Catholic German Literature

[alcuin18]

Hello. I am currently learning the German language and am trying to introduce myself to German literature and poetry, with which I have very little familiarity. As with the literature of many languages, much of German literature since the Reformation seems fundamentally un-Catholic or even anti-Catholic. I am okay with reading this sort of literature, if it’s good and truly worth reading, but I would like to know of any good Catholic literature since the Reformation. I know there were many good German writers before the Reformation, particularly the Minnesingers, who were Catholic, though I am not extremely familiar with many pre-Reformation writers either; but I would especially like to know of any post-Reformation writers who were Catholic, nonfiction but especially fiction. God bless.

 

[7_Sorrows]

Hello. I am currently learning the German language and am trying to introduce myself to German literature and poetry, with which I have very little familiarity. As with the literature of many languages, much of German literature since the Reformation seems fundamentally un-Catholic or even anti-Catholic. I am okay with reading this sort of literature, if it’s good and truly worth reading, but I would like to know of any good Catholic literature since the Reformation. I know there were many good German writers before the Reformation, particularly the Minnesingers, who were Catholic, though I am not extremely familiar with many pre-Reformation writers either; but I would especially like to know of any post-Reformation writers who were Catholic, nonfiction but especially fiction. God bless.

are you reading in German or books translated from German to English?

 

[Dwyer]

Hello. I am currently learning the German language and am trying to introduce myself to German literature and poetry, with which I have very little familiarity. As with the literature of many languages, much of German literature since the Reformation seems fundamentally un-Catholic or even anti-Catholic. I am okay with reading this sort of literature, if it’s good and truly worth reading, but I would like to know of any good Catholic literature since the Reformation. I know there were many good German writers before the Reformation, particularly the Minnesingers, who were Catholic, though I am not extremely familiar with many pre-Reformation writers either; but I would especially like to know of any post-Reformation writers who were Catholic, nonfiction but especially fiction. God bless.

I’m not really familiar with this area but Dietrich von Hildebrand (born in Florence, Italy) and Saint Edith Stein are probably (I am guessing) the two most famous 20th century Catholics that have written in the German language along with Hans Urs von Balthasar.

Here are some other names of non-fiction writers that have written in the German language (some are Swiss German) that appear worth looking into: Matthias Joseph Scheeben, Friedrich von Hügel, Adrienne von Speyr, and Karl Rahner and (Austrian) Blessed Martyr Franz Jägerstätter: Letters and Reflections from Prison.

Not sure about fiction authors but Martin Mosebach is a contemporary German author who writes about Catholicism and humankind’s search for meaning.

 

[Hoernchen]

All right, for the fiction: Adalbert Seipolt has written funny and very catholic stories in the 70s. He was a Benedictine monk.
Wilhelm Hünermann has written fictionalised lifes of the saints. Lots!
Those books are hard to come by, even in Germany.

As I don’t know how proficient you are in the language I would not recommend any of the deeply spiritual books. Keep it simple and read fiction, start with books for kids or youths.

If you can’t find anything to your liking from a German author simply try to get german translations from any language. I would recommend the Don Camillo books.

Hope I could be of help.

I just had a quick look online and you can get both authors second hand, but very expensive!

 

[alcuin18]

I apologize for not responding sooner, I greatly appreciate everyone’s responses.