Berlin Noir

By Rob Alef, Max Annas, Zoë Beck and 10 more

"A volume of short stories that revolve around the history, geography and literary traditions of Berlin."
--New York Times Book Review, "Globetrotting," April 2019

"This collection is very modern, the stories are set now and reflect on contemporary concerns. They demonstrate a dynamism and originality that shows just how important a part of the euro-noir genre German writing is. There are thirteen stories here, as diverse as the city they are set in, each one is from a different part of the German capital, and although they are disparate with very different intentions, a picture emerges of a troubled, multi-cultural, vibrant city that has always had its own distinct character...A welcome addition to one to the most fascinating long running series in crime fiction."
--NB Magazine

"The 13 tales are well chosen and the collection skillfully put together by Wörtche...This is definitely a book that should be on the list of all noir lovers."
--New York Journal of Books

"The 13 stories in this welcome entry in Akashic's noir series, all set in 21st-century Berlin, are less about traditional crime and more likely to involve gentrification, immigrants, or Airbnb...There's more than enough variety to entertain most readers."
--Publishers Weekly

"A city with a rich noir past looks beyond its history to an equally unsettling present...Wörtche keeps his promise to show Berlin as 'always moving forward in the present' in this determinedly contemporary but genuinely noir collection."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Dora" by Zoë Beck selected as Robert Lopresti's Best Mystery Story of the Week

Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city.

Brand-new stories by: Zoë Beck, Ulrich Woelk, Susanne Saygin, Robert Rescue, Johannes Groschupf, Ute Cohen, Katja Bohnet, Matthias Wittekindt, Kai Hensel, Miron Zownir, Max Annas, Michael Wuliger, and Rob Alef. Translated from German by Lucy Jones.

From the introduction by Thomas Wörtche:

Berlin does not make it easy to write noir fiction--or perhaps Berlin makes it too easy. Noir tradition casts a long, influential, and even daunting shadow. Alfred Döblin's and Christopher Isherwood's works, some of Bertolt Brecht's plays, the Morgue poems by Gottfried Benn, M by Fritz Lang, and many other narratives from the first third of the twentieth century, all of which are tinged with noir, set high intellectual standards, and literary and aesthetic benchmarks that are hard to surpass...

Neither Döblin nor Benn, Brecht nor Lang, catered to any crime fiction traditions. They merely steeped their literary projects in a great deal of noir. And so it is with most of the stories in our anthology: they do not necessarily follow the usual patterns of crime fiction, but regard noir as a license to write as they wish, a certain way of approaching the city, and a prism through which its nature is viewed...What's left is history. It is omnipresent in Berlin at every turn; the city is saturated in a history full of blood, violence, and death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Akashic Books
• Release date: May 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781617757242

Rob Alef

Rob Alef, born in 1965 in Nuremberg, is a freelance legal historian. He writes satirical texts for taz and other newspapers. He is the author of several highly acclaimed crime novels inspired by Berlin's mad everyday life, featuring elements of horror and fantasy and a hint of the grotesque. His most recent publication was Immer schön gierig bleiben (2013). Alef lives in Pankow, Berlin.

Reviews for Berlin Noir

[ridgewaygirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a collection of crime-oriented short stories written by authors living in Berlin. Chosen and edited by Thomas Wörtche, the stories range from solid to very bad, but the overall quality is a bit lower than has been the case with the other books in the Akashic Noir series. The center of the collection is padded with lazy entries, including a few that could have been set anywhere, with a simple alteration in the street names. I will admit that I expected more than this collection given Germany's love of crime novels and Berlin's reputation as an artistic center. Berlin is such a unique and vibrant city and it's a shame that some of the stories could have easily been set elsewhere. Most of my dissatisfaction boiled down to one story that irked. I fail to see the value of writing a story from the point of view of a violent misogynist if the payoff is just to read a graphic description of the narrator achieving his dreams. It's 2019, and this read as both tired and exploitative, and I question the value of reading the ways a man might find women to be gross and disgusting and murder-worthy. This was an author looking to be edgy, while walking down an well-worn path. Complaints aside, there were some stand-out stories, primarily Local Train by Mark Annas, in which a group of football fans plan the murder of a fan from the rival team. Their comic ineptness doesn't hide the brutality of what they are doing. I Spy with My Little Eye by Ulrich Woelk concerns a reporter drawn in to the story of a missing schoolgirl and thinking hard about his relationship with his own daughter. This story managed to both show a heart underneath a callous exterior and delivered a surprising ending. And while the ending of One of These Days by Robert Rescue was tacked on as an afterthought, the picture Rescue drew of the working class neighborhood of Wedding was wonderful.

[pomo58 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Berlin Noir, edited by Thomas Wortche, is another wonderful addition to the Akashic Noir series.While most of the volumes that I have read so far make an effort to interpret noir in a broader scope than the narrow "dark and crime" definition, I think this one succeeds better than most. Noir is definitely dark, no matter how else one considers it. But the more interesting stories tend to play with the ideas of ethical/unethical, moral/immoral, and of course legal/illegal. Ideally, more than one of these. The better crime based stories look at the crime through a dark lens of ethics or morals, not simply dark criminal activity. And the more peripheral any crime is to the story the better (most of the time).As a collection from different writers this will likely have stories the reader will like more and less. That is normal and generally can't be avoided. this collection is a strong one and one story has stayed with me for the past month since I read it (yes, I'm late posting this, life happens). The others have come and gone numerous times, usually if something in life makes me think of it. But the first story in the collection involves the ideas I mentioned before coupled with familial obligations and what one must do for a family member. I admit, I didn't anticipate the resolution of the story.If you like short stories and noir, I would recommend this collection. You may, as I did, discover a couple new writers you want to check out.Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.

[gpaisley_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review of Berlin Noir, edited by Thomas WortcheBerlin Noir is a worthy addition to the city Noir series published by Akashic Books. It is a collection of short noir stories, each set in a different neighborhood of the city and each by a different author. It’s hard to write too much about these because to do so would give away the darkness and twists that are part of the hallmarks of noir fiction. This bakers’ dozen of stories range from the sad to the disturbing with plenty in-between. Some of my favorites include: “The Beauty of Kenilworth Ivy”, about a self-appointed cleanser of bad people; “Kaddish for Lazar,” about a politician who may not be all that he appears, “Cum Cops,” a story about a police officer who sometimes just can’t get a break; and “Fashion Week,” about a relationship gone bad—really bad. My favorite is “One of these days,” for its all-too-human story of how we face dilemmas.Certainly, the city Noir series is not for everyone, but for those who enjoy the genre, this is worth your time.

[bedofroses_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've loved the Noir books since I first read "Portland Noir" years ago. Berlin Noir did not disappoint. Having visited Berlin a couple of years ago, I could picture the different neighborhoods described in the different stories. The authors really brought to life the seedy, life-filled, and lively humanity in different areas of Berlin. The writing is dark, as the title suggests, but the intrigue of the characters makes it a book worth reading, and it's very enjoyable. I would recommend the Noir books to anyone wanting to read about different sides to everyday life.

[jpsnow · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I've enjoyed others in this series of short story collections each centered on a specific city. Most of the stories in this particular collection just didn't captivate me. To be fair, there were a couple truly dark and intriguing tales that made the book worthwhile. Others were either too flat or two ambiguous. It's as if the Berlin locale went more abstract than noir.

[diana.hauser · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

BERLIN NOIR, edited by Thomas Wortche, is one of Akashik Books newest publications in its very prolific and popular Noir series. The Noir series consists of short story anthologies of very noir style stories - all taking place in a particular city or area.I have read many of the titles and have been impressed by every one. While the locations are all different, the stories all have a common denominator - noir. Noir is a genre of crime fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism and moral ambiguity. Hard-boiled, cynical characters and bleak, sleazy settings set the tone for the dark (very dark), brooding and raw stories.Each title has a familiar set-up. There is a very intriguing cover in dark, sepia tones; a map of the city or area which points out the different areas/neighborhoods where the stories take place; a Table of Contents; an interesting, descriptive introduction by the editor(s); and About the Contributors - information about the various authors.In BERLIN NOIR, Thomas Wortche writes a very interesting introduction which sets a tone for the city of Berlin and the stories to follow.“Berlin, as we want to show, is a “SynchroniCity” (Pieke Biermann), a city of the most disparate and diverse simultaneities, firmly attached to the rigging of its political and literary history and always moving forward in the present. And noir, in its very essence, does that too. In this respect BERLIN NOIR is a snapshot, and as I write this today, I fully expect that everything will look completely different in just another year’s time.” (Thomas Wortche, February, 2019)Authors include - Zoe Beck - Ulrich Woelk - Susanne Saygin - Max Annas - Kai Hensel - Matthias Wittekindt - Miron Zownir - Ute Cohen - Johannes Groschupf - Michael Wuliger - Katja Bohnet - Robert Rescue - Rob Alef.My personal favorite story was “Dora” by Zoe Beck, taking place in the Bahnhof Zoo area of Berlin.Thanks to Akashik Books for sending me an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of BERLIN NOIR in exchange for an honest review.

[orangewords · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I don't think I was in the mood to read this book. It was dark (no kidding - 'noir'!) and it ultimately didn't grab me after a few stories. For someone who is in the mood for stories that are dark, then, sure, go for it. If you're not in the mood, though, the writing wasn't good enough to get me past the dark vibes. (Which, you know, sometimes writing can be good enough that the mood of the reader doesn't matter. Not in this case.)

[ebt1002 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting collection of stories set in current-day Berlin. A couple of good creepy tales, all exploring the dark shadow side of humanity. I love being taken inside a sociopath's mind... sort of.

[janerawoof · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting although uneven in quality short story collection in the Akashic noir series: Amsterdam to Zagreb so far. Set in Berlin in the present-day, each treats of some aspect of a crime or crimes. Each is 30 pp. or so and set in a particular area of the city or its suburbs. My rating is such: some stories I really liked, some were so-so and two I started reading but didn't finish. So I averaged out the rating.The ones I liked best: "I spy with my little eye": In his search for a missing girl, the narrator, a film critic, conflates the real world with the imaginary. "The beauty of Kenilworth ivy": a murderess does away with two of her bourgeois neighbors with unusual methods, each tailored to the victim. "Fashion week": the owner of a chic boutique does away with her abusive husband, a fashion rep. "One of these days": a humorous story about the various suggestions of the owners and staff of a bar--The Bar [original name!]--on how to dispose of the body of a dead man found in their freezer. "Dog tag afternoon": As part of an anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, a man solves two cold cases of murder. One of the Airlift pilots is involved in some way. Title is wordplay on the name of the movie, "Dog Day Afternoon".

[dgrachel · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

These were all well crafted stories, but very few of them were satisfying. Three of the four on the last section were especially disappointing in their lack of solid endings. Overall, worth the read, but not my favorite of the Akashic Noir collections.

[chazzifrazz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another Early Reads from Library Thing.I've read a few other noir collections published by Akashic Books. Each collection is from a different area. This gives not only a different location for the stories to come from, but even different cultures. They may share the noir attitude but each is its own.The selection of authors in each book are top notch, in my opinion. They write with the atmosphere of noir prevalent through-out their story. There is a subtlely and at time just a slight taste of the darkness of their tale. Sometimes the ending is not what is expected."I Spy With My Little Eye" is about a film critic who has maybe viewed too many movies and is now not able to distinguish life from film."Fashion Week" takes place during Fashion Week in Mitte. Can fashion be ecological, progressive, politically correct and still keep on top? Or does the dark side carry more weight and pulls fashion down to the corrupt level that has always been?There are 13 stories, grouped into 'Stress In The City,' Cops & Gangsters' and 'Berlin Scenes.' There is also a section with a brief bio on each of the writers, giving their creds in the writing world. More interesting reading.All in all, some excellent reading....and food for thought.