Eine Liebe Aus Nichts: A German Reader

Barbara Honigmannand#8217;s Eine Liebe aus nichts tells the story of a young expatriateand#8217;s journey back to Weimar to attend her fatherand#8217;s funeral. As the narrator remembers her fatherand#8217;s life, she explores her own past and relates her struggle to establish new roots following her emigration from Berlin to Paris. In its portrayal of a young womanand#8217;s complex relationship with her father, the novella offers a rich account of German-Jewish history and of the search for identity in the shadow of World War II.

and#160;

This reader is designed for intermediate and advanced German classes. In addition to English glosses of challenging words, annotations are presented alongside the original German text and provide information about cultural and literary contexts. This edition also offers

and#160;

and#149;and#160;study lists for active vocabulary;

and#149;and#160;and#147;language in contextand#8221; exercises;

and#149;and#160;activities for close reading, creative writing, and literary analysis;

and#149;and#160;discussion questions and suggestions for dialogues.

and#160;

A final section with secondary texts related to the novel and a brief biography of the author give students additional tools to engage with Eine Liebe aus nichts and to explore its deeper meaning.

and#160;

Barbara Honigmann’s Eine Liebe aus nichts is the first in a series of readers that includes cultural and historical information and extensive vocabulary annotations alongside the original German text.  Rich in twentieth-century German-Jewish history, this novella tells the story of a daughter’s search for an identity and the roots of a past that her parents have denied. 

The book, which is intended for intermediate German classes, also provides

• an introduction to literary strategies,
• study lists for active vocabulary,
• “language in context” exercises,
• a variety of activities for close reading, creative writing, and literary analysis,
• dialogues and discussion questions.

- "language in context" exercises;

- discussion questions and suggestions for dialogues.

A final section with secondary texts related to the novel and a brief biography of the author give students additional tools to engage with Eine Liebe aus nichts and to explore its deeper meaning.

Marion Gehlker is senior lector and language coordinator for the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures at Yale University. Birte Christ is assistant professor at the University of Freiburg and the University of Bonn.