Anyone know any good German books?
I asked my parents for a German book for Christmas, but I don't know which one to get (that is all 100% written in German). I am thinking of the book "Look Who's Back", by Timur Vernes, but I can't find any German-translated copies. So, if anyone has any ideas on other books to ask for, or where to get German-translated books from, tell me in the comments.
11 Comments
Might I suggest some original Grimms Brothers? Stories can be great for language learning since you don't have to stay focused for nearly as long as a whole book. Plus, you may already be somewhat familiar with the subject matter and that can help with comprehension.. Go check out your local library and get a sense of where your reading level is and scour the internet for titles! Here's a couple of suggestions from another site https://www.fluentu.com/blog/german/easy-german-books/ (Looks like the Neverending Story was originally in German!)
You might try Bertold Brecht's classic play 'Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder', which I enjoyed very much.
How would you describe your reading comprehension? I know a German book called Demian: The Story of Emil Sinclair's Youth by Hermann Hesse. However, I think you would have to be advanced in the German language to be able to enjoy the novel. I will say that it is a deep novel that really delves into the nature of evil and innocence. That's the only German book I have clear knowledge of, except Mein Kampf, which I'm sure you would not want to read, as it is written by Hitler. ^ ^
That book sounds good (Demian, not Mein Kampf) but maybe too high for me. Maybe in a few months I'll think of getting it; my birthday is in January.
Nah. Not a big fan of the English series, and I quit after the fifth one.
Storm of Steel - Ernst Junger's account of service during WWI. Potentially one of most grim but well written books I've read and overall it provides a experience of how shared combat experience makes brothers of serving soldiers.
Sounds good to me. I like history, in fact I have picture books from WW2 that are authentic photos from the war, and there are 7 volumes.
Here is an earlier discussion about kids' books and another about all sorts of things. Try doing a search on the forums for German AND Potter (even if you don't like the books, they are usually part of discussions of easier fiction), and you'll find many discussions such as this one with good suggestions.
Christmas is right around the corner. Hope you receive a good book or two.
Obviously all successful books on the market have been translated into German.
Talking about German literature, there is a lot of great stuff, but the majority of it will be very hard to understand for a German learner.
If your level is very advanced you can try classics like Die Buddenbrooks or Der Vorleser which give you some insight into the twisted German culture.
But for starters you might want to look at praised German children's books, such as the Jim Knopf series by Michael Ende or Erich Kästner's Emil und die Detektive.
Momo or the never ending story (Die unendliche Geschichte) both by Michael Ende. They are written in german, not too hard and classics as well. There's also Krabat by Otfried Preußler, which about every german kid knows. Or simply german fairy tales, Märchen der Gebrüder Grimm.
