Saturday, September 25, 2021

Saturday Morning at the Library


When I was 5 years old, I was forced to take dancing lessons while the Brother was forced to take accordion lessons. I hated dancing class. The Knights of Columbus Hall where the classes were given had no heat or it wasn't turned on. I hated wearing the pink beginner tights. I liked clacking around in the tap shoes, but Ma wouldn't let me practice inside the house on the wood floors. I spent most of my time in class being miserable and crying. Eventually, I was taken out of class.

While the Brother still had to endure accordion lessons, Dad took me to the library. He would leave me upstairs in the children's library where I could look at the books and choose to take some books home with my own library card. As I got older, I would go downstairs to the adult library and wander among the stacks enjoying the scent of the books before going to find Dad in the reference area consulting the law books and catching up on his work.

So for the next several weeks, a list of my favorite books, some I have read as a child, others as an adult and some  I have read more than once.

This week, Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach. From 13th century Germany, an epic from Arthurian romance (stories about King Arthur, Knights of the Round Table, the Holy Grail). von Eschenbach was a German knight, poet, and a Minnesinger (a kind of troubadour)

If you haven't read this you can read it free online at Project Gutenberg or you can find it at the library or at your favorite bookstore.

15 comments:

  1. This is a totally new one for me. It sounds interesting, and as I know nothing about German literature, it is interesting they have a King Arthur epic too. Happy Saturday. Maybe we'll not get rain today?

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    1. The King Arthur stories were a popular topic of Medieval Europe

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  2. Huuuh. In Seesen, my hometown, 60 km from here, you (used to - pre-covid) find the largest festival in Northern Germany, the Sehusa-Fest.
    Boy.
    My Dad forced me once to participate. Only once. I made an ugly face the hole day, LOL. (I hate dressing up).

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    1. The festival looks like fun. Too bad it had to be postponed again this year

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  3. I had a time in my childhood when I lived from these stories, and I still enjoy them. Enjoy your weekend! Valerie

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    1. They are timeless stories loyalty, love, betrayal, bravery. A little something for everyone.

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  4. I loved browsing / reading in the library. I've added this book to my ever growing "read" list. Thanks for sharing the link.

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  5. I just don't seem to be able to get into these types of books. I love the docudramas and history shows about King Arthur but the books make my eyes glaze over.... :-/

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    1. I like watching the docudramas, histories, and epic movies, too

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  6. Yes, I'm terribly late visiting. Playing catch up is hard.

    Never heard of this one, but I can see you are on a quest to make me want to read epic tales.

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  7. I remember this story, but I read a popular adaptation. I can't remember which one... I loved these old King Arthur tales.

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  8. This is new to me ...
    I really must get down to the library soon!

    All the best Jan

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