Asked which book by another author he would most like to claim as his own work, Italo Calvino once said without hesitation, Adelbert von Chamisso's...
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Feb 25, 2009
Arthur
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Mar 21, 2011
John
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The edition I own is published by Henry Hold and introductiona and notes by Frank Vogel.
I picked this book up at a flee-market. I am an intermediate-level German student, and wanted to have some entertaining short-length German literature to practice my German reading. I also liked the old German script. I was pleased with the narration.
In the author's mind, this tale began as a children's tale, and is now however considered a seminal fanstistical novella from the German More...
I picked this book up at a flee-market. I am an intermediate-level German student, and wanted to have some entertaining short-length German literature to practice my German reading. I also liked the old German script. I was pleased with the narration.
In the author's mind, this tale began as a children's tale, and is now however considered a seminal fanstistical novella from the German More...
Jan 29, 2012
Viktoria
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Peter Schlemihl verkauft gegen eine Goldsäckel, das unendlich Gold gibt, seinen Schatten und verliert dadurch den Anschluss zur Gesellschaft.
Die Erzählung von 1814 nimmt zahlreiche Märchen- und Sagenmotive auf, wie z.B. den Teufel oder zumindest eine sehr ähnliche Figur und eine Paktschließung mit ihm. So wird die Erzählung sehr märchenhaft. Gleichzeitig schreibt Chamisso die Geschichte sehr komisch. Schnelle und gute Lektüre für Zwischendurch.
Die Erzählung von 1814 nimmt zahlreiche Märchen- und Sagenmotive auf, wie z.B. den Teufel oder zumindest eine sehr ähnliche Figur und eine Paktschließung mit ihm. So wird die Erzählung sehr märchenhaft. Gleichzeitig schreibt Chamisso die Geschichte sehr komisch. Schnelle und gute Lektüre für Zwischendurch.
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Aug 21, 2011
Mazel
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Pour avoir vendu son ombre au Diable contre la bourse inépuisable de Fortunatus, Peter Schlemihl va connaître une existence de proscrit. Chacun se détourne avec effroi de ce voyageur fastueux et munificent mais qui n?est plus un homme comme les autres. Condamné à vivre loin de la lumière pour masquer sa singularité, il tentera sans succès de reprendre son bien à l?Homme Gris. Mais un miraculeux hasard l?engagera dans la voie de l?expiation, du vrai savoir et de la rédemption. Ce récit fantastiqu
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Mar 27, 2011
Audeline
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Une idée tout à fait originale je trouve que de vendre son ombre au Diable. Dans cette histoire, on ressent bien la difficulté qu'à le personnage de rester lui-même. Il doit se cacher pour qu'on ne remarque pas son infirmité qui fait fuir tout le monde et ne peut plus compter que sur ses plus proches amis. Peter Schlemihl converse avec Chamisso et c'est comme si celui-ci nous confiait les écrits partagés avec son ami, comme s'il fallait qu'il se défasse de la gravité de la situation en nous conf
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Mar 03, 2011
Amandine
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Aug 28, 2011
Aileen
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A strange little tale of a man who accepts a gift of untold riches from the devil in return for giving up his shadow. What initially seems like a good bargain, turns his life into misery. Written in 1813, originally as a story for children, it is an easy read but seems a little adult to me. It did leave me with a burning question that I had to Google - were sticking-plasters invented that long ago? Not according to Wiki who say it was a hundred years later, but maybe something got muddled in t
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Jan 20, 2011
Ashley
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I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this novella. On the heels of Faust, I was hoping for something a little ... happier ..., but this is after all German Literature and they are known for their tragedies. In a nutshell, Peter make a deal with the 'gray man' and essentially trades his shadow for gold and so begins his journey. His shadow, his soul, and a pair of seven league boots - Chamisso's book is not a bad choice if you want a surprisingly quick and thought provoking read!
Feb 22, 2011
Paul
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This story's by Adelbert von Chamisso (Giannini's the translator). I liked this story, although I read a different translation (The Strange Story of Peter Schlemihl as trans. by Harry Steinhauer). Chamisso was a Prussian soldier who frequented Madame de Staël's salon. He became a poet and botanist (giving the 1st descriptions of several species in the San Francisco Bay area). This Schlemihl story appears to be his only fictional work. It's about 45 pages long. It seems like a whimsical take on F
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Dec 04, 2011
Lauren
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I don't think that the character was set up well enough, and I did not like the ending. The former was probably because the tale is supposed to be a fable, but I was still disappointed.
Mar 07, 2011
Josefine
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Meh. I guess it wasn't too bad, this period of German literature is just not my thing...
And I have no idea how I'm supposed to write a 10-12 page paper about it #wrong decisions of 2011.
And I have no idea how I'm supposed to write a 10-12 page paper about it #wrong decisions of 2011.
Nov 12, 2011
Abituato a pensare all'ombra come ad un elemento inscindibile dall'originale in carne ed ossa cui appartiene, Peter Schlemihl scopre un giorno che essa può diventare preziosa merce di scambio. "L'uomo in grigio" gli svela che non solo l'ombra è barattabile ma ha anche un grande valore. Detta così sembra una storia già sentita, ed in parte forse lo è perchè l'ombra assurge a sostituto dell'anima, ma l'intuizione geniale di Chamisso sta proprio in questa sostituzione: la perdita dell'ani
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Mar 04, 2011
Frank
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Einst waren Handel und Thematik der Romantik frisch und nicht abgedroschen, und auch heute ist sie zu geniessen und bewundern, nur, weh wenn man sie zu hohe Maßstäbe setzen.
Jan 29, 2012
Le implicazione del "doppio" non raggiungono le profondità che saranno di Stevenson, Wilde e Dostoevskj, qui si corre su un filo in cui fiabesco e favolistico giocosamente si intrecciano, ma quel finale, che pare quasi scritto contro quello del Candido di Voltaire, dà da pensare.
Jun 10, 2008
André
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Not that bad a story. About some guy with no shadow... we read it at school, it was one of the less boring books.
Feb 20, 2012
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