Locations of events.

Patrick Süskind has created a classic with his drama about the man with the double bass. How does it feel to be at the back of the shadows loving the woman in the spotlight. Read why the answer to this question found such a wide audience.

The description of his journey to Asia in the 13th century made him famous. Like no other, Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant and adventurer, stands for wanderlust and the desire for the exotic. His travelogue is without doubt a milestone.

This fable is one of the post-war classics par excellence: Orwell's "Animal Farm". It masterfully illustrates how well-intentioned ideas for a better life for all can quickly turn into their opposite. Intended as a critique of Stalinism, the book's basic cautionary message can easily be applied to today's ideologies.

Find out what significance Proper Mérimée has for our imagination of the French past and why it is still worth reading a book today that deals with the bloody conflict between Huguenots and Catholics.

In Italy, Manzoni's historical novel The Betrothed is still taught in schools. Find out why here with us.