ELBE – Portrait of a River

  • A culturally, politically, and historically relevant portrait of East Germany through its lifeblood.
  • The biography of an important river that has long separated the two halves of Germany.

A captivating journey along the Elbe, exploring the heart of reunited Germany.

The Elbe is the river of reunited Germany. It connects the long-separated parts of the country, bridging the still palpable foreignness, and is also the secret axis of Europe, where East and West have repeatedly met: during the Reformation, the Battle of Nations in 1813, in Torgau, where American and Soviet troops shook hands over the destroyed Elbe bridge in 1945.

Burkhard Müller embarks on a journey along the Elbe, through well-known and forgotten regions. Starting in the northern Bohemian upper course of the river at the Schneekoppe, he travels through Saxon Switzerland to the magnificent yet contradictory Dresden. From there, he goes to the Bauhaus city of Dessau and the Lutherstadt Wittenberg, through areas of old lignite mining where today the most beautiful new landscapes are emerging, and on to the cosmopolitan city of Hamburg. Müller explores the history of the places and the stories of the people, providing insights into a unique cultural area and painting an impressive picture of contemporary Germany.

"It is a joy to travel with Müller ... an entertaining travel guide." Freie Presse

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  • Publisher: Rowohlt Berlin
  • Release: 14.05.2024
  • ISBN: 978-3-7371-0195-0
  • 304 Pages
  • Author: Burkhard Müller

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Buchcover von ELBE – Portrait of a River: Porträt eines Flusses
Burkhard Müller ELBE – Portrait of a River
Portrait von Burkhard Müller
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Burkhard Müller

Burkhard Müller , born in Schweinfurt in 1959, studied German and Latin in Würzburg, where he completed a PhD on Karl Kraus. He teaches Latin at the Technical University in Chemnitz and is a writer and critic for the Süddeutsche Zeitung . In 2008, he was honored with the Alfred Kerr Prize for Literary Criticism, and in 2012, he received the Translator's Barge Award from the Association of German-Speaking Translators. Burkhard Müller resides in Chemnitz.