Berlin 1936 by Oliver Hilmes
Takes you through the sixteen days in August 1936, when the Olympic Games were staged in Berlin. With a chapter dedicated to each day, this title describes the events in the German capital through the eyes of a select cast of characters - Nazi leaders and foreign diplomats, athletes and journalists, writers and actors, nightclub owners and more.
Engrossing -- Matt Chilton, **Books of the Year** * Daily Telegraph *
Eighty years after the events it depicts, Berlin 1936 is a small masterpiece – you actually feel like you were there… The book was originally in German, but Jefferson Chase’s translation is so perfectly judged, you’d never even notice -- Marcus Berkmann * Daily Mail, **Books of the Year** *
Entertaining.. A vivid collage of vignettes gleaned from diaries, police reports, snippets from newspapers, and so on. It dances from comedy to tragedy, from the ironic to the sinister, to give a picture of a darkening Germany... Hilmes has an eye for incidental detail. -- Robbie Millen * The Times *
A German historian charts the Berlin Olympics day by day through a series of memorable vignettes of life under Nazism. Hilmes’ deceptively jaunty, even comic tone echoes that of the Games themselves -- Simon Kuper * Financial Times, **Books of the Year** *
This book reads like a tourist guide to a city on the eve of destruction -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times, **Books of the Year** *
Written with great verve, compassion and humour, Hilmes' book brings to life a panoramic cast of characters ... Compelling, suspenseful and beautifully done -- Anna Funder, author of STASILAND
Jefferson Chase’s excellent translation gives us taut prose that adds to the sense of unease -- Emma John * Guardian, **Books of the Year** *
Thrilling ... Berlin 1936, with its keyhole glimpses into otherwise private lives, gives us an engaging portrait of those last flashes individuality in the Third Reich. -- Robert Leigh-Pemberton * Daily Telegraph *
This fascinating work captures the simmering complexity of a society as it enters one of the darkest chapters of modern history. With chilling immediacy, Hilmes offers portraits taken from a whole cross section of Berlin, characters as vivid as any from an Otto Dix or George Grosz painting -- Chloe Aridjis, author of BOOK OF CLOUDS
Anybody looking for an alternative history of one of the most controversial Games in the history of the Olympics should look no further * Daily Express *
Hilmes has a gift for storytelling ... entertaining ... a delicately crafted treat -- Nikolaus Wachsmann * Guardian *
Fascinating… meticulous research -- Roger Domeneghetti * Times Literary Supplement *
Hilmes’ narrative mosaic becomes mesmerising. -- Peter Carty * i *
A breathtaking book * Die Welt *
Hilmes has unearthed many memorable vignettes ... Jefferson Chase's smooth translation contributes to a chillingly breezy read. -- Simon Kuper * Spectator *
A punchy, vibrant, and highly original account of the most controversial of all modern Olympiads. -- David Clay Large, author of NAZI GAMES: THE OLYMPICS OF 1936
A riveting, immersive glimpse into German—and indeed global—life tiptoeing towards disaster. Through Hilmes's creative approach to historical storytelling, a multivocal Berlin lives and breathes vividly. -- Jessica J. Lee, author of TURNING: A SWIMMING MEMOIR
Fascinating… Oliver Hilmes’ pen portrait immerses the reader in a city still resistant to totalitarian control -- David Evans * The Tablet *
A dense, enthralling portrait of those sixteen days, reflective of the whole of Germany. As riveting as a novel. * Neues Deutschland *
Carrying readers to venues far from the fields of athletic competition, the richly detailed 16-day narrative spotlights men and women who receive no medals but who deserve empathetic attention … A riveting drama. * Booklist (starred review) *
Eighty years after the events it depicts, Berlin 1936 is a small masterpiece – you actually feel like you were there… The book was originally in German, but Jefferson Chase’s translation is so perfectly judged, you’d never even notice -- Marcus Berkmann * Daily Mail, **Books of the Year** *
Entertaining.. A vivid collage of vignettes gleaned from diaries, police reports, snippets from newspapers, and so on. It dances from comedy to tragedy, from the ironic to the sinister, to give a picture of a darkening Germany... Hilmes has an eye for incidental detail. -- Robbie Millen * The Times *
A German historian charts the Berlin Olympics day by day through a series of memorable vignettes of life under Nazism. Hilmes’ deceptively jaunty, even comic tone echoes that of the Games themselves -- Simon Kuper * Financial Times, **Books of the Year** *
This book reads like a tourist guide to a city on the eve of destruction -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times, **Books of the Year** *
Written with great verve, compassion and humour, Hilmes' book brings to life a panoramic cast of characters ... Compelling, suspenseful and beautifully done -- Anna Funder, author of STASILAND
Jefferson Chase’s excellent translation gives us taut prose that adds to the sense of unease -- Emma John * Guardian, **Books of the Year** *
Thrilling ... Berlin 1936, with its keyhole glimpses into otherwise private lives, gives us an engaging portrait of those last flashes individuality in the Third Reich. -- Robert Leigh-Pemberton * Daily Telegraph *
This fascinating work captures the simmering complexity of a society as it enters one of the darkest chapters of modern history. With chilling immediacy, Hilmes offers portraits taken from a whole cross section of Berlin, characters as vivid as any from an Otto Dix or George Grosz painting -- Chloe Aridjis, author of BOOK OF CLOUDS
Anybody looking for an alternative history of one of the most controversial Games in the history of the Olympics should look no further * Daily Express *
Hilmes has a gift for storytelling ... entertaining ... a delicately crafted treat -- Nikolaus Wachsmann * Guardian *
Fascinating… meticulous research -- Roger Domeneghetti * Times Literary Supplement *
Hilmes’ narrative mosaic becomes mesmerising. -- Peter Carty * i *
A breathtaking book * Die Welt *
Hilmes has unearthed many memorable vignettes ... Jefferson Chase's smooth translation contributes to a chillingly breezy read. -- Simon Kuper * Spectator *
A punchy, vibrant, and highly original account of the most controversial of all modern Olympiads. -- David Clay Large, author of NAZI GAMES: THE OLYMPICS OF 1936
A riveting, immersive glimpse into German—and indeed global—life tiptoeing towards disaster. Through Hilmes's creative approach to historical storytelling, a multivocal Berlin lives and breathes vividly. -- Jessica J. Lee, author of TURNING: A SWIMMING MEMOIR
Fascinating… Oliver Hilmes’ pen portrait immerses the reader in a city still resistant to totalitarian control -- David Evans * The Tablet *
A dense, enthralling portrait of those sixteen days, reflective of the whole of Germany. As riveting as a novel. * Neues Deutschland *
Carrying readers to venues far from the fields of athletic competition, the richly detailed 16-day narrative spotlights men and women who receive no medals but who deserve empathetic attention … A riveting drama. * Booklist (starred review) *
Oliver Hilmes studied history, politics and psychology in Paris, Marburg and Potsdam, and holds a doctorate in twentieth-century history. His books include Malevolent Muse: The Life of Alma Mahler, Cosima Wagner: The Lady of Bayreuth and Franz Liszt: Musician, Celebrity, Superstar. Berlin 1936 was a top-ten bestseller on publication in Germany.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781847924339 |
| ISBN 10 | 1847924336 |
| Title | Berlin 1936 |
| Author | Oliver Hilmes |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Vintage Publishing |
| Year published | 2018-02-22 |
| Number of pages | 320 |
| Prizes | Winner of Telegraph Sports Book Awards 2019 (UK), Short-listed for William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2018 (UK) |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |