Leopoldstadt

By Tom Stoppard,

Book cover of Leopoldstadt

Book description

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Leopoldstadt was the old, crowded Jewish quarter of Vienna. But Hermann Merz, a manufacturer and baptised Jew married to Catholic Gretl, has moved up in the world. Gathered in the Merz apartment in a fashionable part of the city, Hermann's extended family are…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Leopoldstadt as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Much has been written about the Holocaust but enough can never be said. Tom Stoppard was born in Czechoslovakia in 1937 to a non-observant Jewish family forced to flee the Nazi terror. 

In his play Leopoldstadt Stoppard follows the history of a family living in that Jewish suburb of Vienna, from the turn of the 20th century to today. The story of the prejudice and restrictions they experienced, as well as the hopes they had of transcending them through business success and assimilation, are heartbreaking. A friend of mine came from such a family and from his recollections I know…

Want books like Leopoldstadt?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Leopoldstadt.

Browse books like Leopoldstadt

Book cover of Last Waltz in Vienna
Book cover of The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust
Book cover of Alice's Book: How the Nazis Stole My Grandmother's Cookbook

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,593

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Vienna, drama, and Austria?

Vienna 61 books
Drama 82 books
Austria 62 books