— In your view, could you give us the names of
any famous writers whose wrote in very beautiful German?
We have our own equivalent of Shakespeare (laughter). Goethe is
perhaps the most influential. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had multiple
talents – he wrote anything from short poems to long ones, stories,
novels, drama; he was also a politician and scientist.
He researched the spectrum of light, which many people didn’t think
about then.
Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe
(1749-1832)
‘the manifest centre of German literature’
— tragedy Faust (1832)
a new rendition of the well-known legend of the medieval scholar-magician
Johann Faust
— poem ‘The Sorcerer's Apprentice’ (1797)
a story of a young magician who works for and studies with a great
and powerful sorcerer
Source: Microsoft Encarta Encyclepedia/CutTime Player |
We may think nowadays that being international and globalised
is a modern thing, but Goethe called himself a ‘world citizen’
two centuries ago! His writings are very beautiful, and Goethe is probably
the most well-known classical writer in Germany.
|
Ms Ute Walker
Senior lecturer, International Pacific College
Born and educated in Germany (in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia),
she emigrated to New Zealand in 1989. Her teaching and research
interests include language, cross-cultural immigration issues,
whereas she is currently a PhD candidate in Linguistics and Language
Teaching. She is also involved in community work for the promotion
of a harmonious diverse society.
|
There are also contemporary writers such as Hermann Hesse,
Thomas Mann, Heinrich Boell and Guenther Grass. There are other modern
writers and those from former East Germany, for example Christa Wollf,
but I admit I’m not so familiar with them.
—That’s
all for our interview. Thank you very much for your cooperation.
You are very welcome. Well, are you getting interested in learning German?
Interviewers:
Emiri & Megumi, from Melange editors
