German Stories/Deutsche Erzählungen: A Bilingual Anthology [Paperback]

Harry Steinhauer (Editor, Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1984

This book is designed primarily to alleviate the agony that language learning in its early stages entails, when the foreign words in the sentence simply will not combine to make sense. Legions of beginners give up when they could have made it with the aid of a book like this. But for centuries schoolmasters have frowned on this device, calling it dirty names like crib, crutch, pony. But the truth is that highly educated and motivated people have learned to read a foreign language this way. The great German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, who knew many ancient and modern languages, acquired them by using Bernardin de Saint-Pierre's Paul et Virginie as a pony. There are many bilingual series, such as the Loeb Classics or the Bollingen series, which have gained high prestige.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (November 15, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520050541
• ISBN-13: 978-0520050549
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #848,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Suited for Intermediate Learners of German, December 15, 2002

By 

Christine P (Henderson, Nevada United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: German Stories/Deutsche Erzählungen: A Bilingual Anthology (Paperback)

This book is a good supplement to students who want to further their reading and comprehension skills in German. However, I would caution that most of the stories, while there are few exceptions, are extremely long and comprise of several (5-8 approx.) pages. Most of them are not brief "short stories," but rather extended passages that depict in depth, vivid accounts of German culture. On the other hand, the variety in authors of the stories in this compilation is definitely an advantage. The works are spread out by different authors who lived in different time periods, from a piece by Goethe to that of Kafka. Also, there is some biographical info that is included to inform the student of the authors and why their work was significant. So there is never any feeling that one is reading some worthless and mindless piece of literature. So, for those who are serious about truly learning and understanding the German language, even appreciating its literature, this book is a good help and is worth looking at.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good collection, August 28, 2004

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: German Stories/Deutsche Erzählungen: A Bilingual Anthology (Paperback)

In my first German class, I purchased as a used book Harry Steinhauer's early book, 'First German Reader', which was a dual-language book of selections from German literature. As this book worked well for my supplemental reading, I understandably was drawn to his intermediate collection of German literature for my second year of studies.

Steinhauer's method here is to introduce extended passages from German literature with a basic English introduction. The intention is not only mastery of the language (primarily for reading purposes), but also familiarity with the German culture (which extends beyond the boundaries of Germany proper). Thus, there are writers from the past few hundred years, to give a sense of history and overall literary scene.

Authors Steinhauer has drawn together include Goethe, Hoffmann, Mann, Kafka, Heine, and many others. The translations are Steinhauer's own, arranged on alternate pages with the German text. The text is short on notes, with Steinhauer preferring to let his own translation address issues with a minimum of technical points -- this can be a drawback for those using the book in a stand-alone mode, but together with a grammar, this book is a good second-step in learning German.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Bi-Lingual German-English Anthology!, March 16, 2009

By 

Giordano Bruno (Wherever I am, I am.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: German Stories/Deutsche Erzählungen: A Bilingual Anthology (Paperback)

Excellent selection of stories! Substantial volume of 450 pages! Precise and literal translations!

Obviously this bilingual anthology will be of greatest interest to persons who lack confidence in their ability to read German fluently. However, German speakers with the same sense of shortcoming in English could make use of it just as well. Most of the prose is too advanced for beginner/intermediate language students. For the more advanced learner, what I'd recommend is to read the whole story in your first language, and then to read it in the other language with as much inductive behavior and as little hopping to the other page as possible.

But the stories in themselves are the reward. Even if you can't read a word of German, this selection is a fine introduction to "Deutsche Erzählungen" - German stories and novellas. Most American readers have heard of Goethe, and perhaps have read Mann or Kafka in translation, but the names Kleist and Stifter are effectively unknown to "us." Kleist's story "Das Erdbeben in Chile-An Earthquake in Chile" would be my choice to read first; it's compelling, the language is not too high-faluting, it will propel you into reading more of Kleist in whatever language.