Ten top Berliners in literature

Rory MacLean's newest book is Berlin: Portrait of a City Through the Centuries.

One of his top ten Berliners in literature, as shared at the Guardian:

Franz Biberkopf in Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin

Any portrait which hopes to reflect the city's creative nature needs to let invention cohabit with reality, to juxtapose fiction with fact. In Döblin's innovative masterpiece – the most important work of literature in the Weimar years – the story of small-time crook Biberkopf is told through speeches, songs, newspaper articles and above all from multiple points of view. On the cusp of the Nazis rise to power, through an inner voice filled with remorse, contradiction and indecision, Biberkopf's life – like that of every other resident – is swept forward by events beyond his control.

Read about another entry on the list.

Also see Steve Kettmann's ten best books about Germany and Germans and Steve Ozment's five best books about Germany & Germans.

--Marshal Zeringue