Goethe, Schiller, and Their Contemporaries
Compiled and Indexed by Richard Seltzer B&R Samizdat Express - January 11, 2006
ISBN: 0-931968-27-5
Genre: History, Literature
Reviewed by Simon Bonim - February 21, 2006
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) was a German poet and novelist, and Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805) was a German poet and dramatist (playwright). Both men were leading literary figures of the 18th century, and their works are still as vital and significant today as they were when they were first written. Of the two, Goethe is perhaps the best known among English reading audiences because so many of his works have been translated into English, including The Sorrows of Young Werther and Faust.
Goethe and Schiller were not only compatriots, but also friends. While most of their works have been skillfully translated into English, if possible you should read their works as they were written - in German. This is because no matter how skilled the translator, it is almost impossible to capture the innate essence of a work. This is true for any language. There are nuances inherent in a language, and how a writer manipulates these nuances can be missed when reading a text in translation. However, if you don't know German, reading Goethe and Schiller in translation is still a worthwhile and edifying experience.
For readers seeking to read the works of Goethe, Schiller, and their compatriots I highly recommend that they consider using Richard Seltzer's CD collection entitled, Goethe, Schiller, and Their Contemporaries. This collection contains works by Goethe, Schiller, Clemens Brentano, Georg Buchner, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Heinrich von Kleist, Jacob Lenz, Gotthold Lessing, Ferdinand Raimund, August Wilhelm Schlegel, and Christoph Martin Wieland. In all, there are more than 140 books in this collection.
Most of the works in this collection are in German, including a large selection of works by William Shakespeare, in German translation. While most of the works are in German, you will also find a wide selection of works in English translation, including The Sorrows of Young Werther, Faust, and Hermann and Dorothea by Goethe and Don Carlos, The Bride of Messina, and The Maid of Orleans by Schiller. Also to be found in this collection are several biographical works on the various authors.
The Goethe, Schiller, and Their Contemporaries CD is a marvelous collection that will be of specific interest to English speaking students of German as these texts give you the opportunity to practice your German by reading the German language text, and by allowing you to compare the German text with the English translations. This collection will also serve well for university level students taking courses in German literature - either in German or in English translation.
Gogol and Russian Literature, compiled by Richard Seltzer.
This CD collection includes the complete text of Gogol's Art by Tikos, plus a variety of great books by the Russian literary masters Gogol, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Turgenev, Chekhov, Andreyev, Gorky, Kuprin, and Lermontov.
World Literature, Compiled by Richard Seltzer.
This collection contains over 470 books, from around the world, on one CD. .
