Angela Merkel's memoir is already the most successful book of the year in Germany, an industry monitor said on Thursday, only one week after its release. 

Freedom: Memoirs 1954-2021 charts the former chancellor's childhood in Communist-ruled East Germany, her political rise within the Christian Democrats (CDU), her election as Germany's first female chancellor and the 16 years in office that followed.

According to Media Control, an analysis firm, the 736-page tome, co-written by longtime Merkel adviser Beate Baumann, has taken over bestseller lists. 200,000 copies have already been sold.

"No other book has had such a spectacular start this year," said Ulrike Altig, managing director of Media Control.

Media Control's report found that buyers were split relatively evenly between men and women and all age demographics.

Book criticized for cost, lack of new information

Last week, Merkel launched the book at the 600-seat Deutsches Theater in Berlin, then set off on a whirlwind trip around Europe and the US to promote it. In Washington, she was joined by US President Barack Obama, of whom she writes glowingly in the book.

The book has been criticized by some for its hefty 42-euro (44-dollar) price tag, and for including little reflection on or further insight into world events.

es/rc (Media Control, dpa)

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