The Adventures of Simplicius Simplicissimus
$25.20
- Paperback
496 pages
- Release Date
1 March 2018
Summary
First published in 1668, Simplicissimus tells the picaresque, brilliantly described adventures of a boy swept up in the Thirty Years War and the terrible things that he experiences. Some of it is realistic, some fantastical but the overall effect is an unmatched picture of Europe torn apart by an endless, sadistic, futile war from which nobody can escape.
Simplicissimus was rediscovered in 20th century Germany where the book’s grim message resonated and the book is n…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780241309865 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0241309867 |
| Author: | Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, J.A. Underwood |
| Publisher: | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Imprint: | Penguin Classics |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 496 |
| Release Date: | 1 March 2018 |
| Weight: | 348g |
| Dimensions: | 28mm x 129mm x 227mm |
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Critics Review
Simplicissimus not only satirizes the world’s folly but offers a Christian view of the vanity of this transitory existence. For this purpose, Grimmelshausen sense Simplicius off on a series of picaresque adventures. … And he has done so in a lively, colloquial, folksy style that is a major and original achievement, and a test for the translator. J. A. Underwood certainly passes this test. He has gone all out for a vivid, slangy, contemporary style, and his version is tremendous fun to read, as well as accurate. – Ritchie Robertson * TLS *
Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen
Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen (1621-67) was born during the Thirty Years War and grew up to fight in it. It is impossible to disentangle how much of Simplicius Simplicissimus was based on his own experience and how much was fabricated.
J. A. Underwood is a distinguished translator of German and French. He has translated, among others, Freud, Canetti, Kafka, Benjamin, Gombrowicz, Bachelard and Robbe-Grillet.
Kevin Cramer is the author of The Thirty Years War and German Memory in the 19th Century. He teaches at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
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