Listen to German Poetry

Hear a selection of poems in German by famous German poets on the four seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter! 

"Vorfrühling" - Hugo von Hofmannsthal Audio File

"Vorfrühling" - Hugo von Hofmannsthal

Spring: Classical German poetry by major German authors: Hugo von Hofmannsthal (1874 - 1929) "Vorfrühling"

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"Neuer Frühling" - Theodor Storm Audio File

"Neuer Frühling" - Theodor Storm

Spring: Classical German poetry by major German authors: Theodor Storm (1817 - 1888) "Neuer Frühling"

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"Frühling lässt sein blaues Band" - Eduard Mörike Audio File

"Frühling lässt sein blaues Band" - Eduard Mörike

Spring: Classical German poetry by major German authors: "Frühling lässt sein blaues Band" - Eduard Mörike

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"Sommerbild" - Christian Friedrich Hebbel Audio File

"Sommerbild" - Christian Friedrich Hebbel

Summer: Classical German poetry by major German authors: "Sommerbild" - Christian Friedrich Hebbel

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"Der Sommer" - Friedrich Hölderlin Audio File

"Der Sommer" - Friedrich Hölderlin

Summer: Classical German poetry by major German authors: "Der Sommer" - Friedrich Hölderlin

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"Sommergesang" - Paul Gerhardt Audio File

"Sommergesang" - Paul Gerhardt

Summer: Classical German poetry by major German authors: "Sommergesang" - Paul Gerhardt

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"Herbstlied" - Johann Ludwig Tieck Audio File

"Herbstlied" - Johann Ludwig Tieck

Autumn: Classical German poetry by major German authors: "Herbstlied" - Johann Ludwig Tieck

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"Herbsttag" - Rainer Maria Rilke Audio File

"Herbsttag" - Rainer Maria Rilke

Autumn: Classical German poetry by major German authors: "Herbsttag" - Rainer Maria Rilke

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"Im Herbst" - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Audio File

"Im Herbst" - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Autumn: Classical German poetry by major German authors: "Im Herbst" - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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"Vereinsamt" - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche Audio File

"Vereinsamt" - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Winter: Classical German poetry by major German authors: "Vereinsamt" - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

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"Winterlied" - Joseph von Eichendorff Audio File

"Winterlied" - Joseph von Eichendorff

Winter: Classical German poetry by major German authors: "Winterlied" - Joseph von Eichendorff

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German Poems

German-language Book Recommendations

© picture-alliance / KPA/Ohlenschlaeger

When was the last time you became engrossed by a truly good book? Deutschland Magazine has put together a list of “recommended reading,” featuring German-language books with summaries in English.

Book Recommendations

Additional Book Tips

The Deutsche Welle’s website offers additional tips for books in the German language.

DW-World Book Tips (in German)

Free Audio Books

The website vorleser.net offers free mp3 downloads of hundreds of audio books in German from over 150 classic and contemporary authors.

Audio Books (in German)

Interested in English Translations of German Books?

The New Books in German website offers information on the latest English-language publications of books by German-speaking authors, reviews of recently translated novels, and portraits of contemporary authors from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. 

New Books in German

Current Bestsellers in Germany:

Buchreport online lists the current bestsellers in Germany through various German magazines. Find out about the top-selling fiction, non-fiction and children's books by visiting their website (in German).

Buchreport Online's Bestseller Lists

More about German Literature

To learn more about current topics of interest related to German literature, including interviews with authors and information about translations, fairs, and publishers, please visit the Goethe-Institut’s website:

Literature in Germany

Classical German Writings Online

The “Project Gutenberg” is an online archive which provides free access to classical texts. Currently, it contains more than 4,000 books as well as about 20,000 poems, 1,800 fairy tales, 1,200 fables, and 3,500 legends in the German language.