Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brave New Translation, November 27, 2009
Following the generally accepted premise that great novels deserve to be re-translated every generation or so, Breon Mitchell has tackled the most important postwar German novel, and one which had already been translated by Ralph Manheim brilliantly into English not long after it appeared in German in 1959.
But now a half-century has passed, and Mitchell's skills are awesome, indeed. He has leapt courageously into the deep end of Guenter Grass' linguistic inventiveness, some of which looks at first as if it will defy translation at all. But Mitchell has succeeded beyond any bilingual reader's expectations. THE TIN DRUM is still far richer in its original German, but Mitchell has rendered its wealth anew, and those readers who have yet to discover this masterpiece in English will be rewarded.
Dr. Richard J. Rundell
Professor of German
New Mexico State University
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
33 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Different Book, October 24, 2009
In this review, I have little to say. Grass' masterpiece "The Tin Drum" is legendary not only for its haunting story, but the vast amount of scholarly interpretation and analysis. I will not attempt to tackle any of that here.
What I can say is this. I have an older translation of "The Tin Drum" which I thought very good. And it is very good. But, in reading portions of this new translation, I get the odd feeling that I am reading a vaguely different and more layered story. This is not to denigrate the older edition I have, but this new translation is obviously much better. As I read, I am simply getting "more" out of the book than what I remember from the first time I read it, and I really don't think it is a function of my own personal experiences or age allowing some greater understanding, but a richer, more faithful translation. It's nothing I can put my finger on with precision, but it's there. This edition is simply a better version of a classic masterpiece.
The binding is solid and I am having no difficulty with any printer's errors or shoddy construction values.
Enthusiastic recommendation without reservation.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the great novels of the 20th century, November 13, 2010
This review is from: The Tin Drum (Paperback)
The Tin Drum is one of my favorite novels and, I think, one of the great novels of the 20th Century. It is profound and mysterious, funny and disturbing, innovative and original. Grass created the epitome of the unreliable narrator, yet the story he tells reveals fundamental truths about human nature: about love and betrayal, ecstasy and fear. Moreover, the story is so intense, so moving, in a sense so miraculous, the reader wants to believe it, even knowing that it comes from a delusional man who describes physically impossible events. Oskar is one of the grand creations of modern literature: a mentally disturbed man whose story can't be trusted, but who clearly suffered through tragic events that would drive anyone mad, and who arrived at a more insightful understanding of life than most "sane" people will ever know. If ever a novel deserved 5 stars, this one does.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
