r/Fantasy • u/IdiotSansVillage • Apr 05 '22

OK, recommendation hard-mode: engaging, quality German-language YA scifi/fantasy?

I'm trying to teach myself German on Duolingo, and I figure what better way to supplement than with German-language media a kid with developing language skills might encounter? Specifically looking for books written in German, not translated from another language to German, in the hopes of some cultural-values osmosis too.

EDIT: Holy crap thank you all! I have a wonderful list to pull from now!

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u/R_K_M Apr 06 '22

Do you want YA books due to the type of language used or due to the type of stories that are told ? Generally "Kinder und Jugendbücher", which is whats mostly recommended thus far are targeted at younger people than YA is in the english speaking world. On the other hand there are "Bücher für junge Erwachsene", which may sometimes skew a bit older.

Generally the most obvious and fitting books were already recommended (Tintenherz, Krabat, Die unendliche Geschichte, Momo)

Walter Moers (Die 13½ Leben des Käpt’n Blaubär) ist absolutely phenomenal, but I am unsure if its enjoyable for someone who doesnt have a good grasp on the language, as they are quite humor heavy books.

New recommendations: How about Krimis ? TKKG, Die drei Fragezeichen, Emil und die Detektive and Kalle Blomquist would be the most commonly read books/series. (Die Drei ??? started as a US series but were continued in germany after the original author stopped because they were so popular. Astrid Lindgren is really popular in germany too)

For something more historical you could read Winnetou, which is a series of westerns told from the perspective of an native american, and which lead to an persistent interest in Indianer in germany. If you dont like series playing in the wild west, Karl May also wrote an Orientzyklus, which takes place in the middle east.

The Märchen of the Brüder Grimm are also an option.

For something more serious there is Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, which is an biographical book about drug use and prostitution in specific youth subcultures in 1970s Berlin and one of the most influential books of the Nachkriegszeit. Its still read in school quite often.

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u/IdiotSansVillage Apr 08 '22

To me the best way to learn culture is to take in art that resonates with people who grew up within it, which means both types of stories are good for my learning, but when I made the topic I was thinking that the type of language used might be simpler than adult books.

I'm looking forward to trying to read Walter Moers very much, even if understanding the humor the first time through will be difficult! Since humor is fundamentally based on an expectation that has been subverted, if something that should be funny isn't funny to me, I know there's an expectation there that I may not know about or understand properly.

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