the fatherland

The undiscovered country: ‘Germany? Where is it?’, asked Goethe and Schiller in a collaborative poem. ‘I don’t know where to find such a place.’ Above: ‘Goethe in the Roman Campagna’, 1787, by Johann Tischbein, currently on show at the British Museum

German history is uniquely awful: that’s what makes it so engrossing

13 December 2014 9:00 am

As I grew up half German in England in the 1970s, my German heritage was confined to the few curios…

Sign up to The Spectator Australia newsletter

Australia's best political analysis - straight to your inbox

Editor’s picks

Features Australia

Hey, Mr Trump, have we got a deal for you

World

The flawed genius of Rafael Nadal

Features Australia

Wokeness on its last legs

World

The winds of change are blowing in Iran

World

The paper mills helping China commit scientific fraud

World

How debauchery turns to tragedy in places like Vang Vieng

Sign up to the Morning Double Shot newsletter

The Spectator Australia's Morning Double Shot delivers a hearty breakfast of news and views straight to your inbox

Sign up to the Flat White newsletter

Weekly round up of the best Flat White blogs - delivered straight to your inbox