In Search of Berlin

Book Recommendation: "In Search of Berlin. The Story of Europe's Most Important City," by John Kampfner

In this book, John Kampfner, veteran British foreign-affairs correspondent with years of experience reporting from Germany,  presents an account of "Berlin exceptionalism": the spirit of anarchic freedom and creativity that sets Berlin apart from many other German and European cities.  Kampfner provides an overview of the great events and upheavals, the triumphs and the catastrophes, of German history that have shaped and shaken Berlin  over the past 300 years.   Berlin's need to repeatedly  "reinvent" itself, argues Kampfner, accounts for the incredible cultural vitality,  the sense of freedom and abandon, that has been attracting creative  talents to Berlin for centuries.  Kampfner makes many  small factual errors  and a few major ones  (one can only hope a historian didn't edit the manuscript), but he is a  journalis, not a historian; and his main concerne with present-day Berlin. His familiarity with the city is formidable. His account is enriched by his conversations with prominent Berliners.  For instance, the chapter on Berlin's Jews, "Back Where They Belong," is based on a discussion with Hermann Simon, son of a Holocaust victim who survived the war hiding in the city, and director of the Centrum Judaicum, (the Berlin Jewish Cultural Center). The chapter provides  a concise (and accurate) overview of Jewish life in the city, past and present.   Despite its flaws, Kampfner's book is a good introduction to Berlin for those planning a trip to the city.