Small Publishers Bring German Books To The English-Speaking World

Renewed interest in German literature sparked by the unexpected success of Hans Fallada’s “Every Man Dies Alone” has small publishers in the US taking chances on new authors.

Fallada’s novels have long been a staple of the German literary diet. Though he died shortly after World War II ended, his works have remained in print ever since, and his plays continually rotating on stages throughout the country. It wasn’t until 2009, however, that the author’s reach extended toward English-speaking shores. And reach it did.

With more than 400,000 copies printed in both the US and the UK, the biographical novel “Every Man Dies Alone” was so well-received that the publisher which commissioned its translation put out three other titles by Fallada. Melville House Publishing followed up those releases with a series by Heinrich Boell and a work by 18th-century writer Heinrich von Kleist.