New Year, New You Sale ☀️- Up to 20% off 500+ books!

Bad Words – Selected Short Prose

Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Bad Words – Selected Short Prose offers a collection of imaginative and thought-provoking short prose pieces by Ilse Aichinger, Christian Hawkey, and Uljana Wolf. The book delves into abstract themes and linguistic experimentation, inviting readers to explore the intricacies of language and meaning. Through their innovative narratives, the authors transcend conventional storytelling, creating a rich tapestry of ideas.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2399
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 3-4 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate finely crafted prose that delves into the complexities of language and explores themes of identity, memory, and the human experience. Its unique blend of perspectives and innovative narrative style offers a fresh approach to storytelling, making it a compelling read for those who value literary experimentation.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Bad Words – Selected Short Prose

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A moving work of fiction from one of the most important writers of postwar Austrian and German literature.

Born in 1921 to a Jewish mother, Ilse Aichinger (1921–2016) survived World War II in Vienna, while her twin sister Helga escaped with one of the last Kindertransporte to England in 1938. Many of their relatives were deported and murdered. Those losses make themselves felt throughout Aichinger’s writing, which since her first and only novel, The Greater Hope, in 1948, has highlighted displacement, estrangement, and a sharp skepticism toward language.

By 1976, when she published Bad Words in German, her writing had become powerfully poetic, dense, and experimental. This volume presents the whole of the original Bad Words in English for the first time, along with a selection of Aichinger’s other short stories of the period; together, they demonstrate her courageous effort to create and deploy a language unmarred by misleading certainties, preconceived rules, or implicit ideologies.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Each word in Bad Words feels both surprising and inevitable, showcasing a surety of voice that is uncommon. The translation highlights the sonic magic of the original German, thanks to the exceptional skills and poetic wisdom of the translators, as well as the talent of Ilse Aichinger.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781803090467

Publisher: Seagull Books London Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 September 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Seagull Books London Ltd

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 12.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 203.0mm

Weight: 238g

Pages: 216

About the Author

Ilse Aichinger was one of the most important writers of postwar Austrian and German literature. Uljana Wolf is a German poet and translator. Christian Hawkey is a poet, translator, and educator who teaches in the Pratt MFA in Writing in Brooklyn, New York.
 

More from General Fiction

View all

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 80,000 books and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.