It’s hard to believe but German Literature Month is already over. I enjoyed it a lot. I’ve read quite a few books I liked, I discovered many others. I’ve read a few incredibly great reviews. I also discovered some blogs that I will be following in the future. I hope all of you did enjoy it as much as I did. Judging from the amount of posts, readalong participants and comments I think it was a success and I would really like to thank all of you for the enthusiasm and support. Including all the introductory and readalong posts we have had over 170 contributions.
Some of you have been very prolific. The three participants with the most posts are Tony (Tony’s Reading List), Emma (Book Around The Corner) and Amateur Reader – Tom (Wuthering Expectations). While Tony was focusing on novellas, Emma has read a novel for each theme and Tom has delighted us with some very funny and unusual posts on plays. I’m sorry that some of the books Emma chose where not to her liking. Thanks to the discussions with her and others I discovered that while German literature is not all “dead people and WWII”, German literature in translation could really give this impression.
I’ve seen more than one contribution that stunned me. If I had to name all the great posts I would have a hard time.
Melville House Books who have already been very generous have given us the great opportunity of a final giveaway of four books by Hans Fallada. Since we wanted this to be a bit of special giveaway, we have already chosen the winners.
We decided that we will pick four posts, each from another group of posts, and give each of the writers one of the books by Fallada.
The first book will go to the person who has written the most amazing post. When we saw this contribution we all went “Wow” and “Blimey!”
The second book will go to Lizzy’s favourite Effi Briest readalong contribution.
The third book goes to the person who wrote The Silent Angel review I liked the most.
The last book goes to the person who has written the most original post on Kleist as we considered “Kleist week” to be some sort of readalong as well.
Seeing Tony’s dedication, his creativity and his very funny re-interpretation of Kafka’s The Castle (Das Schloss – The Play Act One – Das Schloss – The Play Act Two – Das Schloss – The Play Act Three – Das Schloss – The Play (Director’s Cut) ), it was evident from the start that he should be a winner – only Tony likes his German books to be in German and not in translation. This is why he will get his present on Lizzy’s blog. I hope it’s fine by him.
Courtesy of Melvillehouse Publishing
Hans Fallada’s
Little Man, What Now? goes to
Vishy (Vishy’s Blog) for an absolutely astonishing post that can be read like an introduction to the most important writers of German Literature German Short Stories.
Every Man Dies Alone goes to
Fay (Read, Ramble) for a wonderful interpretation of Heine’s Sea Spectre in Effi Briest On Heine’s Sea Spectre in Effi Briest.
Wolf Among Wolves goes to
Rise (in lieu of a field guide) for having written the review of The Silent Angel that I would have liked to have written and which gives a feel for its poetical qualities The Silent Angel by Heinrich Böll.
The Drinker goes to
Richard (Caravana de Recuerdos) for his enthusiastic and unorthodox review of The Duel that involved the much-loved expression “primal ambiguities”, the discovering of Kleist’s rock star potential and, at the same time, imitated Kleist’s meandering style.
Last but not least I have a personal giveaway title which is from an author I love and who is often compared to Fontane. Thomas Mann considered him to be one of the finest German writers ever. When I read his book Wellen I thought it felt as if Schnitzler and Fontane had met to write a book together. It’s one of my favourite books ever. The author is Eduard von Keyserling. Apart from his early novels his books have not been translated into English but I’m sure that the winner will manage to read him in German. For those interested, his books are available in German and French.
Eduard von Keyserling’s Wellen goes to
Lizzy for having been a terrific co-host.
I really wonder if it will not feel strange, all of a sudden, when I realize tomorrow that the month is really over. Hmmm… Will I feel sad? A little bit. But I’m already making new plans…
Please send me your address via beautyisasleepingcat at gmail dot com.
Please do not miss Lizzy’s wrap up and giveaway.
Beauty is a Sleeping Cat 
Great Lit-month thanks to both hosts & everyone who took part some interesting additions to my reading list. Will be strange also to not post any bilingual deutsche poetry on twitter, although @pomesallsizes will have a greater world representation as I cut back on the German poets.
Thanks.
Thanks Parrish, for the effort on the poem front and for participating.
I’m very happy with my prize from Lizzy’s blog, and I’m sure it won’t be too long before I read and review it 😉
It’s been great to meet so many new bloggers, especially those who have an interest in G-Lit – it makes my blogging life much more fulfilling knowing that there are people out there who will be interested in what I have to say about Mann, Böll or Fontane!
Thanks for all the praise (!), and, more importantly, a big thank you to both you and Lizzy for all your hard work! It’s been a fantastic success, and I hope we all get the chance to do it again soon 🙂
Thanks Tony, you’ve doen a great job, reviewing such a lot of books and – of course – your play!
Yes, it’s been a success and frankly I wouldn’t have thought that so many people are interested in German books.
It’s been a great month 🙂 And I’m very tempted to try the Keyserling book after your glowing praise!
Here is my final overview with all my links:
http://www.tonysreadinglist.blogspot.com/2011/12/november-2011-wrap-up-german-literature.html
Great, thanks Tony. Maybe we should do a Keyserling week one of these day. Emma could join.
We pick whatever we like and post during the same week. Already planning again…
Sounds good 🙂
Schwüle Tage is the next, I’d like to read.
Hello, all my comments are there:
http://bookaroundthecorner.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/german-lit-month-my-personal-wrap-up/
Ok, will have a look later. Thanks.
Sounds like a great success. I posted my review of Buddenbrooks today. I know I’m a little late and I apologize. I loved the novel and am glad that I read it for this event. Thanks to you and to Lizzy for hosting it.
Thanks, TBM. It will still be included in our link list. I’ll visit later. 🙂
Oh I am posting something on Musil today as I hoped to contribute at least once to the month – I’m sorry I’m so late! I’ve really enjoyed reading other’s posts though, and have a whole load of new German writers to try. It’s been a delight and many thanks indeed to you and Lizzie!
Scrub that – I’ve been called into college this afternoon to help a student, so that’s my posting time gone. Gah! Thank goodness term finished at the end of the week. Sorry, Caroline, but I’ll be reading Musil through December and will think of it as carrying on the good work you began.
See, that’s what you probably always tell your students- “Do not wait until the last moment” 🙂
You’re welcome Litlove, I’ll visit later and include it in our links. 🙂
Thank you, Caroline, for all your hard work and to everyone for your fantastic participation.
As for the thoughtful surprise, Keyserling, Fontane meets Schnitzler, I think that deserves a warm virtual hug!
I only hope you will like it as much as I did… If you like him, you’re in for a treat as he has written quite a lot. I’m planning on reading all of his books.
Thank you, Caroline and Lizzy! It’s an unforgettable lit blog event, well-organized and well-planned. And kudos to the publishers for supporting this. I’ve enjoyed the reviews and a LOT has been added to my list.
Thank you for partcipating, Rise. Yes it was great. I enjoyed it a lot.
Great job in hosting this fun literature read-along Caroline and Lizzy. You girls are great hosts. I think the success of this kind of event depends on the host.
Unfortunately I can’t do much contribution, but would love to join again if you do it again next year. Maybe I can find a German author book months before the event.
Thanks for the kind words, Novroz and for participating.
Yes, I’ll let you know earlier, should we do it again.
Thanks for the hard work & the spur to read. I am vaguely considering a big Austrian Challenge, with Scottish rules, of course.
You’re welcome. Would be interesting too but maybe you need to let people come up for air. Don’t know why the rules have to be Scottish, Swiss seems to work as well…
People can do what they want – I am the one who would be immersed.
What are Swiss rules? I am all for variety.
I thought you were refrring to Lizzy’s living in Scottland and since the rules were established together, and I live in Switzerland they could be called Swiss rules… and we followed them both…
Of course, people should do what they want. Some enjoy following a programme, others don’t. If I would participate, which is quite possible, (especially since I would now like to re-read all the Austrian plays I have) – I would NOT follow rules.
Ah, I see. By Scottish rules, I meant the rules of the Scottish Reading Challenge, and of its Portuguese successor.
Rules in brief: you read one book; I read all of the books.
Sometimes it’s good to clarify… We Europeans are so tribal, always think of our little countries. I hadn’t seen your Scottish rules but now I vaguely remember I saw them mentioned on Richard’s blog.
Thank you, Lizzy and Caroline, for hosting this. It has been (and continues to be) a tremendous education, and I now have a not-very-small stack of works in translation from German sitting on the night table as a result – several of which have interrupted my regularly scheduled reading and knocked it completely out of its orbit. What literature will you take on next, I wonder…?
Thanks for participating Scott. Yes, I think we all added to our piles and will keep on reading German books. Aren’t you perceptive… No one else was wondering what “plans” meant…
It takes quite a bit of planning, so before mid next year, nothing much will happen, I think…
Thanks for hosting! I wish I’d gotten more read for the challenge…
Next time. 🙂 It was great to have you join.
Thanks for hosting this wonderful event with Lizzy, Caroline! I had a wonderful time exploring new-to-me German writers and discovering new books every week. It was a wonderful surprise to discover new facets of German literature – crime novels, love stories, women writers, fantasies, GDR themed books – which were very different from German WWII themed books. It was also wonderful to discover new bloggers through German Literature Month. Tony’s posts were definitely wonderful and unique. I can’t believe that I won Fallada’s ‘Little Man, What Now?’! Thanks a lot 🙂 I can’t wait to read it! Eduard von Keyserling looks like a wonderful author from your description. Maybe you can translate ‘Wellen’ into English 🙂
Tomorrow will be a bittersweet day because German Literature Month is over. But I am hoping to continue exploring more works of the fascinating German authors that I have discovered. I can’t wait for German Literature Month to arrive next year 🙂
Thanks Vishy, for the partcipation and support and some great reviews.
Yes, Tony’s posts were very funny.
I don’t know what I liked best, all the new books or the new people, I guess both.
But without the people it wouldn’t have been so great.
It will indeed be bittersweet, yes.
You really amazed us with your post. I absolutely loved “Little Man, What Now?” It’s a very moving book. Very different from Alone in Berlin.
Yes, that would be something, to translate Wellen… It’s not that long. 🙂
One years seems very far away.
Glad to know that you liked that post. I can’t wait to read ‘Little Man, What Now?’ I think I will do a Fallada readathon for part of next month 🙂 Hope you are able to translate ‘Wellen’, so that readers like me can discover it.
I hope you will like it, it’s quite heartbreaking. A fallada readathon doesn’t sound bad. The book I won on Lizzy’s page has 990 pages!
Yes, it would be great to translate it. If only I had more time…
Hope you enjoy reading Gegen Die Welt. 990 pages makes it a real chunkster! Happy Reading!
It’s quite long, indeed. 🙂
I’m up for a Fallada readathon actually. I want to start with the 900-pages plus Wolves among Wolves. ….
I’m doing a Bolaño readathon in January, not sure I’ll squeeze in another chunkster before that but from what I saw – on amazon de you can read the beginning if the novel – it looks very good. I was very lucky. 🙂 From what Rise wrote he will be doing a Fallada readathon as well as soon as he gets the book.
Caroline, thanks to you and Lizzy for hosting the reading month and to you two and Melville House for my Hans Fallada prize. How exciting! As many others have already noted, I have a new appreciation for German literature and many new additions to the books I’d like to read someday list thanks to this wonderful event. P.S. “Enthusiastic and unorthodox”: Ha ha, I like the sound of that, thanks! 😀
It describes your review well, doesn’t it. 🙂 You are welcome and thanks for participating. I think all our piles have grown now…
Dear Caroline
Thanks for hosting this wonderful event. I enjoyed it tremendously. It made me aware of new authors and texts. I wish you would make this an annual event.
Incidentally, I am reading Hauptmann’s The Weavers. Can I still send a review?
Thanks once again for the books and the encouragement.
Hello, neer, thanks for participating, we were glad to have you join. Maybe it will be an annual even indeed. 🙂
Yes, of course, you can send the review, I’m still collecting, just need to let Lizzy know as she is creating some button or whatever.
You are very welcome.
Thanks to you and Lizzy for hosting and organizing this month, Caroline. I very much enjoyed it, especially since I usually don’t pay much attention to German literature.
You are welcome, Rikki. Same here, i do not read such a lot of German literature anymore, especially since I started blogging and so much of what I like is never translated.
Who would have thought that so many people would join.
Thanks so much for participating.
Thank you. Thank you. The readings were excellent, and now I receive a prize too. What a lovely surprise. Now that my reading of German lit has begun, it should continue for a long while. #GermanLitLifetime.
You are very welcome, Fay. I hope you will enjoy many more German books. I enjoyed reading your reviews. I’m sure I’ll visist your blog in the future, I also enjoy your posts on world music.
Thanks so much to you and Lizzy for organizing this! I’ve really enjoyed the books I’ve read and like Fay plan to continue with my reading! I’ve still got one more book to complete and a couple more posts to write (I’m always lagging behind), so I get to enjoy it a little bit longer. I hope you’ll consider doing this again next year! 🙂
Thanks Danielle and thanks for participating. I’m still linking the reviews, for a while, so we will get them all.
I think we would like to do it again, yes and it seesm people wouldn’t mind at all.
Caroline,
Thanks to both you and Lizzy for hosting German Literature Month. It was fun to do, even though maybe I pushed the envelope on some of my choices. It was great seeing what other people chose to read and what they had to say about their choices.
I think sometimes people forget about great German writers like Thomas Mann, Gunter Grass and so many others. It is good to remember.
Thanks, Alex, for joining us and for some great book choices. I was glad you reviewed some old children’s classic as well as a favourite like Eva Ibbotson and made me discover The Oppermann’s which I hope to read soon.
Very good – its been well worth while and has introduced me to several books I’d never heard of – and I have quite a few I want to read now
Thanks, Tom. I think it was a success and people enjoyed it. I’m glad you found some titles you like, I did as well.
Caroline, my book arrived from the publisher today! Thanks again. I’m looking forward to reading it. – Fay
That was quick. Thanks for letting me know. I hope you will like it.