Harry Potter und der Stein der Weisen

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This is not exactly a review - because I don't know the language well enough to write a German review, but I will, in due time. Reviewing the Harry Potter books would take its toll on me because of the details in it - the same goes for the Lord of the Rings. Maybe if I'd  reviewed them as I read them it would've made it easier but...

I'm re-learning the language - signed up for the A1 level once again because I haven't retained what I learned three years ago. I can understand random words and simple sentences and make wild guesses at what the more complex sentences convey, but I would like to know the grammar, the structure and the foundation of the language so that I may indulge in German literature. These being my baby steps towards reading Goethe's Faust in German.

I thought I'd start with something simple. Fairy tales, not so much, so I picked up a book that I know very well - Harry Potter und der Stein der Weisen - which translates, literally, to Harry Potter and the Wise Stone. Notice that the book cover is different from the English editions. The story is obviously the same but it is very much fun (= spaß) to read. I will take more than twice as long to complete the book, obviously, but I will strive through and complete it and then proclaim it to be the first German language book albeit translated that I've read.
I considered reading Pride & Prejudice in German but couldn't find a copy at the library.

My initial response to the book is the difference in literature itself. Voldemort is a Dark Wizard in English and is a Practitioner of Black Magic or ein Schwarzmagier in German. The idea is the same but the way it's said is different so the image the words paint are rather different from those that English words induce.
I believe I'm going to very much enjoy reading books in another language. Eventually, I'll read German books as they were meant to be read - in German!

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 11, 2012 at 10:04 PM

    I'm doing the same thing: reading Harry Potter in German as a quasi-beginning German student. I've posted vocabulary for the first 100 pages on www.studystack.com. Choose "German" then go to page 9 (the flashcards are listed alphabetically).
    You'll see that in the beginning I looked up almost every word; later it's just a few words per page. -Julie Ehlers

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  2. AnonymousJune 11, 2012 at 10:10 PM

    Also, I've been thinking about what to read next. Faust is way too ambitious! I've decided on "Herr der Diebe" which is "Thief Lord" in the US. It was originally written in German. It's targeted to tweens/young adults, so hopefully should be a manageable reading level. Amazon carries the German version. -Julie

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  3. AnonymousJune 12, 2012 at 3:30 PM

    I'm also reading Harry Potter in German for fun. Check out www.studystack.com for flashcard postings. My email is jehlers2@yahoo.com, if you want to commiserate or get stuck! - Julie Ehlers (I commented previously, but the comments didn't get posted for some reason.)

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    Replies
    1. Sruthi Sam RajJune 13, 2012 at 11:25 AM

      Hey Julie!

      Apologies, my bad! I didn't hit 'publish' on the comments - I've been messing with the settings and didn't turn it back to the 'publish without review' :)

      I'm hovering somewhere in the 200s now, going real slow 'cause now I've started to mark out the grammar too. Like you said, I've been looking up fewer words now that I've gotten so far into the book.
      Faust is my goal ;) I found an annotated copy of Faust which has the German and English text, so that has made it much easier.

      I really admire and appreciate that you've learned a language on your own! :) I'll surely drop you a mail once I pick up the book (or any other German book) again. Happy reading and thanks a bunch for stopping by!! :)

      Delete

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