Richard Wagner mined most of his opera plots from medieval sources. Here’s an intro to Tannhäuser: Legend has it that back in 1207 or so, Landgrave Hermann of Thuringia invited the most accomplished minstrels in the land to battle it out at the Wartburg castle in Eisenach. In German they call this the Sängerkrieg auf der… Continue reading Medieval love poetry: sexier than you might think
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I am certified!
In September I went to Madison, Wisconsin to take the ATA (American Translators Association) certification exam. There were about 20 of us taking it at one of the university facilities. Many language pairs were represented. Spanish and French were the most common. I may have been the only person there doing German-English. Until recently, ATA… Continue reading I am certified!
Monks + cheese
An update on the curious case of mendicant friars and the moral dangers of collecting cheese (see this previous post): here is a story that appears in Geschichte der öffentlichen Sittlichkeit in Deutschland (History of public morality in Germany): http://</a Basically, a friar goes round the farms begging for cheese and eggs, and at one house… Continue reading Monks + cheese
Reformation Flame War
In honor of the 500th anniversary of Luther’s 95 Theses, here is my heavily redacted version of a Reformation-era dialogue by Hans Sachs, namely A dialogue on the hypocrisy of the religious and their vows, through which, despising the blood of Christ, they presume to become holy. in which Hans the cobbler and Peter the… Continue reading Reformation Flame War
Heine heads for the hills
Here is my translation of the poem that opens Heinrich Heine’s delightful travel narrative Die Harzreise (1826). This poem is all about how it feels to leave the city of Göttingen — famous, he tells us, for its sausages and its university — to walk in nature among simple mountain folk. Schwarze Röcke, seidne Strümpfe, Weiße, höfliche… Continue reading Heine heads for the hills
If this translation is wrong, I don’t want to be right
Recently, while slumming it at the Extremely Cheap Translation Service, I ran across two texts that were strange in the same way. The first was a German text: “Hallo meine hübsche Dame, wie machst du diesen schönen Morgen?”, which was already translated as “Good morning my pretty lady, how are you doing this fine morning?”… Continue reading If this translation is wrong, I don’t want to be right
Marion Dönhoff and Bismarck’s daughter-in-law at the end of the world
In January 1945, East Prussian Countess Marion Dönhoff jumped on her horse and headed west, away from the Russian army. Seven weeks later she and the horse arrived safely in Hamburg, where she settled and built a long career in journalism. She recounted the journey in her book Namen, die keiner mehr nennt. Ostpreußen –… Continue reading Marion Dönhoff and Bismarck’s daughter-in-law at the end of the world
Emma vs. Effi
Last month I read Madame Bovary for the first time. Afterwards I decided to re-read Effi Briest, having read it about 20 years ago at St. Andrews. I used to think of Effi Briest as “the German Madame Bovary” just because it was a realist novel about an adulterous wife, but really they’re quite different. One could write… Continue reading Emma vs. Effi
“Five Germanys”
Recent events have inspired me to re-read Fritz Stern‘s book Five Germanys I have known (grammar nerds will note that it is “Germanys,” not “Germanies,” because the usual plural spelling rules don’t apply to proper names), specifically the middle section about nurturing, preserving, and defending liberal democracy. Reading this book ten years ago, I skimmed that… Continue reading “Five Germanys”
Translators in Space, part III: Embassytown
China Miéville is a socialist who hates Tolkien. He’s also a little scary looking. His books are worth reading, though, even if you’re a reactionary who loves Tolkien. I’ve read two of his novels, The City and the City and Embassytown. The former has an intriguing setting (two cities that share the same space, where residents of… Continue reading Translators in Space, part III: Embassytown