Caroline Wahl, 31, has published three novels to date. All three shot to the top of Germany's fiction bestseller lists.
Now, her fourth book is set to be released on August 28: "1999 Meter über dem Meer" (1999 Meters Above Sea) tells the story of a young woman who takes on a false identity to mingle among the high society in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
It is one of the most anticipated new books of the summer in Germany.
So what is the secret to Caroline Wahl's success?
Debut with a bang
Wahl's breakthrough came with her first novel, in 2023: "22 Bahnen" (22 Lengths) sold more than a million copies in German-language editions.
The story of the young student Tilda, who has to navigate everyday life alongside her alcoholic mother and her little sister, was praised by critics for its straightforward, modern writing style.
What's more, the novel managed to fascinate readers across generations, including references to contemporary pop culture as well as to classic literature.
"The many references make the novels both diverse and ambiguous," said Matthias Schaffrick, a research associate at the Collaborative Research Center "Transformations of the Popular" at the University of Siegen, who recently organized a two-day symposium on Wahl's works.
"What stands out most is how she experiments with different narrative styles and questions them, instead of simply telling a story," Shaffrick told DW. "This opens up a literary space with multiple possibilities, enabling different interpretations and certainly contributing to the appeal of her novels for many readers."
Polarizing ambition
The book's success led to media interest in the young author, and quickly showed that Wahl does not care much for conventions. She speaks her mind freely and doesn't mind facing backlash. "I enjoy being polarizing," she told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper in late August. "I like that there's no gray area, people either hate me, and then they really hate me [...]. Or they like me."
In the podcast "Hotel Matze," she said she wanted to become one of Germany's most famous authors. Her words quickly created a stir, but Wahl didn't mind. "I'm really not up for false modesty. It's not wrong to state your goals ambitiously," she said on the arts and culture TV show "Twist" on the Arte channel. "For young women in particular, it's more extreme than for men — people get irritated when a young woman says, 'I want to be the best.' I want to change that with my attitude."
A passion for fast cars
Part of that is openly speaking about enjoying her newfound wealth. In an interview with SZ-Magazin, Wahl said: "It's not only the writing that is enjoyable, but also being successful. Financial success is also important." She loves fast cars, drives a convertible and bought a camper van she likes to park somewhere with a view of the sea to work.
On social media, Wahl has faced a lot of criticism. She has been accused of making money off the literary depiction of poverty in "22 Bahnen," despite never having lived an impoverished life herself. It's an age-old discussion about whether authors are only allowed to write about things they have experienced themselves. Wahl replied to this criticism on the Deutschlandfunk radio station, explaining that above all, writing to her means "exploring spaces that I don't know and feeling empathy for people who live a different life than mine."
But even without the debate on her credibility, a young woman who speaks openly about material success still seems to be unsettling for many people in Germany — men and women alike — as the many negative reactions show. To Wahl herself, the debate is misogynist.
On Instagram, she wrote a caption for a photo of her light blue BMW: "I find it weird and don't quite get why it's cool for rappers or other men to show off their AMGs, etc., but when a woman author wants to buy a sports car (and can afford to do so!!!), people advise her not to do it and more importantly, not to show it in public."
Author and influencer
"What happens when something becomes very popular?" asked literary scholar Schaffrick. "The popularity starts being scrutinized, which you can observe in Caroline Wahl's case. And we can see what it means to be a popular author. It's not only her novels that play a role, but also the persona she creates for herself as an author."
By being active on Instagram, where she has even tested energy drinks, Wahl also taps into the role of an influencer, said Schaffrick. "It makes her even more popular and offers new topics for conversation. At the same time, the public debate shifts the focus away from her literature, which is what's actually interesting about the Caroline Wahl phenomenon."
Wahl herself has admitted that the intensity of the backlash and criticism has hurt her. In an interview with the SWR TV channel, she explained that social criticism is not necessarily her intention. "I'm not trying to change anything with my stories. Above all, I want to tell stories."
'22 Lengths' on school curricula
When it comes to bestsellers, opinions always differ among German literary critics: Is this entertaining literature, or serious literature with high artistic aspirations? The arts and feature sections of numerous newspapers have come to different conclusions on whether Wahl's novels can be classified as part of the latter. In an interview with Spiegel, Wahl said she finds "drawing a line between entertaining and serious simply annoying."
So far, Wahl's novels have not been nominated for the German Book Prize, Germany's highest literature award. In 2024, the writer voiced her disappointment in typical fashion on Instagram: "I'm sad and angry that I have not been included on the longlist, even if I somehow knew this would happen. Too successful, says my agent."
Back then, her debut novel could have been included on the list — a book that was quickly added to school curricula and has now been made into a film.
Likewise, Wahl's novel "Die Assistentin" ("The Assistant") has not been included on this year's longlist. A literature critic from Frankfurter Rundschau had this to say about the decision: "Why is good literature always supposed to hurt before it can be deemed 'valuable'? [...] The fact that an author like Wahl has been ignored, simply because her captivating writing fascinates millions of readers, makes me really angry."
Presumably, Wahl's fans will ensure that her new novel becomes another bestseller — even without the German Book Prize.
