Rainer Siegle Book order (chronological)

Kurzgeschichten erzählen auf besondere Art: knapp, geradlinig, kommentarlos. Schlaglichtartig beleuchten sie Situationen und Ereignisse. Katastrophen sind ebenso Gegenstand wie ganz alltägliche Begebenheiten: Liebe, Glück, Unglück, Krieg, Gewalt, Tod. Die Materialien im Anhang erläutern die Funktion und Bedeutung der Kurzgeschichte und regen zum kreativen Umgang mit den Texten an.

Text und Kommentar in einem Band. In der Suhrkamp BasisBibliothek erscheinen literarische Hauptwerke aller Epochen und Gattungen als Arbeitstexte für Schule und Studium. Der vollständige Text wird ergänzt durch anschaulich geschriebene Kommentare.

[Penguin Readers Level 1]William Tell is a good man, but his country is a dangerous place. The Swiss people don’t like the Austrian emperor or his governor in Switzerland. Can William Tell help them in their fight with the Austrians? Or is he a man of peace?

Telling the tragic tale of a socially advantageous but emotionally ruinous match, Theodor Fontane's novel, translated by Hugh Rorrison with an introduction by Helen Chambers, explores the life of young Effi Briest. Married to the austere and ambitious Baron von Innstetten, who is twice her age, Effi feels isolated and bored. Seeking comfort, she engages in a brief affair with the married Major Crampas, whose dangerous reputation intrigues her. Years later, as Effi has nearly forgotten her indiscretion, the secret resurfaces, leading to devastating consequences. Fontane's taut, ironic prose reveals a world where the joys of life and sexuality are suppressed by societal pretenses and obligations. This humane, unsentimental portrayal captures a young woman's struggle between her roles as a wife and mother and her own desires. Rorrison's modern translation is complemented by Chambers' introduction, which draws parallels between Effi and other literary heroines like Emma Bovary and Anna Karenina. Fontane (1819-98) is also known for his critique of middle-class hypocrisy in works such as Frau Jenny Treibel. Readers who appreciate this novel may also find resonance in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Hermione Lee from the Sunday Times reflects on the haunting quality of the narrative, suggesting its emotional depth.