In Search Of Berlin

In Search of Berlin is a captivating journey through one of the world's most fascinating cities. Recognised as a Waterstones Best History Book of 2023 and longlisted for the 2024 Ondaatje Prize, this work is heralded by Peter Frankopan as "A masterful portrait of one of the world's greatest cities... A must-read." Katja Hoyer of The Times describes it as "Such a delightful read," while Jonathan Freedland, a Sunday Times bestselling author, says, "Berlin may well be Europe's most enigmatic city and John Kampfner is the ideal guide." The Financial Times simply calls it "Gripping."

No other city has had so many lives, survived so many disasters, or reinvented itself as many times as Berlin. Ever since John Kampfner was a young journalist in Communist East Berlin, he has been captivated by the city. Berlin is a place haunted by its past, obsessed with its memories, a city where traumas are unleashed and the traumatised congregate.

Over the past four years, Kampfner has traversed the length and breadth of Berlin, exploring archives and engaging with historians, writers, architects, and archaeologists. His adventures take him everywhere: clambering onto a fallen statue of Lenin, rummaging through boxes of early medieval bones, and learning about a cabaret star so outrageous that she was expelled from the city.

Berlin has been many things: a military barracks, an industrial powerhouse, a centre of learning, a hotbed of decadence, and the site of the worst experiment in horror known to man. Today, it is a city of refuge, home to 180 nationalities, with more than a quarter of its population possessing a migrant background. Berlin is ever-evolving, never stationary, always unsatisfied—an irresistible capital drawing the world towards it.

In Search of Berlin spans an 800-year history, providing a dialogue between past and present; it offers a novel perspective on this turbulent, alluring city, constantly on a journey of reinvention.