Metropolis

Thea von Harbou 1925

This science fiction novel follows a wealthy young man into the underground world of his city's workers. A robot made to resemble Maria, a workers' leader, becomes central to the city's growing unrest.

259 pages 5h 2m reading time

A founding work of early science fiction, written alongside the famous 1927 silent film of the same name.
Imagines a future city split in two, with rich planners living in towers above and workers toiling at machines deep below.
Argues that the "head" that plans and the "hands" that labor can only be joined by the "heart," meaning human feeling and understanding.
Its false Maria became one of the first famous robots in fiction, and the film version's look shaped how robots appeared on screen for decades.
The story's towering, machine-driven city became a lasting model for imagined future cities in later films such as Blade Runner.

Written for her husband's film

Von Harbou wrote the novel while she and her husband, director Fritz Lang, were writing the film's script together.
Sparked by New York

Lang said the idea for the towering city came from his first sight of New York's skyline in 1924.
Printed in a magazine first

The story ran in parts in a popular German magazine, helping build interest before the film opened.
Lost scenes found in Argentina

After the film was cut down, a nearly complete copy turned up in Buenos Aires in 2008.