What are the best books set in western Germany? This article offers an overview of novels set in the western German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Hesse. These regions are often grouped together under the cultural label of the Rhineland, although this term is used here in a broad, historical sense.
Read the separate article about books set in Berlin.
Discover books set in Northwestern Germany.
Explore books set in Southern Germany.
Browse more books set in Germany.
Books set in North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen)
North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany’s most populous state. Located in the west of the country, it borders Belgium and the Netherlands. Important cities and cultural centres include Cologne (Köln), Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg, Bochum, Wuppertal, Bielefeld, Bonn, Münster, and Aachen.
Important writers from North Rhine-Westphalia include Heinrich Heine, Heinrich Böll (author of Billiards at Half-Past Nine), and Juli Zeh (author of About People). Irmgard Keun (author of The Artificial Silk Girl) lived for many years in Cologne.
Novels set in Cologne (Köln):
The Safety Net by Heinrich Böll
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- Setting: Cologne
- Year of publication: 1979
- Original title: Fürsorgliche Belagerung
- 336 pages
- Notable: The author, Heinrich Böll, received the Nobel Prize for Literature and the Georg Büchner Prize.
The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum by Heinrich Böll
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- Setting: An unnamed city, likely based on Cologne
- Year of publication: 1974
- Original title: Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum oder: Wie Gewalt entstehen und wohin sie führen kann
- 128 pages
- Notable: The author, Heinrich Böll, received the Nobel Prize for Literature and the Georg Büchner Prize.
Billiards at Half-Past Nine by Heinrich Böll
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- Setting: An unnamed city, likely inspired by Cologne. The abbey in the story is modelled on Maria Laach Abbey (Glees).
- Year of publication: 1959
- Original title: Billard um halb zehn
- 256 pages
- Notable: The author, Heinrich Böll, received the Nobel Prize for Literature and the Georg Büchner Prize.
Read the full book page: Billiards at Half-Past Nine
The Sleepwalkers by Hermann Broch
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- Setting: Berlin, Cologne, Mannheim, Moselle
- Year of publication: 1930-1932
- Original title: Die Schlafwandler
- 656 pages
Novels set in Düsseldorf:
Melancholy by Jon Fosse
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- Setting: Düsseldorf
- Year of publication: 1995
- Original title: Melancholia I
- 416 pages
- Notable: Winner of the Melsom Prize and the Sunnmøre Prize. The author, Jon Fosse, received the Nobel Prize in Literature among many other literary awards such as the Nordic Council Literature Prize, the European Prize for Literature, the Swedish Academy Nordic Prize, the Brage Prize, and the Dobloug Prize.
Novels set in Bonn:
The Hothouse by Wolfgang Koeppen
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- Setting: Bonn
- Year of publication: 1953
- Original title: Das Treibhaus
- 224 pages
- Notable: Wolfgang Koeppen, the author, was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize.
Novels set in Aachen:
The Dutch Maiden by Marente De Moor
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- Setting: Aachen
- Year of publication: 2010
- Original title: De Nederlandse maagd
- 352 pages
- Notable: Winner of the Dutch AKO-Literature Prize and the European Union Prize for Literature
Books set in Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz)
Rhineland-Palatinate is a German state in the west of the country, bordering Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. Important cities include Mainz, Ludwigshafen, Koblenz, Trier, Kaiserslautern, and Worms. Much of the region is shaped by the Rhine and Moselle rivers, whose landscapes have played a prominent role in German literary imagination.
Mainz and Worms are located in Rhenish Hesse (Rheinhessen), a region that belongs administratively to Rhineland-Palatinate but is culturally and historically closely linked to the neighbouring state of Hesse.
Notable writers from Rhineland-Palatinate include Anna Seghers, author of The Seventh Cross, one of the most important German novels about resistance and persecution under National Socialism. The city of Mainz is also closely associated with Johannes Gutenberg, who was born and died there.
The Seventh Cross by Anna Seghers
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- Setting: Westhofen (Osthofen) and the German Rhineland.
- Year of publication: 1942
- Original title: Das siebte Kreuz
- 416 pages
- Notable: The author, Anna Seghers, received the Georg Büchner Prize and the Kleist Prize.
Read the full book page: The Seventh Cross
Books set in Hesse (Hessen)
Hesse is a German state located in the centre of the country. Its main cities and cultural centres include Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, Offenbach, Kassel, and Fulda. Culturally speaking, Hesse is closely linked to Rhenish Hesse, which lies just across the state border in Rhineland-Palatinate and shares historical and cultural traditions with the Rhine-Main region.
Hesse is closely associated with some of the most important figures in German literary history. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in Frankfurt, where his birthplace can still be visited today as the Goethe House. The Brothers Grimm were born in Hanau and lived for many years in Kassel, where they collected folk tales; Kassel is home to the Grimmwelt Museum. Another key literary figure from Hesse is Georg Büchner, who was born in Riedstadt. One of Germany’s most prestigious literary awards, the Georg Büchner Prize, is named in his honour. Contemporary writers from Hesse include Martin Mosebach, author of What Was Before.
Novels set in Frankfurt:
What was Before by Martin Mosebach
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- Setting: Frankfurt
- Year of publication: 2010
- Original title: Was davor geschah
- 296 pages
- Notable: Martin Mosebach was awarded with the Georg Büchner Prize.
Read the full book page: What was Before
The Torrents of Spring by Ivan Turgenev
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- Setting: Frankfurt
- Year of publication: 1872
- Original title: Вешние воды
- 244 pages
The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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- Setting: The fictional village of Wahlheim, likely based on Garbenheim (Wetzlar) in Hesse.
- Year of publication: 1774
- Original title: Die Leiden des jungen Werthers
- 92 pages
Novels set in Kassel:
The Illogic of Kassel by Enrique Vila-Matas
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- Setting: Kassel
- Year of publication: 2014
- Original title: Kassel no invita a la lógica
- 234 pages
- Notable: The author, Enrique Vila-Matas, received many literary awards, including the Premio Rómulo Gallegos, the Premio Ciudad de Barcelona, the Premio Nacional de la Crítica, the Prix Médicis étranger, the Premio Gregor von Rezzori, and the FIL Literary Award in Romance Languages.
Dream of Fair to Middling Women by Samuel Beckett
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- Setting: Kassel
- Year of publication: 1992 (written in 1932)
- Original title: Dream of Fair to Middling Women
- 264 pages
- Notable: Samuel Beckett, the author, received the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Novels set in Bad Nauheim:
The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford
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- Setting: Bad Nauheim
- Year of publication: 1915
- Original title: The Good Soldier
- 192 pages