Bavarian Recipes

Short Stories in German / Erzählungen auf Deutsch (New Penguin Parallel Texts)

Description

This new volume of eight short stories with parallel English translations offers students of German at all levels the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of contemporary literature. The majority of these stories have been written in the past decade and reflect a rich diversity of styles and themes. Complete with notes, the stories make excellent reading in either language.

Reviews

Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2010-07-26
Summary: "The only disappointing thing about the book"

While all the positive views about the book hold true, let me point you to the down to earth and not even contents related issue that nevertheless marred my encounter with the text. Namely, it is printed on awfully cheap, grey and rough paper. It is still possible and bearable to read it ,but then you can hardly call it enjoyable. It is even more important when you need to read it over and over again as part of your study activities.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-05-12
Summary: "Excellent"

The stories are well-written and whenever one has a problem with the German a quick reference to the English translation gets you back on the track. If you feel confident enough after reading this book I can recommend Die Biene Maja und Ihre Abenteuer (German Edition) which was written as a children's book originally but is much more entertaining than any book written for teaching purposes, and Das Kleine Dummerle und andere Erzahlungen (German Edition).

See my list "Great German Books".

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Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2009-12-05
Summary: "Parallel text is a bit distracting"

I bought this book to help me learn german but I found the parallel text a bit too distracting (german is side by side with English). It is just to easy to glance over, like watching a subtitled movie. I feel that full immersion is more effective.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2009-07-30
Summary: "Not for Newbies"

I wish not to affect the rating of this book, nor discredit it. The reason being, I don't know enough. But there in-lies the point. As others have commented, this book is great for people who have an "intermediate" mastery of the language, or have gone through 4 years of German in college. But, if you're picking up the language on your own, though audio cds, flash cards, etc., this book is a bit overwhelming.

To the relative beginner, the sentences are long, with complex words and sentence structure. I would say that your average native English speaker with high school diploma would be in the thick of it reading the English alone.

I intend to hang onto this book until I know a bit more. Until then, I'm considering picking up some children's books in German, to get the hang of more simple sentences. It's not that I haven't learned anything from this book, it's just too much, for now.

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Rating: 2 / 5
Date: 2009-02-15
Summary: "Seriously boring stories"

"Another boring story?"

(I read the next section)

"Ugh, that was nasty. Maybe this one will be better!"

(And it was not)

Normally, I love any type of German literature. I am an avid fan of learning the German language and would likely be considered an advanced student. However, this book was boring! The stories, although well translated, simply did not hold my interest.

Others may enjoy this book, but I would not recommend it to anyone who likes a good story. Maybe you can use it for just learning the language, but I warn you that you might find yourself yawning and looking out the window.