Aftermath

Exemplary [and] important... This is the kind of book few writers possess the clarity of vision to write * Max Hastings, Sunday Times * A masterpiece * The Spectator * Magnificent... There are great lessons in the nature of humanity to be learnt here -- Rupert Christiansen * The Telegraph * Jhner is masterly in telling the tragic, despicable, comedic and uplifting stories of those who were there as he takes his readers on a fascinating tour through rubble-strewn postwar Germany * Katja Hoyer, The Times * Thought-provoking... Jhner's unflinching account is a reminder that historical truths are rarely simple and always nuanced * Daily Mail * Magisterial, fascinating, humane - a brilliant book of the greatest importance and achievement * Philippe Sands, bestselling author of East West Street and The Ratline * I thought I knew the essential story of Germany's immediate post-war years. This book brilliantly adds to, indeed changes, my understanding. One of the best historians and authors of contemporary Germany, Jhner paints an absorbing, human and surprising picture * John Kampfner, bestselling author of Why the Germans Do it Better * This panoramic journey through Germany in the ruins of the Third Reich is unforgettably thought-provoking [and] intensely moving * The Times (21 best history books 2021) * A reminder that the German experience will always stand apart * Economist * An extraordinary book of breathtaking scholarship. Jhner shines a light on a dark and almost forgotten period of German history to find it pulsating with life * Jack Fairweather, bestselling author of The Volunteer * Extraordinary... One of the most evocative pieces of carefully researched history that I have ever read. It's a remarkable piece of work * Misha Glenny, bestselling author of McMafia and The Balkans * What does total defeat mean? Germany 1945-55. Ten years of poverty, ruins, fear, violence, black markets, manic hard work, inventive sex - and always, always, silence about the murdered millions of the Third Reich. A fascinating read. * Neil MacGregor, author of Germany: Memories of a Nation * Absolutely extraordinary. Every page stops you dead with insight and revelation. * James Hawes, bestselling author of The Shortest History of Germany * Aftermath is that rare thing, a history book that turns what you knew completely on its head. It is testament to Harald Jhner's achievement that Aftermath is a book that I will never forget * Dominic Sandbrook * For those who want to understand the Germans, Aftermath is essential reading. An engrossing study on all counts, Jhner's analysis of people's response to the Nazis' monstrous crimes and how perpetrators and victims merged into a new nation is especially compelling. Anyone with even the slightest interest in history and the human condition should read this book. * Julia Boyd, bestselling author of Travellers in the Third Reich * A fascinating account of a forgotten moment in Europe's history, of utter desperation leading to tentative hope. * Simon Jenkins, bestselling author of A Short History of England * A fiercely compelling book that brings vivid illumination to an era of twilight and brutal ruins. Harald Jhner beautifully explores the hinterland of human nature in all its shades * Sinclair McKay, bestselling author of Dresden: The Fire and the Darkness * [Jhner] does double duty in this fascinating book, elegantly marshaling a plethora of facts while also using his critical skills to wry effect. Even though Aftermath covers historical ground, its narrative is intimate, filled with first-person accounts * Jennifer Szalai, New York Times * Aftermath is a transfixing account and subtle analysis. A scrupulous investigation of the past, it reads, constantly, like a prelude to what is still unfolding. * Geoff Dyer, New Statesman (Books of the Year 2021) * Aftermath captures brilliantly the atmosphere of everyday life in the destroyed cities of divi

Harald Jhner (Author) Harald Jhner is a cultural journalist and former editor of the Berliner Zeitung. He was also an honorary professor of cultural journalism at the Berlin University of the Arts. His book Aftermath: Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich was shortlisted for the 2021 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction in the UK and won the Leipzig Book Fair Prize for Non-Fiction in his native Germany. Shaun Whiteside (Translator) Shaun Whiteside is an award-winning translator from French, German, Italian and Dutch. His most recent translations from German include Aftermath by Harald Jhner, To Die in Spring by Ralf Rothmann, Swansong 1945 by Walter Kempowski, Berlin Finale by Heinz Rein and The Broken House by Horst Krger.