Easier German Novels

[synlor]

I'm trying to get back into practicing my German, and I am looking for a few novels that are on the easier end. I'd prefer the books to be written originally in German; something doesn't feel right when reading a book that was originally written in English in another language. In terms of genre I'd prefer a thriller type story, but I'm not too picky. So does anyone have any book or author suggestions?

[MickeyC]

synlor, have you tried posting this question on the German Language Forum as well? Might get a more extensive response.

[boydcarts]

I only read an English translation, but I really enjoyed "Tubby Schaumann" by Wilhelm Rabbe. It's available here on MR in German under its original title.
Raabe, Wilhelm: Stopfkuchen - Eine See- und Mordgeschichte. german. v1. 12 mar 2009

[weatherwax]

Originally Posted by synlor

I'm trying to get back into practicing my German, and I am looking for a few novels that are on the easier end. I'd prefer the books to be written originally in German; something doesn't feel right when reading a book that was originally written in English in another language. In terms of genre I'd prefer a thriller type story, but I'm not too picky. So does anyone have any book or author suggestions?

In my experience with other languages, children's books, historical novels and romance are good start.
Of course it it depends on what kind of books you like, e.g. if you like adventure, you may go for Gerstäcker or Karl May (quite a big selection to be found here).
The people in the German Forum are usually very helpful will be able to give you more recommendations.

Actually I have the same question about French Books, guess I'll try my luck in their forum.

[Ea]

I was in the same boat as you some time ago, and settled on a cozy, historical mystery, "Der dunkle Spiegel" by Andrea Schacht. I chose something like this because I expected it to be resonably easy to read and the mystery element would be an added draw.

So my suggestion is to look for genre fiction (usually easier to read) of a type, and with a story line, that would appeal to you. Libri.de (and some other German store I can't remember the name of) have a good selection.

[Logseman]

Jugend ohne Gott, by Odon von Hòrvath. It's a great criminal thriller, plus a thoughtful piece which allows many re-readings, and I can tell it's apt for foreign students because I had it in school as a mandatory reading, being a foreign student myself

The big stores are Libri.de, Weltbild and Thalia.de

[weatherwax]

Jugend Ohne Gott can be found here (epub), there is also a prc version.


Moderator Note: This is a link to MobileRead.]

[Ea]

Originally Posted by weatherwax

Jugend Ohne Gott can be found here (epub), there is also a prc version.

Thanks!

[Klariii]

Wilhelm Busch, Max & Moritz (really simple )

Reinhart Heißler, eiS - 180° (big vocabulary )

Max Frisch, Homo Faber (short sentences )

regards!
Klariii

[Avwriter]

Des Teufels General by Carl Zuckmayer

It is a play, but I remember reading it for a high school German class many years ago. It is a political thriller of sorts set in WWII.

[Pismire]

While not originally German, the Little Prince has always been a good start into new languages for me

[elemenoP]

I would look into Michael Ende, author of The Neverending Story (and many other books). He writes childrens/YA books, but they can be enjoyed by any age, like Harry Potter. But just a note on The Neverending Story itself: if you get a good edition, the text is printed in different colors for different characters/stories. So if you have an e-ink reader, you will miss out on that.

I read some of Michael Ende's books in AP German in High School, along with "Der Richter und Sein Henker" which I also remember enjoying.

eP

[Ansileran]

On the thriller side, I liked Andreas Franz novels a lot. Not too hard to read (tried German Fantasy and went back to my dictionary...) but not for beginners either.

I started reading German with teenage French literature translations that I got from the local public library. It was good because I had already read them in French so even if I had problems with the language, I still knew what was going on. Next was "Crazy" from Benjamin Lebert. Books from Patrick Süskind or Stefan Zweig aren't too hard either... but no thrillers.

[Mivo]

When I decided to improve my English a couple of decades ago, I went with books (originals or translations) that I had already read in my native language. The familiarity with the story helped me to "grasp" what was going on better and allowed me to "guess" the meaning of words and sentences that I didn't understand. It made for more fluid reading.

If I were to do this now, as a native English speaker (which I'm not), I would pick up the first German translation of Lord of the Rings. Yes, I'm actually serious. The initial translation (from the sixties, I believe) is almost better than the original and reads smoothly. I read it at age fourteen, and I wasn't the most patient individual back then. The newer translation (eighties?), however, is as overdone as the original (a blasphemous statement, I know!) .

If this idea doesn't appeal, then I'd recommend the books and short stories by Erich Kästner. Mostly written for children, but nevertheless excellent.

[Mel-]

If you want something really easy, perhaps Cornelia Funke.