The New Sorrows of Young W

Zusatztext "Fursland's exciting new translation of Plenzdorf's breakout novel (which has been taught in classrooms throughout Germany since its publication in the early 1970s) begins after the body of 17-year-old star pupil Edgar Wibeau is discovered inside a condemned summer home in Berlin. . . Edgar's voice is reminiscent of Holden Caulfield's! full of naïveté and and youthful arrogance! thoughtful and self-aware. . . The resulting intertextuality is more than aesthetic! not only advancing the narrative but also presenting a call and response between two celebrated German authors. Plenzdorf's novel is a touching and tragic coming-of-age tale that utilizes other pieces of art to examine life in East Germany." — Publishers Weekly "Not a history lesson but universal portraiture; younger readers will identify! older readers will recall just how Edgar feels."  —  Barbara Hoffert!  Library Journal Reviews "Plenzdorf impresses with a collage-type structure and a medley of registers. . . “The New Sorrows of Young W.” is blackly comic and slickly irreverent. . . Pushkin Press deserves praise for giving English readers the chance to discover Plenzdorf’s wonderful little novel — one that is tragic! yet full of 'zing.'" — Star Tribune "Now ably translated into English by Romy Fursland and available for an appreciative American readership! 'The New Sorrows of Young W' by Ulrich Plenzdorf is a truly extraordinary and very highly recommended addition to community and academic library Literary Fiction collections." — Midwest Book Review Bookwatch "The New Sorrows of Young W. belongs to those books... that are important literary documents of their time! because they for the first time articulate something... which has hitherto either not been seen clearly! or not been seen at all." —  Marcel Reich-Ranicki  Informationen zum Autor Ulrich Plenzdorf was born in Berlin in 1934, and studied Philosophy and Film in Leipzig. In the early 1970s, he achieved fame with the much acclaimed The New Sorrows of Young W. , considered a modern classic of German literature and taught in classrooms across Germany. From 2004 onwards, Plenzdorf was a guest lecturer at the German Institute of Literature in Leipzig. An award-winning and much celebrated author and dramatist, he died in 2007. Romy Fursland is a translator from German and French. After studying Modern Languages at Oxford University she went on to obtain an MA in Literary Translation from the University of East Anglia, writing her dissertation on The New Sorrows of Young W. She has translated several stage plays, poetry, and essays and dramatic fragments by Bertolt Brecht. She lives in Norwich. Klappentext The first UK publication of a highly acclaimed, funny and smart classic of German literature. 17-year-old Edgar Wibeau has died in an unfortunate electrical accident, and following his death, his long absent father interrogates his son's family and friends, trying to piece together the events that led to this untimely demise. Edgar himself offers his commentary on events beyond the grave. First UK publication of this highly acclaimed, funny and smart classic of German literature Zusammenfassung First UK publication of this highly acclaimed! funny and smart classic of German literature ...

Report

"Fursland's exciting new translation of Plenzdorf's breakout novel (which has been taught in classrooms throughout Germany since its publication in the early 1970s) begins after the body of 17-year-old star pupil Edgar Wibeau is discovered inside a condemned summer home in Berlin. . . Edgar's voice is reminiscent of Holden Caulfield's, full of naïveté and and youthful arrogance, thoughtful and self-aware. . . The resulting intertextuality is more than aesthetic, not only advancing the narrative but also presenting a call and response between two celebrated German authors. Plenzdorf's novel is a touching and tragic coming-of-age tale that utilizes other pieces of art to examine life in East Germany." - Publishers Weekly

"Not a history lesson but universal portraiture; younger readers will identify, older readers will recall just how Edgar feels." - Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal Reviews

"Plenzdorf impresses with a collage-type structure and a medley of registers. . . "The New Sorrows of Young W." is blackly comic and slickly irreverent. . . Pushkin Press deserves praise for giving English readers the chance to discover Plenzdorf's wonderful little novel - one that is tragic, yet full of 'zing.'" - Star Tribune

"Now ably translated into English by Romy Fursland and available for an appreciative American readership, 'The New Sorrows of Young W' by Ulrich Plenzdorf is a truly extraordinary and very highly recommended addition to community and academic library Literary Fiction collections." - Midwest Book Review Bookwatch

"The New Sorrows of Young W. belongs to those books... that are important literary documents of their time, because they for the first time articulate something... which has hitherto either not been seen clearly, or not been seen at all." - Marcel Reich-Ranicki

Product details

• Authors: Ulrich Plenzdorf, Plenzdorf Ulrich
• Assisted by: Romy Fursland (Translation)
• Publisher: Pushkin Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 04.06.2015
• EAN: 9781782270942
• ISBN: 978-1-78227-094-2
• No. of pages: 160
• Series: Pushkin Collection; Pushkin Collection
• Subject: Fiction > Narrative literature