progress marches on

i neglected to mention that i recently completed reading my first german language book (that wasn't meant for children or language students.) Everyday Life in the Rubble follows the calendar, the days and weeks of the first half of 1945 the hooks for these stories of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. the colors of the individual tales combine to form a fearsome mural of violence, hunger, displacement and loss. acts of courage and cowardice, of kindness and cruelty, against a background of nazi insanities and the relentless grinding down of the war. the stories find their conclusion in the first weeks of may, as germany capitulates, the allies begin organizing civil life in the destroyed cities and the trees bloom across the land. my german skills are increasingly adequate for reading nonspecialist texts, though having a dictionary (or LEO) at hand is always an advantage, and i have found that i can actually 'see' the meaning behind the endless articles, cases and conjugations. ever so slowly a door is creaking open, allowing access into the bejeweled chamber of the german language draped with rich tapestries and studded with treasures from the nibelung. of course in the meantime i am back to reading Der gestiefelte Kater....

Comments

[Y]

I love your style of writing. ^(^