|
Some forty contemporary reviews of great works of music from Bach to Weber. Detailed annotations in English and lists of key vocabulary to facilitate comprehension. For reasonably advanced students of German with an interest in music. 1994.
1 |
A German Reader - Music in the Making
|
John Martin & Sigrid Martin-Wünscher
|
Hugo
|
C1, C2
|
1994
|
1
|
|
Fantasy/science fiction novel. Everyone on earth must get a weekly dose of the antiviral drug Carviron to keep from dying.
2 |
Arcan-Virus
|
Andreas D. Hesse
|
|
B1, B2
|
2004
|
1
|
|
Comic with genre-typical use of idiomatic language. For students of German with an intermediate to advanced command of the language. 48 pp.
3 |
Asterix bei den Briten
|
Goscinny & Uderzo
|
Delta Verlag GmbH
|
B1, B2, C1
|
1993
|
1
|
|
Collection of articles about Berlin 1945-1991
4 |
Berlin - Geschichte einer Teilung
|
Goethe-Institut York
|
|
C1, C2
|
1991
|
1
|
|
Two of Storm’s darker novellas, which tell with typical intensity of life in late 19th century north Germany:
Carsten Curator: Heinrich is a constant drain on his father Carsten; losing one job after another either by imprudence or dishonesty. Marriage looks as though it may turn his life around, but drink and fickleness ruin him. In a terrible storm he comes to ask Carsten to save him from bankruptcy. When this is refused, Heinrich, the worse for drink, launches out in a small boat into the rising floods, is carried away by the swift water and drowned.
Der Herr Etatsrat: Dyke administrator Sternow is a clever but a completely amoral man who spends his evenings. His two children are utterly neglected. The son, Archimedes, is a good mathematician: he works, but also drinks, undermines his health and dies of a fever. Phia, the daughter, leads an utterly solitary life. Sternow’s scheming servant Käfer takes advantage of the lonely girl who dies in giving birth to a dead child.
5 |
Carsten Curator; Der Herr Etatsrat
|
Theodor Storm
|
Greifenverlag zu Rudolstadt
|
C1, C2
|
1985
|
1
|
|
"I mustn’t doubt", 17-year old Jana tells her diary, despite inwardly already having detached herself from the secretive sect she belongs to. Then she falls in love with Marlon, a boy from the village. But all contact with the outside world is strictly forbidden for the “Children of the Moon”, and Jana has to make a difficult choice between blind obedience, ignoring her feelings, or a perilous escape. German teen fiction at it’s best.
6 |
Das Blaue Mädchen
|
Monika Feth
|
|
B1, B2
|
2001
|
1
|
|
German translation of Kipling's classic.
7 |
Das Dschungelbuch
|
Rudyard Kipling
|
Kiepenheuer
|
C1, C2
|
1982
|
1
|
|
Useful, practical advice for those who wish to apply for a job. Includes all aspects of the job-market such as jobsearches, writing an application, preparing for and taking part in an interview. 1997.
8 |
Das große Bewerbungsbuch
|
Gisa Briese-Neumann
|
Humboldt
|
C1, C2
|
1997
|
1
|
|
Classic play by one of Switzerland's most revered authors. Contains detailed vocabulary annotations in English.
9 |
Der Besuch der alten Dame
|
Friedrich Dürrenmatt
|
Methuen
|
B2, C1, C2
|
1957
|
2
|
|
10 |
Der Besuch Der Alten Dame
|
Friedrich Duerrenmatt,
|
Bdk Bucherdienst
|
|
1998
|
1
|
|
Fantasy thriller, gripping and very scary. The story is about a girl joining a boarding school which is housed in a medieval cloister. Only at the end of the book will the reader learn the horrific truth.
11 |
Der Bund der Wölfe
|
Nina Blazon
|
|
B1, B2
|
2006
|
1
|
|
Offers practical advice on essay writing. Explanations in English. Suitable for self-study. 1986.
12 |
Der deutsche Aufsatz
|
Hares, R.J. & Clemmetsen, C.G.
|
Hodder & Stoughton
|
B1, B2, C1, C2
|
1981
|
1
|
|
Abridged and adapted short story. A young woman struggles to come to terms with the division of Germany.
13 |
Der geteilte Himmel
|
Christa Wolf
|
European Schoolbooks Publishing Ltd
|
B1, B2, C1, C2
|
1975
|
1
|
|
A new series of stories for the students at the basic level. Each issue contains a list of difficult words with explanations in German and efficiency of exercises to develop reading comprehension.
14 |
Der rote Hahn. Lektüre und CD: Ein heißer Fall für Carsten Tsara. Krimi. Deutsch als Fremdsprache. Niveaustufe B1
|
Franz Specht
|
Hueber Verlag Gmbh & Co K
|
B1
|
205
|
1
|
|
In English. Relevant to anyone interested in German politics and history. Focusses in detail on the reunification process and the political inplications, and assesses Germany's role in Europe in the early 1990s. 390 pp. 1992
15 |
Developments in German Politics
|
Gordon Smith (Ed.) et.al.
|
Macmillan
|
A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2
|
1992
|
1
|
|
Entertaining and fully illustrated reader about German and international developments in art, design, fashion, politics and society in the 1950s. Fairly advanced language but many photos and illustrations that help understanding.
16 |
Die 50er Jahre
|
Paul Maenz
|
Dumont
|
C1, C2
|
1984
|
1
|
|
Short, satirical articles examining existing prejudices about the English. Language is informal, idiomatic and humourous.
17 |
Die Engländer - pauschal
|
Antony Miall
|
Fischer
|
B2, C1, C2
|
1997
|
1
|
|
A brief illustrated history of the ancient Greek civilisation
18 |
Die Geschichte der Griechen
|
Bernado Rogora
|
|
B1, B2
|
2000
|
1
|
|
Jos Zeuner dreams of becoming a blacksmith and his girlfriend Sara dreams of getting married. Together they move to Würzburg. But when Jos eavesdrops on three mysterious men plotting a murder, he decides to try to warn the intended victim ... A crime novel in three parts set in 15th century Würzburg and based on real events.
19 |
Die Maske der Verräter
|
Ulrike Schweikert
|
|
B1, B2
|
2007
|
1
|
|
Short, satirical articles examining existing prejudices about the Austrians. Language is informal, idiomatic and humourous.
20 |
Die Österreicher - pauschal
|
Louis James
|
Fischer
|
B2, C1, C2
|
1997
|
1
|
|
Short, satirical articles examining existing prejudices about the Swiss. Language is informal, idiomatic and humourous.
21 |
Die Schweizer - pauschal
|
Paul Bilton
|
Fischer
|
B2, C1, C2
|
1997
|
1
|
|
The story of the student resistance movement against the Nazi regime centred around the Scholl siblings.
22 |
Die Weiße Rose
|
Inge Scholl
|
European Schoolbooks Publishing Ltd
|
B2, C1, C2
|
1995
|
1
|
|
A classic story about three very different characters who meet in a hotel
23 |
Drei Männer im Schnee
|
Erich Kastner
|
European Schoolbooks Publishing Ltd
|
B1
|
1999
|
1
|
|
A novel about a couple whose love for one another gives way to disillusion and disappointment - a tale about what women do to hold on to love, and what men do to get away from it.
24 |
Eine Liebe in Notting Hill
|
Madeleine St John
|
Argon
|
B2, C1, C2
|
1997
|
1
|
|
This book describes what human beings are capable of doing to other human beings when democratic values have been destroyed and replaced by an ideology advocating intolerance, hate and violence. The book presents facts about the Holocaust and attempts to explain how the unimaginable became reality.
25 |
Erzählt es euren Kindern - Der Holocaust in Europa
|
Stéphane Bruchfeld & Paul A. levine
|
|
B1, B2
|
2000
|
1
|
|
Easy Reader with collected short stories by Heinrich Böll.1973
26 |
Erzählungen
|
Heinrich Böll
|
Klett
|
B2, C1
|
1973
|
1
|
|
Very short fables, partly in verse form, written by such greats as Schopenhauer, Lichtwer, and Lessing amongst many others.
27 |
Fabeln, über Tiere und Menschen
|
|
Albatros
|
C2
|
|
1
|
|
English language compendium of data on German society, culture, economy, regions, politics etc. 2003.
28 |
Facts about Germany
|
Dr Jeremy Gaines
|
???
|
A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2
|
2003
|
1
|
|
29 |
Frau mit Waffe
|
Ulrike Edschmid
|
Suhrkamp Verlag KG
|
|
2001
|
1
|
|
Collection of poems on the theme of spring. 2001
30 |
Frühlingsgedichte
|
Philipp Reclam
|
???
|
B2, C1, C2
|
2001
|
1
|
|
An English-language documentary guide to the constitutional and political systems in Germany after WW2, includes key original source texts. 1998.
31 |
German Political Parties - A Documentary Guide
|
G. E. Edwards (Ed.)
|
University of Wales Press
|
A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2
|
1998
|
1
|
|
Collection of eight stories representative of post-war West German authors (Böll, Eichinger, Borchert et.al.), and selected for their literary merit. Parallel texts in German and English, notes and biographies.
32 |
German Short Stories 1 - Parallel Text
|
Richard Newnham (ed.)
|
Penguin Books Ltd
|
A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2
|
1964
|
2
|
|
A detailed and in-depth account and analysis of the background, process and results of German unification. 1994.
33 |
German Unification - Process & Outcomes
|
M.Donald Hancock and Helga A. Welsh
|
Westview Press
|
A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2
|
1994
|
1
|
|
An analysis of the 1994 elections.1995.
34 |
Germany's New Politics - Parties and Issues in the 1990s
|
David Conradt (ed.) et.al.
|
Berghahn Books
|
A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2
|
1995
|
1
|
|
Year-by-year chronological retrospective of the most important historical, economic and cultural events in the two German states, documented with numerous photographs. 1990.
35 |
Geschichte der Deutschen 1949-1990 - Eine Chronik zu Politik, Wirtschaft und Kultur.
|
Eckhard Fuhr
|
Insel
|
C1, C2
|
1990
|
1
|
|
Easy reader short story about a man's struggle to open a restaurant against all odds.
36 |
Hamburg - hin und züruck
|
|
Langenscheidt
|
A2, B1
|
1991
|
1
|
|
German translation of the popular J.K. Rowling novel, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
37 |
Harry Potter und der Feuerkelch
|
J.K. Rowling
|
Carlsen
|
B2, C1, C2
|
2000
|
1
|
|
German translation of the popular J.K. Rowling novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
38 |
Harry Potter und der Gefangene von Askaban
|
J.K. Rowling
|
Carlsen
|
B2, C1, C2
|
1999
|
1
|
|
Criminal history DaF series Tatort. Proposes a series of short, thrilling crime stories from the north, south, east and west Germany at A2. For the book is accompanied by CD with recorded content. These titles also include a number of tips to help you understand the text, such as drawings, explanations dialects, additional information about culture and exercises in the supplement.
39 |
Heisse Spur in Munchen
|
Stefanie Wülfing
|
Klett (Ernst) Verlag,Stuttgart
|
A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2
|
2009
|
1
|
|
Klaus Uhltzscht claims to be German history's "missing link", the man who breached the Berlin Wall. This is the story of his development from childhood to manhood. Thomas Brussig's bestselling comedy novel remains one of the most popular fictions dealing with the collapse of communism in East Germany.
40 |
Helden Wir Wir
|
Thomas Brussig
|
Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH
|
|
1998
|
1
|
|
The popular fictionalised memories of a farmer's wife in rural Bavaria starting after World War I.
41 |
Herbstmilch - Lebenserinnerungen einer Bäuerin
|
Anna Wimschneider
|
Piper Munchen Zurich
|
B2, C1, C2
|
1987
|
1
|
|
42 |
Hueber Lese-Novelas: Anna, Berlin - Leseheft Und CD: Leseheft und Audio-CD
|
Thomas Silvin
|
Max Hueber Verlag
|
A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2
|
2008
|
1
|
|
43 |
Hueber Lese-Novelas: Franz, Munchen - Leseheft
|
Thomas Silvin
|
Max Hueber Verlag
|
A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2
|
2007
|
1
|
|
Short stories for children, set in different countries across the world.
44 |
Ich schenk dir eine Geschichte - Geschichte aus aller Welt
|
Meja Mwangi & Lene Mayer-Skumanz
|
Omnibus
|
B1, B2
|
2001
|
1
|
|
Twenty short stories by award-winning author of books for children and teens. Moving stories reflecting aspects of life in Nazi Germany. Designed to invoke disgust for Nazi ideology.
45 |
Ich war dabei - Geschichten gegen das Vergessen
|
Gudrun Pausewang
|
Saurlander
|
B1, B2
|
2004
|
1
|
|
During World War II in Nazi occupied Poland, poor Jewish café owner Jakob accidentally overhears a forbidden radio news bulletin signalling Soviet military successes against German forces. For fear of morale sinking even further within the ghetto, Jakob decides to tell fictitious news bulletins about Allied advances against the Nazis. The Germans learn of the mythical radio, however, and begin a search for the resistance hero who dares operate it. A classic of post-war German fiction.
46 |
Jakob der Lügner
|
Jurek Becker
|
Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin und Weimar
|
C1, C2
|
1975
|
1
|
|
Short stories about the impoverished in America
47 |
Jerry lacht in Harlem
|
Josef Reding
|
European Schoolbooks Publishing Ltd
|
A2
|
1957
|
1
|
|
Charming memoirs written by the Countess of Bredow, chronicling her childhood adventures in the idyllic setting of northern Germany's countryside.
48 |
Kartoffeln mit Stippe. Eine Kindheit in der märkischen Heide
|
Ilse Gräfin von Bredow
|
Goldmann
|
B2, C1, C2
|
1979
|
1
|
|
Four contemporary short stories by well-known German film director Doris Dörrie. 1987.
49 |
Liebe, Schmerz und das ganze verdammte Zeug
|
Doris Dörrie
|
Diogenes
|
B2, C1, C2
|
1987
|
1
|
|
An easy reader rags-to-riches story of Uncle Franz which illustrates how poverty shapes people's lives.
50 |
Mein Onkel Franz
|
Erich Kästner
|
European Schoolbooks Publishing Ltd
|
A2, B1, B2
|
1976
|
1
|
|
Three short plays about family conflicts. Written in Bavarian dialect.
51 |
Mensch Meier Stuckes
|
Franz Xaver Kroetz
|
Europaische Verlagsanstalt GmbH
|
|
1999
|
1
|
|
Jenny-Mai Nuyen is a young German author from Munich, born of German-Vietnamese parents. She started writing when she was five years old. Inspired by the likes of Tolkien, she has written two fantasy books, The Dragon Gate and Nijura – The Legacy of the Elf Queen, a moving story about love, loyalty and betrayal.
52 |
Nijura - Das Erbe der Elfenkrone
|
Jenny-Mai Nguyen
|
CBJ Verlag
|
B1, B2
|
2006
|
1
|
|
Three key Zweig novellas for more advanced-level students.
53 |
Novellen
|
Stefan Zweig
|
European Schoolbooks Publishing Ltd
|
B2, C1
|
1972
|
1
|
|
This book examines the effect of the Prussian state on German and European history, beginning with the formation of Brandenburg-Prussia in 1618. This small kingdom then achieved independence from the Holy Roman Empire, establishing itself as one of Europe’s major military powers under the Fredericks, the most famous of whom was Frederick the Great. Prussia reached the peak of its power under Bismarck, who made it the dominant state of the German Empire and one of the world's
54 |
Preussen - Seine Wirkung auf die deutsche Geschichte
|
Karl Dietrich Erdmann, Raymond Aron, Thomas Nipperdey & Lothar Gall
|
Klett-Cotta
|
C1, C2
|
1982
|
1
|
|
Collection of contemporary German prose from four German-speaking countries (West and East Germany, Austria and Switzerland), primarily intended as an intermediate reader. With exercises and vocabulary practice. 1985.
55 |
Prosa der Gegenwart
|
Gudrun Isaak & Susan Ray
|
Langenscheidt
|
B2, C1
|
1985
|
1
|
|
Accompanies the course book, which develops reading comprehension in German through systematic practice. Building on the similarities found in English and German, the carefully graded texts and well-designed exercises enable the student to make rapid progress. 1988.
56 |
Reading German History - Key and Study Tips
|
Karin Hermann
|
Hueber
|
A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2
|
1992
|
1
|
|
The musings of a real-life theatre-actor on treading the boards behind and in front of the curtain.
57 |
Schauspielerleben
|
Johannes Conrad
|
Eulenspiegel Verlag
|
C1, C2
|
1997
|
1
|
|
The story for those with knowledge of German at A2 level. The book contains a monolingual translation more difficult vocabulary and reading comprehension exercises. The main character is a thirty-something detective thriller Carsten Tsara who trusts his intuition and decisions. In one of the companies gina important files. Who's behind this? Certain is only that of Walter Dessauer lose their jobs if the detective will not solve the riddle.
58 |
Sicher ist nur eins. Buch und Audio-CD: Carsten Tsara blickt nicht durch. Niveaustufe A2
|
Franz Specht
|
Hueber Verlag Gmbh & Co K
|
A2
|
2007
|
1
|
|
Set mainly in Berlin, this collection of short stories follows twenty-somethings as they try to add meaning into their lives. The backdrop is modern urban life, the characters see and experience the world of love, drugs, careers and family life we are all familiar with but they come to us with questioning wisdom, they show us their mistakes and flaws.
59 |
Sommerhaus Spaete
|
Judith Hermann
|
Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH; 6th edition
|
|
1999
|
1
|
|
A collection of short answers to everyday life questions: Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away? Can you really see the Great Wall of China from Space?
60 |
Stimmt's? Moderne Legenden im Test
|
Christoph Drösser
|
Rowohlt
|
C1, C2
|
1998
|
1
|
|
Examines the process of German unification from the perspective of the political parties, their votes and the parliamentary system. 1993.
61 |
The New Germany Votes - Unification and the Creation of a New German Party System
|
Russell J. Dalton (ed.)
|
Berg
|
A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2
|
1993
|
1
|
|
Some of the adventures of the well-known medieval jester Till Eulenspiegel.
62 |
Till Eulenspiegel
|
Gisela Betke Nielsen
|
European Schoolbooks Publishing Ltd
|
A2, B1
|
1963
|
1
|
|
Thinasonke is thirteen, born in prison. Along with her mother, her older brother Mangaliso, three younger siblings and her grandma, she lives in Guguletu, one of the townships on the edge of Cape Town where violence is omnipresent. She attends Forest Hill High School. Her best friend is Thabang, who dreams of being allowed to go to Forest Hill, but who has to take care of his seriously ill mother.
One evening, the catastrophe of her life befalls Thina. She is raped by three members of a street gang. In the weeks that follow, her greatest fear is that she could be infected with AIDS. This fate draws nearer when Thabang’s mother dies and the Mangoma healer confirms that it was the “disease of all evil spirits” – AIDS – which he has no power to heal.
Another important person in Thina’s life is Miss Delphine, her school teacher. She confides in her. Miss Delphine convinces her to have a blood test. The result: positive. Thina sinks into a profound apathy. Meanwhile, Thabang has found out what had happened and is obsessed with the idea of avenging the rape. Through the contacts he has to street gangs, he is able to find the culprits. He wants to surprise them in their hiding place, but at the last minute he recoils from bloody revenge.
Thina and Thabang become lovers, against all odds, and so in this way, an ending turns into a beginning, even if it is overshadowed: “It was to be many more months before we would be able to announce our love – the love between a boy who wasn’t infected, but who’d lost his mother to AIDS, and a HIV positive girl.”
A powerful, literary unusual, full and gripping young adult novel with a present-day political background from a world where opposites of all kinds collide at high speed – full of violence, yet equally full of hope.
63 |
Town Ship Blues
|
Lutz Van Dijk
|
Elefanten Press Bei Bertelsmann
|
|
2001
|
1
|
|
Collection of 20th-century German verse (Rilke, Hesse, Trakl, Benn, Brecht, Enzensberger, etc.) 1963
64 |
Twentieth Centry German Verse
|
Patrick Bridgewater (ed.)
|
Penguin Books Ltd
|
C1, C2
|
1988
|
1
|
|
Art book about the conception and realisation of Christo's Wrapped Reichstag project in Berlin in the period 1971 to 1995
65 |
Verhüllter Reichstag / Wrapped Reichstag. Berlin 1971-1995
|
Christo & JeanneClaude
|
Taschen
|
A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2
|
1995
|
1
|
|
At an auction, Jan discovers paintings that used to belong to his parents, who claimed that they’d been destroyed in a fire. When Jan begins to question his parents they remain evasive – so he starts his own investigation and discovers dark secrets and links to the Nazi-regime. Disgusted, he runs away. On his road trip he meets and falls in love with Sunny but all the unanswered questions keep pulling him back.
66 |
Verrat
|
Cornelia Franz
|
|
B1, B2
|
2000
|
1
|
|
First published in 1976, Vorstadtkrokodile is the moving story of a ten year-old disabled boy’s attempt to join a gang through a test of courage, which ultimately leads him into danger and causes him to question who his real friends are.
67 |
Vorstadt Krokodile - Eine Geschichte vom Aufpassen
|
Max von der Grün
|
|
B1, B2
|
2000
|
1
|
