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German Literature

Librarian/Curator for European Studies

Introduction

This guide is an introduction to the literature of Germany. It features books, journals, media, and databases accessible through the UCLA Library. Organized by genre, each section contains a selection of literary works and scholarly resources. Titles both in German and in English translation are included. Search the UCLA Library Catalog by author and/or title to check for other available editions in both languages. This guide is not intended to be comprehensive. Resources may be added or removed over time. If you need research help on this subject, contact Shannon Tanhayi Ahari, the Librarian/Curator for European Studies. Refer to the German Studies guide for library resources related to German history, language, and culture.

Selected Images

The Owl

Illustration by the German artist Albert Weisgerber (1878–1915) for Children and Household Tales From the Collection of the Brothers Grimm (circa 1900). 

Available in Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. 

Baron Munchausen

Illustration by the French artist Gustave Doré (1832–1883) of Baron Munchausen from The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1862). 

Available in Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. 

The Nutcracker

Illustration by the German artist Carl Offterdinger (1829–1889) of a scene from E.T.A. Hoffman's The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1883). 

Available from Meisterdrucke. Public domain. 

Tannhäuser

Illustration by the Hungarian artist Willy Pogany (1882–1955) for Tannhäuser, a Dramatic Poem by Richard Wagner (1911). 

Public domain.

The Ring of the Nibelung

Illustration by the German artist Franz Stassen (1869–1949) for The Ring of the Nibelung by Richard Wagner (1914). 

Available at Meisterdrucke. Public domain.

The Nibelungenlied

Circa 1805 painting by the Swiss artist Henry Fuseli (1741–1825) of Kriemheld seeing the dead Siegrief in her dream, a scene from the German epic poem The Nibelungenlied.

Available in Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. 

The Water of Life

Illustration by Arthur Rackham (1867–1939) of a scene from "The Water of Life," a tale in The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (1909). 

Available in Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. 

Emil and the Detectives

1931 illustration by the Bohemian artist Walter Trier Gustav (1890–1951) of a scene from the 1929 novel Emil und die Detektive by Erich Kästner. 

Available in Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Spring Awakening

Still of a 2014 performance of Spring Awakening by Otterbein University Theatre & Dance. The musical is based on an 1891 play of the same name by Frank Wedekind.

Available in Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. 

The NeverEnding Story

Picture of the Sphinxes from the 1984 film The NeverEnding Story, directed by Wolfgang Peterson. The film is based on Michael Ende's 1979 novel The Never Ending Story. Photo credit: Michael Kleinhenz.

Available in Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Faust

Poster for the 1926 film version of Faust, directed by F. W. Murnau. The film is based on a German legend and on Goethe's 1808 play version of the tale. Photo credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, UFA.

Available in Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. 

Metropolis

Poster for the 1927 film version of Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang. The film is based on Thea von Harbou's 1925 novel of the same name. Photo credit: Babelsberg Studios, UFA.

Available in Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. 

 

 

 

All Quiet on the Western Front

Poster for the 1930 film version of All Quiet on the Western Front, directed by Lewis Milestone. The film is based on Erich Maria Remarque's 1929 novel of the same name. Photo credit: Universal Pictures.

Available in Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. 

The Blue Angel

Promotional still of actress Marlene Dietrich for the 1930 film The Blue Angel, directed by Josef von Sternberg. The Blue Angel is based on a 1905 novel by Heinrich Mann entitled Professor Unrat. Photo credit: Paramount Pictures.

Available in Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. 

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Set from the 2006 film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, directed by Tom Tykwer, photographed at the Musée Cinéma et Miniature. The film is based on Patrick Süskind's 1985 novel of the same name. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons user ΛΦΠ.

Available in Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International.