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vivi_papis's review against another edition
4.0
What a pleasant surprise. Although the reason (more of an excuse) to read this book was to pick up on the German I left behind for nine years or so, this experience proved to be better than just remembering conjugation and nouns.
The editor and translators made a great effort of providing the readers with pertinent German short stories from the Post War era full of feeling and cultural references. A deep dive into the German mind after trauma, pain, loss, and new beginnings.
I consider some of these stories my personal favorites (Spiegelgeschichte, the best of them). I never thought German authors would leave that deep an impression on me throughout eight or so pages.
All the more, knowing some German helped me overcome the obstacles translation inevitably creates. And, best yet, to assess the choices each translator made to adapt and preserve the feelings and ideas portrayed.
The editor and translators made a great effort of providing the readers with pertinent German short stories from the Post War era full of feeling and cultural references. A deep dive into the German mind after trauma, pain, loss, and new beginnings.
I consider some of these stories my personal favorites (Spiegelgeschichte, the best of them). I never thought German authors would leave that deep an impression on me throughout eight or so pages.
All the more, knowing some German helped me overcome the obstacles translation inevitably creates. And, best yet, to assess the choices each translator made to adapt and preserve the feelings and ideas portrayed.
dansumption's review
5.0
Some great short stories, and the dual-language format makes this a really useful way of improving one's German. I found the first story, Blass Anna, quite easy going despite not having great German skills. The language used in the stories gets more complex as the book progressed but, as I read it piecemeal over the course of about 18 months, I found that my German improved at a similar rate (although the final story, with its two lisping speakers and its frequent bursting into strings of made-up adjectives, defeated me in parts). Something unexpected which I got from this book was quite a clear sense of the German psyche of the 1950s and 60s - the misery of war survivors and returning prisoners-of-war who were merely existing and avoiding the past. Most of the stories have a gloomy cast, but there are plenty of moments of humour too.
helenahvg's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
peachiepeachie's review
4.0
Having started to learn German just over two years ago and wanting to read something simple in the language, when I saw this little gem I couldn't pass it up. For those who want to try and dig into a first German book, this is perfect.
From a linguistic standpoint, the English translation provided is non literary and therefore ideal for those who are reading the German but find themselves lost for an exact word or simply need clarification of a slightly more challenging grammatical structure (of which there are many of course, being Deutsch). The annotations at the back also provide explanations of grammar points and context for certain words and phrases. Awesome!
The stories themselves are well chosen, in my opinion. From the lovely and rather upsetting "Spiegelgeschichte" to more amusing stories such as "Schischyphusch" or "Antigone und der Gartenzwerg", the stories are certainly worth a read whether you're trying to learn German or not.
From a linguistic standpoint, the English translation provided is non literary and therefore ideal for those who are reading the German but find themselves lost for an exact word or simply need clarification of a slightly more challenging grammatical structure (of which there are many of course, being Deutsch). The annotations at the back also provide explanations of grammar points and context for certain words and phrases. Awesome!
The stories themselves are well chosen, in my opinion. From the lovely and rather upsetting "Spiegelgeschichte" to more amusing stories such as "Schischyphusch" or "Antigone und der Gartenzwerg", the stories are certainly worth a read whether you're trying to learn German or not.
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