Bernhard "Bernie" Gunther
Bernie Gunther is a fictional character created by British author Philip Kerr. He is the protagonist of the fourteen books of the eponymous serie, set in Germany, France, latin America and elsewhere during the 1920s, the 1930s, the Second World War and the Cold War. Veteran of the World War I, he was a kommissar at the Berlin kriminalpolizei (Kripo) during the Weimar republic. He resigned when the nazis came to power in 1933 and became a private investigator. Despite his opinions, he had to work for notorious historical figures of the nazi era. He had to escape Germany after World War II.
The character of Bernie Gunther, a "true berliner", disillusioned, "sardonic, tough-talking, and cynical" as well as the thorough description of locations and ambiences made one of the most achieved creation in the historical detective fictions of the decades 1990-2010.
| Bernhard Gunther | |
|---|---|
| Bernie Gunther character | |
| First appearance | March Violets |
| Created by | Philip Kerr |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Bernie, Carlos Hausner, Christof Ganz |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | KRIPO kommissar |
| Occupation | Policeman, detective |
| Family | Spouses : Kirsten, Elizabeth |
| Nationality | German |
Fictional biography
Bernhard Gunther was born on 7 July 1896 in Berlin. As soldier during the World War I, he was a veteran of the Battle of Amiens. He then became a kommissar at the Berlin kriminalpolizei (Kripo), working under orders of Bernhard Weiss.
The Bernie Gunther saga
| Chronological order | Title | Publication date | ISBN | Set in: | Historical figures featuring : | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Metropolis. | 2019 | ISBN 978-1-78747-321-8 | Berlin. | Bernhard Weiss | |
| 1934 (see also 1954) | If The Dead Rise Not (first part) | 2009 | ISBN 978-1-84724-942-5 | Berlin (Hotel Adlon) | 2009 : CWA Historical Dagger, | |
| 1936 | March Violets | 1989 | ISBN 0-670-82431-3 | Berlin | Goering, Himmler, Heydrich, Arthur Nebe, and Walther Funk | 1993 : Prix Mystère de la critique, |
| 1938 | The Pale Criminal | 1990 | ISBN 0-670-82433-X | Berlin | Arthur Nebe, Otto Rahn, Julius Streicher | 2010 : Prix des lecteurs du Livre de poche (France - Cover the trilogy Berlin noir) |
| 1939 (with framing scenes in 1956) | Prussian Blue | 2017 | ISBN 978-1-78429-648-3 | Berchtesgaden and French Riviera | Erich Mielke, Martin Bormann, Gerdy Troost | |
| 1941 | Prague Fatale | 2011 | ISBN 978-1-84916-415-3 | Berlin, Prague | Reinhard Heydrich | |
| 1943 (spring) | A Man Without Breath | 2013 | ISBN 978-1-78087-624-5 | Berlin, Katyn, Smolensk | Joseph Goebbels | 2014 : Palle-Rosenkrantz Prize (Denmark) |
| 1943 (with framing scenes in 1956) | The Lady From Zagreb | 2015 | ISBN 978-1-78206-582-1 | Berlin, Zurich, Croatia and French Riviera | Joseph Goebbels, Dalia Dresner based on Pola Negri/Hedy Lamarr | |
| 1947-1948 | A German Requiem | 1991 | ISBN 0-670-83516-1 | Berlin and Vienna | Arthur Nebe | |
| 1949 (intro set in 1937) | The One From the Other | 2006 | ISBN 978-0-399-15299-3 | Dachau, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Vienna and Mandatory Palestine | Adolf Eichmann | 2009 : Prix Le Point du polar européen[1] (France) |
| 1950 | A Quiet Flame | 2008 | ISBN 978-1-84724-356-0 | Buenos Aires | Josef Mengele | |
| 1954 (see also 1934) | If The Dead Rise Not(second part) | 2009 | ISBN 978-1-84724-942-5 | Havana | Meyer Lansky | See 1934 |
| 1954 (with flashbacks from 1931, 1941, 1940, & 1945/46. | Field Grey | 2010 | ISBN 978-1-84916-412-2 | Berlin and Havana | Erich Mielke | |
| 1956 | The Other Side of Silence | 2016 | ISBN 978-1-78429-514-1 | French Riviera | W. Somerset Maugham, Anthony Blunt, Erich Mielke | |
| 1957 | Greeks Bearing Gifts. | 2018 | ISBN 978-1-78429-652-0 | Munich and Greece | Alois Brunner |