Customer Reviews

German Stories/Deutsche Erzählungen: A Bilingual Anthology

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I consider this anthology to be very helpful to the German student. Preceding each passage is a biographical sketch. One selection of this book I greatly admire is a selection of Adalbert Stifter, a writer of the Biedermeier movement. His writings are very pleasant and much unlike the usual harsh, violent, and sometimes vulgar stories so prevalent in most German literature. This anthology is worth the purchase.