tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322995747669796194.post1855852895989962442..comments2024-02-09T16:00:40.486+01:00Comments on Edith's Miscellany: Book Review: Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman by Stefan ZweigEdith LaGrazianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07885017198423641770noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322995747669796194.post-34291531239211578132016-11-14T16:14:19.373+01:002016-11-14T16:14:19.373+01:00No, Lisa, the formality of Zweig's language is...No, Lisa, the formality of Zweig's language isn't particularly Austrian - it's fin-de-siècle. If you read Thomas Mann or Hermann Hesse in German, you'll see that their style is just as, if not more formal and complex.<br /><br />The differences between German German and Austrian German regard above all vocabulary and verbs or sometimes prepositions governing other cases. As regards the tenses, there are no differences. There is a past tense that is used as narrative tense, but it isn't limited to literary use although more common there. In other words, it's not like in French and Italian.<br /><br />Thanks for your comment!<br /><br /><br /><br />Edith LaGrazianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07885017198423641770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322995747669796194.post-59783391811781264722016-11-14T00:56:37.967+01:002016-11-14T00:56:37.967+01:00Hello Edith, this is a fine review, and I am fasci...Hello Edith, this is a fine review, and I am fascinated by what you say about German German and Austrian German. And I wonder, is Zweig's formality anything to do with there being a different form of German for writing literature? I ask this because I am learning French, and they have a tense (le passé simple i.e. past definite or simple past) which is only used in literary texts, not in everyday speech or writing). Lisa Hillhttp://anzlitlovers.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322995747669796194.post-91931073962070775272013-09-12T08:59:47.838+02:002013-09-12T08:59:47.838+02:00Happy to know that my review inspired you to read ...Happy to know that my review inspired you to read it. Thanks for the comment, Rebecca!Edith LaGrazianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07885017198423641770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322995747669796194.post-19497981029335120952013-09-12T01:30:36.400+02:002013-09-12T01:30:36.400+02:00Interesting novella! I'm going to look into t...Interesting novella! I'm going to look into this one in English! Rebecca @ Love at First Bookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16052811143164516756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322995747669796194.post-14830728690808678342013-09-01T12:22:35.283+02:002013-09-01T12:22:35.283+02:00I've just been asked in a community where to b...I've just been asked in a community where to begin with Austrian literature and I found myself a bit at a loss. I enjoy very much reading the works of fin-de-siècle writers until World War II, such as Stefan Zweig, Franz Werfel, Joseph Roth, Ödön von Horvath, Elias Canetti (Austrian only in a broad sense), but for the rest I'm still exploring my country's literature. I checked on the internet and found an excellent overview (comprising six pages!) on Austrian literature and its most important authors of all times. Here's the link for those who are interested:<br /><a href="http://www.tourmycountry.com/austria/literature.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.tourmycountry.com/austria/literature.htm</a>Edith LaGrazianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07885017198423641770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322995747669796194.post-57635319639660791482013-08-31T09:17:26.664+02:002013-08-31T09:17:26.664+02:00Thanks for your long comment Emma!
As a matter of...Thanks for your long comment Emma!<br /><br />As a matter of fact, Stefan Zweig isn't really among my favourite authors and I must admit that I haven't read an awful lot by him. 'Chess', of course, is great. 'Magellan' was a bit boring, but then I'm not a huge fan of biographies, even if they are ficitionalized. At the moment I'm stuck in a collection of his novellas which includes also the one which I reviewed here. 'Brief einer Unbekannten' was a wonderful read although I found 'Brennendes Geheimnis' even better. As for 'Verwirrung der Gefühle', I long wished to read it - it's the next novella in my collection. I don't know 'Die Reise in die Vergangenheit' and it isn't included in the collection I have.<br /><br />Yes, Zweig's diction is still very fin-de-siècle and therefore sounds oldfashioned to modern readers. Some expressions are typically Austrian, but have been out of use even here for so long that even I don't understand them all any longer. He also employs many loanwords and expressions directly from foreign languages (especially French) which many will need to look up in a dictionary. Despite all he remains one of the most popular writers in German-language.<br /><br />As for the differences between German German and Austrian German, maybe Austrian German is softer and more poetic than German German, but it's not for me to judge. Besides Austrian writers are usually forced to adapt to German German in order to be published... and the differences are diminishing anyways thanks to TV. To be truthfully, I don't read too much in German (except translations) because I don't like the direction that German-language literature has taken after World War II. Style and innovation seem to count more than a good story.Edithhttp://edith-lagraziana.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322995747669796194.post-41440324285083942622013-08-30T21:35:23.363+02:002013-08-30T21:35:23.363+02:00I've read several Zweigs, he's a writer I ...I've read several Zweigs, he's a writer I enjoy reading. <br /><br />I loved Brief einer Unbekannten and Die Reise in die Vergangenheit. (I've seen this one made into a play and it was fantastic)<br /><br />I've read Verwirrung der Gefühle and Vierundzwanzig Stunden aus dem Leben einer Frau but I didn't like them as much. <br /><br />I've read them in French, so it's interesting for me to read your thoughts about how he sounds in German. In French, he doesn't sound outdated. Caroline, from Beauty is a sleeping cat, says he's oldfashioned for German-speaking readers. <br /><br />Btw, while I didn't like much the German writers I've tried, I loved most of the Austrian books I've read. I wonder why. I've read them all in French, sadly, I'm totally unable to read anything in German. I wonder: is there major difference in the way of using the German language between the two countries? Slight differences like between French and Belgian or big differences like between English and American? <br /><br />(sorry if my question sounds a bit dumb) Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com