Tales of the German Imagination from the Brothers Grimm to Ingeborg Bachmann (Penguin Classics)

A fantastic collection, in all senses of the word - This is the first book of German tales from the Romantic & modern period that puts Kafka in the right company: with Hoffmann, Kleist, Tieck, et al. And the stories themselves are an illumination. "Peter Schlemiel," "Descent into the Mines," "A New Kind of Plaything," and later masterworks by Robert Musil and Georg Heym are a fresh reminder of the darkly inventive brilliance that threads all through the better-known modernist German cinema. Peter Wortsman's superb translations, and his skill in constructing a lineage of imagination, make this an essential book in any reader's library of fiction. In gothic parlance, all three thumbs up!

Excellent and entertaining compilation of German tales and gothic stories. Includes both well known and obscure writers from a wide timespan.

I am currently reading and loving this book. I am excited to read a few I've never heard of before now. A great collection of stories to enjoy for sure!

Great, purchased to read whilst on a trip to Berlin. 'Fairy tales' are a great way to immerse yourself in another culture

Still not crazy about German writers. And, of course, Kafka is totally bizarre.

A good selection of stories. Good biography notes about each writer. Some are quite complex and thought provoking stories and ideas. Highly recommended.