Faust's Metropolis: A History of Berlin - Softcover

Richie, Alexandra

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786706813 ISBN 13: 9780786706815

Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers Inc, 1999

Synopsis

Berlin - called the Schicksal Stadt Deutschlands, the City of German Destiny - has been at the heart of the most important events of not only Germany, but also modern Europe. In this powerful historical narrative, Oxford historian Alexandra Richie follows Berlin from its Medieval foundation to the nation-building dreams of Frederick the Great and Bismarck. Most important, she concentrates on the city during the twentieth century's upheavals: the Weimar Republic's decadent capital; Hitler and Goebbels's fascist metropolis; the city divided by the Cold War. Published to international acclaim, Faust's Metropolis is history at its most enthralling. "Brilliant work . . . the material is all fascinating, and Richie is an excellent descriptive writer." - New York Review of Books "Thoroughgoing and engrossing" - Peter Gay, author of My German Question "Outstanding . . . brilliantly written" - Michael Howard, Times Literary Supplement "Magnificent . . . should be required reading for anyone with any curiosity about where Europe has been and where it is going" - Piers Paul Read, Sunday Telegraph "A compelling narrative" - Philadelphia Inquirer "Absorbing" - Wall Street Journal

About this title

Review:

An ambitious undertaking, Faust's Metropolis: A History of Berlin aims to chronicle the history of Germany through the microcosm of its most dramatic city. Alexandra Richie's thousand-page tome spans from the time of Nero to Helmut Kohl. It is an encyclopaedic description of the Schicksal Stadt Deutschlands--the City of German Destiny--filled with the politics of rulers and the ideology of artists. Richie doesn't romanticise Berlin; early on, she invokes Goethe's view of the city as bourgeois, brash, and onerous. "Like the metropolis in Faust it has always been a rather shabby place," Richie comments. "It is neither an ancient gem like Rome, nor an exquisite beauty like Prague, nor a geographical marvel like Rio. It was formed not by the gentle, cultured hand which made Dresden or Venice but was wrenched from the unpromising landscape by sheer hard work and determination."

By placing her historical account in a world-encompassing perspective, the culture described in Faust's Metropolis comments on the whole of Germany and its people. The author is most eloquent in describing the recent history of the city. As a resident during its divided years, she describes Berlin as the ultimate "border city," on the frontline of the duelling Weltanschauungs of the Cold War. Her tone is familiar in describing the changing face of the city, and her enthusiasm evident as the book moves into the modern era. Filled with the insights of its unique and myriad residents, Faust's Metropolis recounts Berlin's culture, providing the reader with a thorough history and authoritative analysis.

Review:

'Thoroughgoing and engrossing. Modern Berlin was the hub of commerce, centre stage for politics, mecca for high culture, and a haven for extravagance and eccentricity. Alexandra Richie controls all this material superbly.' Peter Gay 'A wide-ranging book, full of fascinating detail, and compellingly written.' Robert Conquest 'A unique combination of an analysis of Berlin with a study of the entire history of Germany and of Germany's problems of national and linguistic self-definition.' Harold James

About this edition

• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers Inc
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0786706813
• ISBN 13: 9780786706815
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 1168