Anne Richter

In diesem Buch ist einiges anders. Es kann von rechts nach links oder von links nach rechts, auf Deutsch oder auf Arabisch gelesen werden. In der Mitte treffensich die zwei alten Geschichten aus der arabischen und der westlichen Welt:jene von Sharifa, der furchtlosen Prinzessin, und jene von Walter, dem Sohn vonWilhelm Tell.Die unerschrockene Sharifa will sich das Land ohne Frauen ansehen. Denn derim Nachbarreich regierende König Hamed bin Bathara hat aus Zorn alle Frauen,außer seiner show more Mutter, aus dem Land verbannt. Sharifa verkleidet sich undbesucht als Prinz Sharif unter Lebensgefahr das Reich der Männer. Der Königaber misstraut dem schönen Besucher. Mit drei Aufgaben versucht er, seinemGast auf die Schliche zu kommen. Mutig und klug weiß sich Sharifa zu helfen.Die Legende von Wilhelm Tell wiederum ist uns bekannt. Was aber passiert, wenn der europäische Urstoff zum Thema Mut und Freiheit heute in Ägypten gelesen und interpretiert wird? Da verschieben sich die Gewichte und der Sohn Walter rückt ins Zentrum. Der aus dem Iran stammende Illustrator Mehrdad Zaeri hat die beiden Neufassungen nun illustriert. Daraus ist ein Kinderbuch entstanden, das spielend kulturelle Grenzen überwindet und uns alte Geschichten neu sehen lässt. Ein symbolhafter Bilderreigen voller Schalk und Poesie. show less

Three generations have lived behind the Berlin Wall in East Germany. Hans and Margaret are a young couple who met in the 1960's in East Germany. Due to each of their parents experiences during the War, they have very different backgrounds and beliefs. These experiences plus the regulations of living in East Germany place a lot of stress on their relationship. As time goes on, each generation deals with the complications of East Germany in different ways, often clashing and challenging the show more previous generation; however, everyone seems to know that time marches on and things must change.
Distant Signs is a solemn family saga that delves into the impact that the German Democratic Republic had on the people. Without getting into the politics of East Germany or the people responsible, everything is focused on the characters- their actions, thoughts and relationships to one another. This is an intimate portrait into the life of one family. The story feels more like a series of anecdotes told at a family gathering. The story mostly focuses on Margaret and Hans relationship, but moves through time beginning with their parents since their lives impacted Hans and Margaret separately. Both sets of parents had very different experiences during and after War that led them to raise Hans and Margaret differently. While there is a definite feeling of constantly being watched and having to be careful of what is said and who you talk to and several mentions of meetings, this book could really be set anywhere during anytime. The writing had a heavy sense to it, while being a relatively short book, this took me longer to read while allowing all of the nuances to set in.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review. show less

George Howell