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Review
'In itself, this memoir would be enough exquisitely rendered comedy to keep me transfixed. ... It's so refreshing to hear a witty German poke fun at us, instead of an unfunny Brit doing the whole 'achtung!' bit. See also his analysis of the verb 'pull' in teenage jargon, bathroom carpets, and a lovely anecdote about his father ruining a new friendship with a schoolmate by an overzealous use of the word 'efficiency'. ... Oltermann vows to himself that he won't write about the war, because otherwise, he'd write about nothing but. He almost gets away with it (bar a wonderful moment when Unity Mitford dates Adolf Hitler - they flirtatiously squabble about soup). This clears so much space for this wonderful, surprising book that will have you rethinking British life even if you never, ever, get the Germans.' --Helen Rumbelow, The Times
'With my own head still full of interesting ideas from Philip Oltermann's new book - a paean to modern German reasonableness - I was foolish enough to see War Horse at the cinema. Here was a film which, despite twisting and turning to be even-handed, simply could not help itself and, like some faux-reformed alcoholic, gorged itself on an entire miniature liqueur selection of Anglo-German clichés. ... Oltermann's charming mix of memoir, analysis and random facts has to struggle to stay upright in the sort of storm generated by such an elemental piece of Anglo-Hollywood lore. But it is he who is on the side of right. Everything that makes modern Germany so appealing a sort of wryness mixed with tentative enthusiasm, a wish to be liked tempered by a genuine concern to engage with a terrible past are all in this book.
...
As War Horse so carelessly and Keeping Up with the Germans more thoughtfully show, the two countries seem condemned, like two not very interesting immortals, to tumble, grappling with one another forever through infinite space.' --Simon Winder. The Guardian
'In the realm of national stereotypes - especially those minted in England - Germany still commands a special place. ... Philip Oltermann is the latest person to venture into this perilous, churned-up no-man's land. Keeping up with the Germans avoids anything too heavy-handed, and yet still manages to offer an intelligent, entertaining and, at times, surprising take on relations between the two nations. ... For those whose knowledge of German history is bookended by the Beer Hall putsch and the rubble of the Berlin bunker, there is much illuminating stuff. ... Oltermann (almost) didn't mention the war - and got away with it.' --Frederick Studemann, Financial Times
'With my own head still full of interesting ideas from Philip Oltermann's new book - a paean to modern German reasonableness - I was foolish enough to see War Horse at the cinema. Here was a film which, despite twisting and turning to be even-handed, simply could not help itself and, like some faux-reformed alcoholic, gorged itself on an entire miniature liqueur selection of Anglo-German clichés. ... Oltermann's charming mix of memoir, analysis and random facts has to struggle to stay upright in the sort of storm generated by such an elemental piece of Anglo-Hollywood lore. But it is he who is on the side of right. Everything that makes modern Germany so appealing a sort of wryness mixed with tentative enthusiasm, a wish to be liked tempered by a genuine concern to engage with a terrible past are all in this book.
...
As War Horse so carelessly and Keeping Up with the Germans more thoughtfully show, the two countries seem condemned, like two not very interesting immortals, to tumble, grappling with one another forever through infinite space.' --Simon Winder. The Guardian
'In the realm of national stereotypes - especially those minted in England - Germany still commands a special place. ... Philip Oltermann is the latest person to venture into this perilous, churned-up no-man's land. Keeping up with the Germans avoids anything too heavy-handed, and yet still manages to offer an intelligent, entertaining and, at times, surprising take on relations between the two nations. ... For those whose knowledge of German history is bookended by the Beer Hall putsch and the rubble of the Berlin bunker, there is much illuminating stuff. ... Oltermann (almost) didn't mention the war - and got away with it.' --Frederick Studemann, Financial Times
Book Description
A witty look at the lighter-side of Anglo-German relations over the last 100 years.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm not sure that Philip Oltermann was going for charming when he wrote this book, but I was charmed by him and his experiences as a slightly bewildered and ernest teen arriving in Britain from Germany. As a Brit who first encountered Germany as a teen, I can identify with some of the bewlidering differences in cuisine and culture. For Philip's dreadful Sunday roast I will exchange the first, desperate taste of German Muesli, when sugar-coated Alpen had been the standard or rye bread in exchange for fluffy toast.I swapped irreverent cynicism for earnest discussion on the future of nuclear power and politics at the age of fifteen with my German friend's politically active father. My experience of the police was the occasional local bobby, not border forces patroling no-man's land. I could feel everything that Philip was talking about, only in reverse. But I loved Germany from an early age, and this book simply reminded me why.
It's a mirror to our own outlook. It reminds us what we could be capable of, both good and bad. It looks at the rivallry that sustains us, and the mutual, sometimes gruding, respect that means, for me anyway, Germany is the European country that we most dentify with as a nation. It has to pull from stereotypes, but it also steps beyond and shows us some snapshots of history that will never make it to a historical cirriculumn in schools.
Part education, part biography, I enjoyed this very much. My only regret is that it wasn't longer. Perhaps 'Keeping up with the Germans - the Euro crisis years' will follow. I, for one, will certainly be buying it!
It's a mirror to our own outlook. It reminds us what we could be capable of, both good and bad. It looks at the rivallry that sustains us, and the mutual, sometimes gruding, respect that means, for me anyway, Germany is the European country that we most dentify with as a nation. It has to pull from stereotypes, but it also steps beyond and shows us some snapshots of history that will never make it to a historical cirriculumn in schools.
Part education, part biography, I enjoyed this very much. My only regret is that it wasn't longer. Perhaps 'Keeping up with the Germans - the Euro crisis years' will follow. I, for one, will certainly be buying it!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
He makes you laugh out loud now and again, and makes you smile even more. It's witty and perceptive about Germany but even more so about Britain. he clearly likes both countries. Charming and very readable.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Philip Oltermann's Keeping Up with the Germans, a charming blend of memoir and cultural history, provides a guide to Anglo-German relations quite in keeping with the eccentricities of the nations in question. Beautifully and engagingly written, it is far more entertaining a read than might be imagined from the title. Part of its considerable charm derives from its element of memoir: the author weaves his own experiences of moving to Britain from Germany as a somewhat awkward teenager and recounts his fascination and incomprehension with the culture he is plunged into. Some of these reminiscences are priceless: his description of the strange English veneration of the Sunday roast deserves to be endlessly quoted. Nevertheless, in the course of the book he moves from outsider to insider, foreigner to native, and as he comes to understand British culture so he comes to understand how Germany appears to outsiders. German culture too ends up looking odd: Oltermann ends the book rolling his eyes at the sight of an oompah band. It is this dual knowledge of how the two cultures appear both from the inside and the outside that gives the book its value, and allows Oltermann to illuminate the series of meetings between notable British and German figures that provide the book's frame. Rather than concentrating either only on intellectuals and artists or only on popular celebrities and sporting heroes, Oltermann reveals himself comfortable dealing with figures from across the cultural spectrum. In the pages of the book Heinrich Heine and Theodor Adorno rub shoulders with Freddie Frinton and Kevin Keegan, Joe Strummer and Marlene Dietrich stroll past Kurt Schwitters and A. J. Ayer. The result is memorable, funny, and thought-provoking - yet never hard work to read. A delightful book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
not my style
It is not often I find a book disappointing - basically I like to be entertained and/or informed and I do enjoy reading a variety of books. Read more
Published 1 day ago by gina grey
Zwei Seelen wohnen ja in seiner Brust
In 1996 the then 15 year old author moved with his parents from their home city of Hamburg to London, where Philip's father had been offered a post by his company. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Ralph Blumenau
Listmania!
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