German Literature

German literature is considered to be one of the best in the world, with its diversity, richness and variety. It is interesting to note the different eventful periods in the history of German literature. In the 12th century, in whichever place the Germanic tribes settled down, tales about them were shared and penned down. This was one of the factors that led to the development of German literature.

During the Middle Ages German literature flourished in the courts, where famous legends of king Arthur were recited. Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzifal is considered to be an excellent German courtly epic recounting the tale of the knight Sir Percival in quest for the holy Grail.

German Literature Popularity

There are some colossal names in the field of German literature, such as Goethe, Heine, Schiller and Mann, whose talents have been appreciated across all continents. Books of these eminent figures of German literature feature in almost every German library.

There are other important works of German literature, by writers who have carved a niche for themselves in the last 5 decades. Some of them are Heinrich Böll, Peter Weiss and Günter Grass. Günter Grass is one of the glorious personalities of German literature, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature for 1999. These writers also form the post-war authors group and some of them played their parts in shaping the outlook of people and society through German literature.

The post-war German literature was abuzz with the thought processes and conceptions of the young writers of Berlin. With the dawn of the 20th century, prominent names like Alfred Döblin, Robert Musil, Hermann Hesse and Thomas and Heinrich Mann contributed to German literature.

Every genre, variety, classification, development and feature of German literature is as enthralling as that of any world literature.