Recently, I was on the hunt for a birthday present for my mum and found myself at Spitalfields Market. I don't tend to shop in there because I still remember its glory days, before it was tarted up, and the present incarnation is a mere, sad shadow of what it once was. But, I had a quick walk through and came across a stall selling second-hand books. This one caught my eye... for myself, not my mum...
I have to admit right here and now that I am something of a Germanophile. And so my heart obviously skipped a beat when I caught sight of this 1950s young adults' book, complete with a stylish teen on the cover.
Now, I'm trying to cut back on my possessions this year so, after delightedly flipping through the book, I put it back on the shelf despite the excellent price pencilled on the front page. And then I walked away...
But then I found myself walking back, by now utterly distracted from my original mission. I picked it up again, and flipped through it again. 'Well', I began thinking, 'another aim this year is to start learning German again and this would be a rather good incentive'. But would buying the book really focus me, or would it just end up untouched on my shelf? I put it back down and walked away again.
But still I couldn't shake the book from my head, so I walked back once again. "Make a decision, love", the man at the stall teased me. "We're about to close up." Well, when you go back to look at something not once but twice, I think you've already decided, haven't you?
So now I have to push on with my German so I can work out what's actually going on in this lovely book:
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| Oooh, "eine Sensation"! Can't wait to hear what it is! (Speaking of sensations, that dress is certainly one.) |
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| Mmm, a Mona Lisa, with milk, cream, egg, banana and... what the "Flip" is Sanddornvollfrucht?? (It ain't in my dictionary - or on Google - so I may have to live in eternal wonder...) |
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| Why is Rita telling her father he's "the best Dad in the world!" Is she trying to butter him up? I'll tell you when I've translated the rest of it! |
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| Oh no, Rita's got something on her chin - how embarrassing! |
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| Not sure what's happening but check out Fred's teddy boy bow tie |
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| Whatever dramas I'm yet to translate end happily ever after with dancing, I'm guessing? |
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| Imagine if I could get my mitts on all these titles! |
These are pretty much all the illustrations in the book so, to get the most out of it, I'm really going to have to learn to read it. I feel like reading teen story books is probably a great way to learn to read a language actually - naturally written, but not at too high a level of complexity. I certainly have better hopes of getting my head around this than Goethe or Nietzsche or Heidegger...
Is there any language you desperately wish you could speak and understand? Any foreign country you want to elope to one day (apart from the past, that is...)?
Yay, another Germanophile. Give me the glottal agression of the German language over French or Italian anyday. I definitely think you made the right decision to buy that lovely book xx
ReplyDeleteHa! "Glottal aggression"! I just think it sounds so fresh and I love the hard edge to it...
DeleteI totally agree about the markets, how downhill they've gone :(. When I lived off Brick Lane in 2007 it used to be my favourite thing to do on a Sunday! I still find some gems at the antique market on Thursdays, albeit well over priced.
ReplyDeleteI sadly only ever got to go to the markets once or twice before they were transformed. Sometimes it feels like I must have dreamt it because it was so different then! I was there on a Saturday, so at least it wasn't rammed full of people...
DeletePS Thanks for the Thursday tip.
DeleteApparently it is sea buckthorn fruit!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great book though. Me... I'm torn. I love languages. I'd be happy to continue learning French or German from my school days. Or Spanish, which might be more useful here in the states. I am doing Latin with the kids though...
Wow! Thanks! How'd you work that out? Mind you, I still had to google what a sea buckthorn fruit was, even when you told me the English translation! And wow, learning Latin? That's rather impressive. And they do say it's a good foundation for other languages...
DeleteWhat a great find! I have always wanted to learn to speak German too (all I know is 'ein bier bitte'. Useful. But limiting) Sadly we never did it at school, thought even if we did I probably wouldn't be any nearer to speaking it, as my GCSE french grade, and many a puzzled Native would testify :) xx
ReplyDeleteI only did German for a year at school and I wasn't at all interested at the time (that was when I was 12!). I did classes for a short while as an adult, but then I moved so had to stop and never picked it up again. I'd like to again but, to be honest, I'm always nervous about doing any kind of classes because you never know what the teacher is going to be like, and that makes sooo much difference. I was lucky to have an awesome teacher when I did it - he was a good mix of laid back and strict, and how had that wonderful, dry German sense of humour. But I'd be scared of getting a super-strict one!
DeleteForeign languages have never been my strong suit, much as I wish I was the type that born blessed with a natural flourish for them. I know a bit of French (we have to take it school here until a certain grade), and a wee bit of Italian from Tony (it's his native tongue), but that's about it. I'd love to be fluent in either of those, as well as German, too (I have a lot of German ancestry and being able to speak/read the language would be a big boon to me in my family genealogy research).
ReplyDelete♥ Jessica
*PS* Thank you very much for your wonderfully lovely comment on my vintage outfit post this, darling gal. You're too sweet!
Oh, I'm not strong with languages either. My sister is one of those amazing people that has an absolute knack and can pick up any of them. I learnt French for six years but always struggled - she seemed to be able to walk into a room and listen to my practice aural exam tapes and understand them better than me, even though she'd only learnt it for two years and never been interested in it! I must say though, when I learnt German as an adult, I think having one language already in my head a bit made a massive difference - either that, or German is just easier than French!
DeleteOh! I'm so relieved you did get the book. Definitely the right decision. Even the stall-holder's comment added fun to the story. Your comment with the drawing of the boy wiping Rita's chin really amused me :) And your conclusion about the happy ending cos of the dancing. I love that one of the boys is putting a RECORD on the turntable - I presume he's not DJ-ing ;) I agree that it is sad the markets there have been changed. I have very fond memories of sitting on the wall or gutter side-by-side with others eating of the market delights in Brick Lane. Ah! Languages! We are handicapped by growing up in a country where English is the only language. Often I am impressed with the help that those who have learnt Latin, can bring to a discussion on word use or translation of mottos etc. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteI am definitely glad I got the book too... though a few weeks on and I've not been doing any German studying... Hmm...! Speaking of Latin, actually, it's interesting how much you pick up accidentally. A friend and I were recently looking at the motto of the butchers at Smithfield market and managed to translate something along the line of "under the feet of cows" because we recognised "ped..." from "pedestrian" and "podiatry", and then the "bovine" is familiar too.
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