find myself as gripped by this book as by any novel.
February 17, 2020
This is a gorgeous book of letters. This is a heartbreaking book because Bonhoeffer and Maria will never be together but it is still gorgeous. These letters show true courtship, unconditional love, compassion, empathy, and so much more. I am so glad that I read and discussed these with my friend, Jamie.
August 21, 2010
This book expanded my knowledge of Bonhoeffer the man -- who he was in his relationships with people, specifically his fiance Maria. Obviously his letters were written to her without a wider audience in view. As such, I occasionally felt I was observing a deepening relationship uninvited. As they discuss the difficulties and share their very different experiences and deep thoughts with each other, the observer sees more of who each one is and the concrete actions that demonstrate mutual friendship, support, and love. The realities of war and prison placed real barriers in their interactions, but they strove to live through that time with the least possible damage to one another and their relationship. Their commitment to each other in the midst of incredible hardship is both inspiring and daunting. It's a level of commitment one rarely sees today, a level of commitment that is exquisitely beautiful.
February 1, 2025
Loved but too short is my only complaint! They were able to be honest and virtuous in their weird situation, while acknowledging their weaknesses. While punctuated with light (sweet old aunt who wore gloves, children at school, etc) it was really sad, because their marriage would’ve been one for the ages.
“It’s such a tempting mistake to dream of the future, yearn for something, and live and suffer with that end in view. But then the little mosaics that make up the background, the framework, and nuances of a person’s life are forgotten, and nothing is left in the end but bare loneliness.” 79
On literature: “The closer our approach to really good things, the more insipid we fin the watery lemonade of more recent vintage, sometimes almost nauseatingly so.” 101
“It’s such a tempting mistake to dream of the future, yearn for something, and live and suffer with that end in view. But then the little mosaics that make up the background, the framework, and nuances of a person’s life are forgotten, and nothing is left in the end but bare loneliness.” 79
On literature: “The closer our approach to really good things, the more insipid we fin the watery lemonade of more recent vintage, sometimes almost nauseatingly so.” 101
October 27, 2014
A heartbreaking and unique point of view on WW2. Bonhoeffer, a pastor who was involved in a plot to kill Hitler, and the letters he and his fiance wrote to one another from the time he was imprisoned until the end, when he was executed.
It's hard, when you know how it ends, to read the hopeful words about mundane things, like where to put a sofa or who to have as the pastor at their wedding. But it's interesting to read about what every day life was like for Germans during the war.
It's hard, when you know how it ends, to read the hopeful words about mundane things, like where to put a sofa or who to have as the pastor at their wedding. But it's interesting to read about what every day life was like for Germans during the war.
October 19, 2012
I did not really finish the book. Though I love the idea of this story, actually written letters, it's too dry to read all of them. Maybe some other time in my life I will finish it.
May 12, 2022
This is both really inspiring and depressing considering we know the ending going in. There's the letters and then a brief history of all mentioned people at the end so you have more context after reading the letters.
New favorite quote that's serious (attributed as his direct quote was in a lost letter): One's worries should always become prayers.
Recommended 13+ for romance, violence mentioned, the whole situation, and situations younger readers may not understand.
New favorite quote that's serious (attributed as his direct quote was in a lost letter): One's worries should always become prayers.
Recommended 13+ for romance, violence mentioned, the whole situation, and situations younger readers may not understand.
May 18, 2018
This was a very interesting read, especially after reading "Bonhoeffer" a few weeks ago. It was personal, but not ridiculously intimate, correspondence between Bonhoeffer and his fiancé, Maria, during his incarceration at Tegel Prison. I really enjoyed it. I think I would have been friends with Maria if we had lived in the same time and continent.
November 30, 2010
I loved this book
March 2, 2013
Compelling. Gut wrenching sadness because we know the end of Dietrich's life is near; but strong hope in the face of almost certain death.
April 28, 2015
Outstanding. So intimate in the real meaning of the term. That an 18 year old could show such depth and such maturity amazes us today, but she was the real deal. An astonishingly lovely love story.
April 25, 2022
The letters between Dietrich and Maria cycle along on the elements of hope and yearning. Neither element will be fulfilled between them. Their correspondence deals with the humdrum of daily life, dreams when they can marry and spend time together, desires for Dietrich to be a free man.
It was informative to see the juxtaposition between Maria’s life of freedom and Dietrich’s
incarceration. Although, because of their engagement, Maria was a prisoner in soul, mind and spirit. Maria could ride her horse, visit friends and relatives, pursue jobs. Dietrich appreciated her descriptive letters regarding these activities — her liveliness of spirit. Her letters expanded the gruesome concrete walls of his cell. His response was never pessimistic in viewing her undertakings.
The book reveals the humane and inhumane treatment of prisoners during WWII. Light is shed on the injustices of the Gestapo. Horrible.
“The church should ‘not just bandage the victims under the wheel but stop the wheel from crushing them in the first place.’”
“How will peace come about? Who will call for peace so the world hears — is compelled to hear? So that all nations will rejoice at it?
…this Church of Christ should remove the weapons from their sons’ hands and forbid them to make war and proclaims the peace of Christ across the raging world.”
“We have been mute witnesses to evil deeds.”
“Will our spiritual resistance to what is enforced on us still prove strong enough, and will we still be mercilessly honest enough with ourselves to rediscover the road to simplicity and integrity?”
“Everything we cannot thank Gd for, we reproach Him for.”
It was informative to see the juxtaposition between Maria’s life of freedom and Dietrich’s
incarceration. Although, because of their engagement, Maria was a prisoner in soul, mind and spirit. Maria could ride her horse, visit friends and relatives, pursue jobs. Dietrich appreciated her descriptive letters regarding these activities — her liveliness of spirit. Her letters expanded the gruesome concrete walls of his cell. His response was never pessimistic in viewing her undertakings.
The book reveals the humane and inhumane treatment of prisoners during WWII. Light is shed on the injustices of the Gestapo. Horrible.
“The church should ‘not just bandage the victims under the wheel but stop the wheel from crushing them in the first place.’”
“How will peace come about? Who will call for peace so the world hears — is compelled to hear? So that all nations will rejoice at it?
…this Church of Christ should remove the weapons from their sons’ hands and forbid them to make war and proclaims the peace of Christ across the raging world.”
“We have been mute witnesses to evil deeds.”
“Will our spiritual resistance to what is enforced on us still prove strong enough, and will we still be mercilessly honest enough with ourselves to rediscover the road to simplicity and integrity?”
“Everything we cannot thank Gd for, we reproach Him for.”
April 13, 2023
“Only by living the present to the full can we remain receptive to all that will and must happen in the future. Unless I do that-I notice it again and again--I lose my gratitude for the past and the courage to face the present.” Maria, 5 September 43
I went through a serious Bonhoeffer phase in my mid-20s but somehow missed this book, the prison correspondence between Dietrich and his fiancé Maria von Wedemeyer. Maria (who was a strong, delightful, vivacious person) gave permission for their letters to be published after her death in 1977, so this material is missing in earlier Bonhoeffer works.
This was…so many things. Joyous, thoughtful, heartbreaking. It hit me harder than I expected—they were so full of hope, planning for the future in ways both practical and intangible, and it’s difficult to read knowing in advance how their story ended (Dietrich was executed a few weeks before the Allies reached Berlin). I enjoyed seeing Maria’s personality emerge and the ways that the two of them, though vastly different, suited each other.
This isn’t a great place to start if you aren’t already familiar with the Bonhoeffer story, but it is a worthy addition if you are. I read it in conjunction with Letters and Papers from Prison (but had to finish it first because it was overdue at the library).
“So far from wanting something ultra-special, great and important from you during your visits -after all, we both know what we do each night and morning- I simply want you as you are in reality, without effort or deliberation. That's "greater" and far more "important” than any "importance" and "greatness," because it's real.” Dietrich, 7 March 44
I went through a serious Bonhoeffer phase in my mid-20s but somehow missed this book, the prison correspondence between Dietrich and his fiancé Maria von Wedemeyer. Maria (who was a strong, delightful, vivacious person) gave permission for their letters to be published after her death in 1977, so this material is missing in earlier Bonhoeffer works.
This was…so many things. Joyous, thoughtful, heartbreaking. It hit me harder than I expected—they were so full of hope, planning for the future in ways both practical and intangible, and it’s difficult to read knowing in advance how their story ended (Dietrich was executed a few weeks before the Allies reached Berlin). I enjoyed seeing Maria’s personality emerge and the ways that the two of them, though vastly different, suited each other.
This isn’t a great place to start if you aren’t already familiar with the Bonhoeffer story, but it is a worthy addition if you are. I read it in conjunction with Letters and Papers from Prison (but had to finish it first because it was overdue at the library).
“So far from wanting something ultra-special, great and important from you during your visits -after all, we both know what we do each night and morning- I simply want you as you are in reality, without effort or deliberation. That's "greater" and far more "important” than any "importance" and "greatness," because it's real.” Dietrich, 7 March 44
May 28, 2018
This book was difficult to rate given the fact that it is a collection of personal letters and as such, does not conform to the need to be understood by a broader audience. It is slow-going at times and I personally found it hard to keep up with all the personal references (there are footnotes, but I believe those who compiled the book intentionally kept the notes on the lighter side so as not to interfere with the text too much).
On a more positive note, the book displays Bonhoeffer's very human suffering and simultaneous commitment to his belief in a good God in some very ground shaking ways. His honesty and struggles provoked a lot of hope in me as a reader. I think readers who have a general knowledge of Bonhoeffer will be surprised at how much he is like each one of us. Our tendency to lionize even Christian martyrs can, I believe, have a strangely isolating effect. The truth is, Bonhoeffer knew the banality of everyday life and disappointment as evidenced in his longing for his fiance while he was imprisoned.
Take your time in reading it, but do get a copy of this book. In it you will find important reminders about love and faith in God and what that looks like under some of the most crushing circumstances of life in a fallen world.
On a more positive note, the book displays Bonhoeffer's very human suffering and simultaneous commitment to his belief in a good God in some very ground shaking ways. His honesty and struggles provoked a lot of hope in me as a reader. I think readers who have a general knowledge of Bonhoeffer will be surprised at how much he is like each one of us. Our tendency to lionize even Christian martyrs can, I believe, have a strangely isolating effect. The truth is, Bonhoeffer knew the banality of everyday life and disappointment as evidenced in his longing for his fiance while he was imprisoned.
Take your time in reading it, but do get a copy of this book. In it you will find important reminders about love and faith in God and what that looks like under some of the most crushing circumstances of life in a fallen world.
December 23, 2018
I picked this book up from the church library. It was a little difficult to follow because of the German names and foreign locations. The book is account of the love letters between two engaged young people during World War II. The man, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, is in prison and the woman, Maria VonWedemeyer, is a nurse. The book starts with the letters and ends with background on each of the lovers.
April 3, 2026
The ultimate long distance. Maria and Dietrich display remarkable kindness, understanding, and hope in the midst of a story that ends sadly for them. Most of the letters were very repetitive and stiff (which like I get because people were reading their mail), but I loved the moments when Bonhoeffer explodes into passion and affection (because he had a letter smuggled out and no one was reading his mail!!). My one question is WHY did they put the historical notes in the BACK?? It's a weird choice to me to put all the context for these letters in the back. Poignant, warm, and sad.
October 30, 2026
Look, Love Letters From Cell 92 is a weird little book, and I mean that with love. Dietrich Bonhoeffer takes a totally ordinary setup, a guy, a dead-end job, a haunted vending machine, and runs wild with it, especially in the scene where the machine starts giving advice that's frighteningly good. The ending fizzles, like the author ran out of steam. For readers who like their stories sideways. Pass if you need things to make sense.
October 8, 2021
This was tragically sad yet sweetly romantic as you are swept into the hopes and dreams of Dietrich and Maria. It's heartbreaking because you know how their story ends but it only adds to the sweetness of their correspondence. I've been acquainted with Dietrich, the Theologian and Dietrich, the man. I've now met Dietrich, the lover, and I'm amazed.
May 12, 2026
Berührend, anstrengend, traurig und voller Hoffnung.
Die Briefe von Bonhoeffer und seiner Verlobten von Wedemyer gehen unter die Haut. An manchen Stellen dachte ich „Was für ein Privileg diese Texte zu lesen.“ An anderen Stellen dachte ich „das ist so intim!“ - kann man nur lesen, wenn man Lust drauf hat, sich in alle Gefühlswelten einzulesen.
Die Briefe von Bonhoeffer und seiner Verlobten von Wedemyer gehen unter die Haut. An manchen Stellen dachte ich „Was für ein Privileg diese Texte zu lesen.“ An anderen Stellen dachte ich „das ist so intim!“ - kann man nur lesen, wenn man Lust drauf hat, sich in alle Gefühlswelten einzulesen.
August 2, 2019
This collection of letters was deeply personal. Quite frankly, I would have not been as patient as Maria von Wedemeyer. I have wondered if she knew of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's part in the attempted assignation of Hitler.
May 7, 2019
Beautiful.
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October 11, 2022「妳是對的，妳說，我們要等待，並給予必要的時間。我驚訝不已，在迪提西的領域，以及在我與他的關係上，難以置信我傷得如此深。」
-Maria von Wedemeyer
-Maria von Wedemeyer
Want to Read
June 21, 2018isbn 0687010985
BX4827.B57 A4 1994
BX4827.B57 A4 1994
April 22, 2023
This book is heartbreaking. Imagine finding one's true love only to be ripped apart by the state, thrown without a trial into a prison cell and need to continue your romance largely through correspondence with only occasional supervised visits for the next two years with no consummation of a wedding.
And then, after he was rudely executed, she didn't learn of the cruel event until two months later!
Achingly read this book and enter briefly into the mad world of Nazi Germany in the midst of WWII.
(Our own experience was becoming engaged in October before embarking on my Marine Corps career the very next month. We were separated for months whilst I finished my required specialty training in a far-distant city, followed by our blissful wedding in July. In no way do I compare our experience to that of Dietrich and Maria; but I am able to sense a bit of their extreme angst.)
I can't imagine going thorough what this couple endured from 1943 to 1945. Read the book.
And then, after he was rudely executed, she didn't learn of the cruel event until two months later!
Achingly read this book and enter briefly into the mad world of Nazi Germany in the midst of WWII.
(Our own experience was becoming engaged in October before embarking on my Marine Corps career the very next month. We were separated for months whilst I finished my required specialty training in a far-distant city, followed by our blissful wedding in July. In no way do I compare our experience to that of Dietrich and Maria; but I am able to sense a bit of their extreme angst.)
I can't imagine going thorough what this couple endured from 1943 to 1945. Read the book.
August 19, 2015
Im Januar 1943 verloben sich der evangelische Pastor und Widerstandskämpfer Bonhoeffer und die 18 Jahre jüngere Maria. Wenig später wird Dietrich verhaftet, seine Widerstandsgruppe ist aufgeflogen.
Dem Paar bleibt nur der Briefwechsel, der der Zensur unterliegt (nur selten kann Dietrich einen Brief auf geheimem Wege aus der Zelle schmuggeln lassen), und gelegentliche einstündige "Sprecherlaubnisse", zu denen Maria ihn besuchen darf.
Der Briefwechsel ist ein sehr berührendes, authentisches Zeitdokument, zumal man als Leser schon von Beginn an weiß, dass die beiden sich niemals mehr in Freiheit begegnen werden. Denn Bonhoeffer wurde einen Monat vor Kriegsende, am 9. April 1945, im KZ Flossenbürg gehängt.
Dem Paar bleibt nur der Briefwechsel, der der Zensur unterliegt (nur selten kann Dietrich einen Brief auf geheimem Wege aus der Zelle schmuggeln lassen), und gelegentliche einstündige "Sprecherlaubnisse", zu denen Maria ihn besuchen darf.
Der Briefwechsel ist ein sehr berührendes, authentisches Zeitdokument, zumal man als Leser schon von Beginn an weiß, dass die beiden sich niemals mehr in Freiheit begegnen werden. Denn Bonhoeffer wurde einen Monat vor Kriegsende, am 9. April 1945, im KZ Flossenbürg gehängt.
February 12, 2017
Not a book to be read quickly but it is a deeply moving collection of letters. Full of hope, sorrow, unfairness, and desperation. You definitely get an interesting picture of who Dietrich and Maria were - I really enjoyed the epilogue where we learn more about Maria's life after Dietrich. They're both gifted writers and their correspondence is actually interesting.
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