Comments on: Learn German the hard way!

Question: Learn German the hard way!

domakesaypat — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:40:27 -0800

I'm hoping to start learning German again (I spent a solid 8 years in middle/high school doing my best to avoid learning a single word), and would like to get the ball rolling again by trying to read a book in German. Does anyone have any suggestions for a fairly basic, but entirely adult ( as opposed to young adult) book that would keep me interested/not destroy my will to learn?

Ideally I'd like something originally written in German, with a trustworthy translation easily available in English. I've been flirting with the idea of reading anything by Thomas Mann, but I get the feeling that I'd give up after a page.

By: Picklegnome

Picklegnome — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:46:53 -0800

Something originally written in German would be great, but I'd offer a different suggestion: Get Asterix comics in both German and English, or maybe Tintin (Tim, in Germany). Simple blocks of text with graphical cues and an enjoyable puzzle and plot line.

(This worked wonders as a beginning point for me when I was an exchange student in Germany with practically no understanding of German. I was fluent by the end of the year - even more so than many of the students who knew a little already.)

By: Ironmouth

Ironmouth — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:55:10 -0800

hmmm,

Entirely adult?, I found that Siddhartha by Herman Hesse was not too difficult in German, as he seems to be copying Hemmingway's direct style some (at least in the German, I've never read a translation).

I know you want to stay away from young adult, but I'd also suggest Die Roten Matrosen by Klaus Kordon.

By: jedicus

jedicus — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:24:21 -0800

Siddhartha also has the advantage of being freely available online in both German and English.

I also recommend Der Vorleser, which is the basis of the movie The Reader. You can buy a German copy online or (probably) from your local college textbook store. An English translation is available. It's a good choice if the plot interests you. It's not very long, and Schlink's style is not too complicated.

I would not recommend Thomas Mann except perhaps Buddenbrooks. The leitmotifs might provide a kind of linguistic anchor, giving you something recognizable on practically every page. I didn't care for the story, though, but there's no accounting for taste.

By: nax

nax — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:29:59 -0800

I was going to suggest Asterix. Also The Little Prince in German. Rilke is fairly readable as well (prose, although the poetry is also nice, but more challenging for a beginner).

By: creasy boy

creasy boy — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:30:43 -0800

Yeah I read a lot of Hesse when I was learning German. The lack of realism and the broadness of its ideas means that you don't have to know a lot of words like doorknob, lintel, shoelace, etc. I also read a lot of Max Frisch plays, like Andorra. Dialogue is almost always easier than description.

By: Gungho

Gungho — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:11:12 -0800

Don't forget podcasts so you can hear it as well. There are podcasts of German news being read slower than usual.

By: PontifexPrimus

PontifexPrimus — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:17:26 -0800

If you're into funny / humor stories try something by Max Goldt ("Die Kugeln in unseren Köpfen", "Quitten für die Menschen zwischen Emden und Zittau" or "Ä"). They're mostly short stories, very entertaining to read, accessible, and very often good examples for actual German language use.

And while some people have an intense dislike for his writing I'd alternatively recommend Benjamin von Stuckrad-Barre ("Soloalbum").

Oh, and Tommy Jaud ("Vollidiot") is also pretty good...

By: backseatpilot

backseatpilot — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:22:39 -0800

We read a whole bunch of Hermann Hesse, which I'm kind of fond of. The vocabulary is simple enough that a third or fourth year German student should be able to read it. Not at home, so I can't remember the title exactly, but there's a compilation called - Children Are Civilians Too - or something like that, which is probably my favorite. The short story "Die Schwarze Schaf" (The Black Sheep) is the best of the bunch, I'd say.

By: The Toad

The Toad — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:14:59 -0800

Seconding Max Goldt - he's brilliant. Translations of his entertaining short pieces are available at The "German Joys" Max Goldt Treasury.

By: liverbisque

liverbisque — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:25:36 -0800

If you do want to try some Thomas Mann, I'd go for the short stories, because it seems everything else he's written clocks in at six or seven hundred pages minimum.

This is the tome I carried around when I studied there for a year (could only find it on German Amazon, sorry).

If I remember correctly, most of the stories are between 8 and 25 pages, give or take. There are enough famous ones (notably der Tod in Venedig) that you could find online translations of quite easily.

By: liverbisque

liverbisque — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:27:47 -0800

Also, I've found Kafka's style fairly easy to get through. If you haven't already, die Verwandlung is a classic.

By: kamelhoecker

kamelhoecker — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:36:47 -0800

Der Spiegel has a daily summary of news that comes every morning right to your inbox. It's a great way to get the news and practice German. And if you don't have time to translate, well you can always try again tomorrow.

By: Parsnip

Parsnip — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 06:26:09 -0800

I would recommend Deutsche Erzahlungen" - German Stories - A Bilingual Anthology translated and edited by Harry Steinhauer, University of California Press 1984, ISBN 0-520-05054-1

It has side-by-side short stories by Goethe, Mann, Kafka, Boll, etc.

You can find it on Amazon.

By: kosmonaut

kosmonaut — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:24:46 -0800

Sorry to be late to the party but there is this whole line of Dual Language Books in German, where there is the German text on the lefthand page and the English translation on the righthand page.

Some are shown here

Another one here

By: cotterpin

cotterpin — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:30:43 -0800

I found Erich Maria Remarque's "Arc d' Triumph" to be a fully readable book even if it was depressing.