33 Moments of Happiness


Book Description

An intriguing, fabulously bizarre debut collection of short stories by prize-winning German writer Ingo Schulze, author of Simple Stories. These thirty-three macabre, often comical short pieces revolve around moments of odd bliss–moments seized by characters who have found ways to conquer the bleakness of everyday life in the chaotic world of post-communist Russia. Peopled by Mafia gunmen, desperate young prostitutes, bewildered foreign businessmen, and even a trio of hungry devils, the stories are by turns tragic and bleakly funny. From a sly retelling of the legend of St. Nicholas featuring a rich American named Nick, to a lavish gourmet feast in which the young female cook ends up as the main dish, these stories are above all playful and even surreal–and many of them are masterful tributes to Russian writers from Gogol to Nabokov. Translated by John E. Woods.




Simple Stories


Book Description

Prize-winning German writer Ingo Schulze's first novel, Simple Stories, is a marvel of storytelling and craft. Set in the East German town of Altenburg after the fall of the Berlin Wall, it deftly leaps among an array of confused characters caught in the crossroads of their country’s history: a lovelorn waitress who falls for a visiting West German investor; an art historian turned traveling salesman; a former Communist official plagued by his past; an unsuccessful writer who asks his neighbor to break his leg so that he can continue to live on welfare. Schulze skillfully intercuts an assortment of moving and comic vignettes about seemingly unconnected people, gradually linking them into an exhilarating whole of tidal unity and emotional force, until we see that all the time we have been reading a novel in glittering fragments, spun by a master. With a piercing eye for detail and a magical ear for dialogue, Schulze portrays the tragi-comedy of ordinary people caught up in the last great historical upheaval of the century.




The Knapsack


Book Description

A collection of literature and fiction from acclaimed authors like Shakespeare, William Blake and Plato.




andererseits - Yearbook of Transatlantic German Studies


Book Description

andererseits is a collaborative project undertaken by students and faculties of universities in the USA (Duke and the University of Notre Dame), in Luxembourg (University of Luxembourg), and in Germany (University of Duisburg-Essen). It provides a forum for research and reflection on topics related to the German-speaking world and the field of German Studies. Works presented in the publication come from a wide variety of genres including book reviews, poetry, essays, editorials, forum discussions, academic notes, lectures, as well as traditional peer-reviewed academic articles. By publishing such a diverse array of material, we hope to demonstrate the extraordinary value of the humanities in general, and German Studies in particular, on a variety of intellectual and cultural levels. This edition features special sections on the writers Reinhard Jirgl and Barbara Honigmann as well as - for example - essays on Beethoven's 'Heroic New Path', 'Antisemitism in Germany (1890-1933)', the reception of German literature in Great Britain, and a study of post-Wall East German melodrama.




Identities, Nations and Politics after Communism


Book Description

This book focuses on questions of identity that have confronted the countries of Central and Eastern Europe after the collapse of the communist system that had previously provided them with an identity. This development both facilitated and necessitated a reassessment of the now independent nations’ history, orientation, symbols and identity. In some cases, new states were created without a clear national identity, while in others the nation was regaining statehood, but not always within borders that had an historical association with the nation concerned. The multiethnic character of the space of the former Soviet Union and its erstwhile "satellites," and the long historical legacy of complex relations, boundary changes, population migration, and economic and social changes presented different challenges to the various nations and states concerned. The essays in this volume attempt to elucidate and understand the issues of ethnic and national identity and their relationship to the emerging statehood in various regions of the post-communist world. This study makes clear that some nation-states were far better prepared to handle these issues than others, and that the longer-term impact of the communist experience has varied. This book was previously published as a special issue of Nationalities Papers




Writing Postcommunism


Book Description

Moving through the elegiac ruins of the Berlin Wall and the Yugoslav disintegration, Writing Postcommunism explores literary evocations of the pervasive disappointment and mourning that have marked the postcommunist twilight.




The Globalizing World and the Human Community


Book Description

Publication of the proceedings of the 3rd Seoul International Literature Forum held in May 2011 will make the papers presented at the forum available to a readership larger than the audience that participated in its various events. The theme of the forum was "The Globalizing World and the Human Community." Included under this general theme were sections dealing with various problems the writer faces in today's world: the conditions of increasing pressure in an enlarged market, which the writer cannot help but be aware of and be influenced by; the changing nature of the readership as it becomes more multicultural and global; and the status of writing in the developing multimedia world. Continuing with the topics of previous forums, there were also sections on ecological problems, which are being made all the more acute by the process of globalization-problems of enormous importance for all of humanity, but more sensitive issues for writers, with their deep involvement in the reality of people, whose life cannot be lived too far away from the earthly environment. The second part of the main theme stated above, "The Human Community," expresses what we suppose to be a major concern of many writers writing today: the possibility of a human community emerging out of the globalization-though we grant at the same time that absorption of a deeply personal kind in human reality also belongs among the writer's privileges. -From the Foreword by Kim Uchang




New Lives


Book Description

In his long-awaited new novel, renowned German author Ingo Schulze provides a rich and nuanced panorama of a world in transition. East Germany, January 1990. Enrico Türmer–man of the theater, aspiring novelist–has turned his back on the art world and joined a startup newspaper. Before long, the former aesthete and rebel becomes obsessed with personal gain, and in a series of letters to his sister, a friend, and a would-be lover, Enrico vividly muses on his capitalist ventures and latent worldly ambitions. As Schulze peels away the layers of Enrico’s previous existence, his antihero’s reinvention comes to embody all the questionable aspects not only of life in the old Germany, but of life in the Germany just taking form.




Happy Moments


Book Description

'Meik's new book will change the way you think' Dr Rangan Chatterjee ___________________________________________________________________________ From the same author that brought us The Little Book of Hygge, this book reveals the secret to filling your life with happy moments, and how to remember them for ever. Happy memories don't have to be reserved for big life events. Drawing on global surveys, behavioural science experiments and data gathered by The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, Meik is here to show how we can we can turn ordinary experiences into something extraordinary. Whether it's eating dinner at the table rather than in front of the TV, exploring a new part of your neighbourhood, or planning how you're going to celebrate your small wins, this book will help you find the magic in the every day, and create memories you will cherish forever. PRE-ORDER THE HYGGE HOME, THE NEW BOOK FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BOOK OF HYGGE




Happiness Is a Serious Problem


Book Description

In this unique blend of self-help and moral philosophy, perfect for fans of Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project or Dan Harris’ 10% Happier, talk-radio host Dennis Prager shows us that happiness isn’t just a value—it’s a moral obligation. When you ask people about their most cherished values, “happiness” is always at the top of the list. In this enduring happiness manifesto, Prager examines how happiness not only makes us better people, but has an effect on the lives of everyone around us—providing them with a positive environment in which to thrive and be happy themselves. Achieving that happiness won't be easy, though: to Prager, it requires a continuing process of counting your blessings and giving up any expectations that life is supposed to be wonderful. "Can we decide to be satisfied with what we have?" he asks. "A poor man who can make himself satisfied with his portion will be happier than a wealthy man who does not allow himself to be satisfied." Prager echoes other political commentators in complaining that too many people today see themselves as victims; he submits that the only way to achieve your desires is to take responsibility for your life rather than blaming others. If you're willing to put some thought into achieving a happier outlook, you will find plenty to mull over in Happiness Is a Serious Problem.