Product 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18692 in Books
• Published on: 2003-12-30
• Released on: 2003-12-30
• Original language: German
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780140265422
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Ernst Zillekens teaches German at Charterhouse in Godalming, Surrey.

Customer Reviews

Works For Me
Learning styles differ so much (I expect especially regarding foreign languages) that I hesitate to offer this personal perspective. However, this book works for me.
I am a veteran of 4 semesters of college German and have occasionally used language CD's to review conversational German for trips abroad. I have struggled to watch movies like "Run Lola Run" or "Das Boot" auf Deutsch. However, the fact is that I am not very proficient in the language and could benefit from additional German reading matter. But the problem is sitting with the book in one hand and a German dictionary in the other hand, trying to decide which of several meanings of a word applies and then missing the colloquial sense of a phrase anyway.
So this volume has several things going for it. The stories are engaging. Because they are short, each provides a bitesize piece of reading and a sense of accomplishment when you finish. What I find works best for me is to read an entire paragraph in English to get a sense of where the story is going and then tackle it sentence by sentence in German, referring back to the translation as needed.
This seems to provide an ideal solution for me and conceivably will for others coming from a similar place. Certainly, one will need some background in German to provide the needed vocabulary.

Best so Far
This is one of the best foreign language reader series I've found so far. This book has a great mix of simple and complex syntax, words, etc. to create a great learning tool for any level of reader.

Good, Fun Book
The stories in this book are interesting and provide some fun reading. The translations allow for an intermediate level proficient person (such as myself) to enjoy the stories for their value, while learning new vocabulary and expressions.

I enjoyed this book for the ability to increase my language proficiency in an entertaining mannger, and recommend it to anyone with intermediate proficiency (or greater).