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 IMI
SPOTLIGHT LERNKR

Ms Winslow
investigates
r scharfsinnigen
Die besten Abenteuer de
n zu ihrer Nichte in
Detektivin. Bei ihren Reise
f Verbrechen, die sie
Deutschland stößt sie au
löst werden sollen. 
herausfordern und die ge

Ausgabe
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Taschenbüc
Bestellen unter:

ig h t- o n li ne .d e/l e rn krimi
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Ein Unternehmen der ZEIT Verlagsgruppe

 FROM THE EDITOR

Hallo
In our good books Spracherfolg!
Hallo Berlitz.

Reading
tips

F
rom the moment I understood the first
words in my Janet and John storybook at the
age of five, reading has been my thing. So
I am delighted to present this special issue
of Spotlight focused on reading and books. On the next
70 pages or so, we present novels and essays written
by black American authors, talk to children’s author
Cornelia Funke and take a trip through the history of
travel writing. As this last one is my favourite genre, I’d
like to recommend two travel books right here.
If you plan to travel around the globe by train, you’d
better pack a sense of humour. Monisha Rajesh had this
in abundance when she left London in 2015, to explore
the world by rail. Rajesh freezes her feet in Lake Baikal,
u
Jetzt bis z
makes friends with a Tibetan nun and sees the illicit

40 %
handover of a camera in North Korea. Around the World
in 80 Trains is written with gusto and panache.
In Ethiopia with a Mule by Dervla Murphy is a grittier
read. Published in 1968, it retells the adventures of
abundance  
, Überfluss
t!
Rabat
*

Murphy and her mule, Jock, as they navigate the ge­

flea  
ography of Eritrea and Ethiopia. The rats, the fleas, the , Floh
unusual food mean that, for much of the time, you will
Flexible Online-
fold: in the ~  
be happy that you’re reading from the comfort of your ,  etwa: im Schoß der
armchair. Murphy’s descriptions, though, of this extra­
Programme mit
Familie
ordinary landscape and its peoples are captivating. gritty  

Live-Trainer bringen
Finally, why not try our competition on page 67? , mutig
Answer our three questions correctly and you could win illicit  
Titelillustration: Martin Haake; Fotos: iStockphoto/iStock.com, Gert Krautbauer

a selection of the books recommended in this issue of

Spotlight. Good luck!
, verboten; hier:
schwarz gehandelt Sie schneller ans
Did you notice the words ZEIT SPRACHEN on
the cover of this magazine? It is the new branding for
mule  
, Maultier
Sprachziel.
Spotlight and our sister publications, and we are proud panache  
, Begeisterung
to be firmly in the fold of the prestigious and highly re­
spected ZEIT publishing group based in Hamburg. Jetzt durchstarten!

INEZ SHARP, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

[email protected]
www.berlitz.de/erfolg
*Angebotsbedingungen unter www.berlitz.de/erfolg
EDITORIAL © Berlitz Deutschland GmbH 2020
 SPOTLIGHT SPECIAL

on books and reading

28
C
ontents 66 Feedback & Proverb  A
Your letters to Spotlight and a useful
Paper trail
M  +
6 I n the Spotlight  E  M  A proverb
News and views from around English-speaking authors
the English-speaking world 68 Eccentric Life  M  US  have produced some of the
Writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe finest travel writing in the
10 Peggy’s Place  M  world. In this issue’s travel
Visit Spotlight’s very own London feature, we leave the beaten
pub
15 Sprachseiten path and take you on an
exciting journey to discover
11 Britain Today  E  the history of travel writing.
Colin Beaven takes a humorous 45 J ust Judi  M  US 
look at Britain and the Brits Judith Gilbert’s personal view
on the English language
12 The Supper Club  A
Eating out with William Sitwell 46 V
 ocabulary  M  +
Learn the language of a different
15 Around Oz  A  topic in each issue
Peter Flynn writes to us from
down under 48 Everyday English  M    +
Brush up on your conversational
21 I Ask Myself  A  US  English
Amy Argetsinger reflects on topics
that shape American society 50 The Grammar Page  M  +
Master key points of English
22 Short Story  M  grammar
“Taking the waters — a
Ms Winslow investigation” 51 L
 anguage Cards  E  M  A
Pull out and practise
Illustrationen: iStockphoto/iStock.com, Martin Haake; Fotos: picture alliance/dpa; Christie’s Images/Bridgeman Images

32 B
 ooks for Now  M
Two novels and a non-fiction book
that come highly recommended
53 Lost in Translation  A
A fun look at challenging
40
36 S
 tories for Understanding  M  US
words
The language
African-American literature: this is
what you should read
54 Spoken English  M  + 
Colourful idioms and
of books
useful phrases M
44 American Life  M  US  +
What do you expect of a good book?
Ginger Kuenzel about life 55 English at Work  M  +
Which genre do you prefer and why?
in small-town America Ken Taylor answers
We present the vocabulary you’ll need to
your questions
talk about these topics in English.
60 NEW Poetry Corner  A 
“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe 56 The Basics  E  +
Shelley A conversation in easy
English
62 A
 Day in My Life  M    +
Meet Pascal Flynn, a bookbinder 57 Phonetic Fun  E  M  A
from Ireland How to pronounce tricky words

64 The Lighter Side  E 58 The Puzzle Pages  E  M  A

Jokes and cartoons Find the words and win a prize

4  Spotlight CONTENTS
 Improve your English
Spotlight plus
Practise the language and
grammar of Spotlight with
the exercise booklet plus.
For the pages in the
magazine marked with
this symbol PLUS there
are additional exercises
in plus.

Spotlight Audio
Enjoy interviews and
travel stories and try
the exercises on the
60-minute CD/download.
Look for this symbol
AUDIO in the magazine.

Spotlight
in the classroom
Teachers: this six-page
supplement will
provide great ideas for
classroom activities
ON
ETITI
COMP
based on the magazine.
ur
art in o Free for all teachers who
Take p e 67
titio n on pag subscribe to Spotlight.
compe k
n a stac
and wi
s!
of book The
Spotlight
Find your free bookmark

Spotlight
bookmark
on page 52

16
Stories that
make you fly For more information and exercises, see:
www.spotlight-online.de
M  US www.facebook.com/spotlightmagazine

Her books have sold more than 20 ABOUT THE LANGUAGE LEVELS
million copies and her stories inspire The levels of difficulty in Spotlight magazine
children and parents alike. We spoke to correspond roughly to The Common European
German author and illustrator Cornelia Framework of Reference for Languages:
Funke, who, these days, lives on an
avocado farm in California. EASY MEDIUM ADVANCED
A2 B1–B2 C1–C2

CONTENTS Spotlight 5 
 IN THE SPOTLIGHT
NEWS AND VIEWS

Once the home of

Ian Fleming, GoldenEye
in Jamaica inspired the singer
Sting (below), too

JAMAICA

Fotos: Cedric Angeles/Alamy Stock Photo; D-VISIONS/Shutterstock.com; Taji Abraham;

House of arts
EASY

GoldenEye was the Jamaican home of wrote all the James Bond books, and I
Frederic Marie/Alamy Stock Photo; bagira22/iStock.com

the writer Ian Fleming (1908–1964). He used to sit at his desk.”

wrote 12 of his books about 007 agent Sting composed “Every Breath You
James Bond there. English musician and Take”, “King of Pain” and “Wrapped
singer Sting later wrote some of his big- Around Your Finger” at Fleming’s desk.
gest hits at GoldenEye. GoldenEye is now part of a beautiful re-
Sting, 69, who was with the rock band sort, so perhaps you can go there and be
The Police until 1984, said on the New inspired, too!
Zealand TV show The Project: “I spent a
lot of time in Jamaica in the ’80s. I used resort 
to stay at Ian Fleming’s house, where he , Ferienanlage

6  Spotlight IN THE SPOTLIGHT

 UNITED STATES

Who exactly is Mary L. Trump?

MEDIUM  US

Mary L. Trump is the 55-year-old niece of US President Don-

ald Trump. Born in New York, Mary studied English and psy-
chology, and has a life coaching firm. After her uncle was elected
president in 2016, she gave tax documents to The New York Times
that were used to write a Pulitzer Prize-winning article about
his fraudulent financial history. Now, Mary has written a book,
called Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s
Most Dangerous Man — whose publication the Trump family
tried, and failed, to prevent. The book sold more than a million
copies on the day it went on sale in July. The author brings to
light the dysfunctional Trump family dynamics and uses her
experience as a psychologist to analyze the
president.
Talking about the book to The Washington
Post, she said that her uncle is “clearly racist,”
and that she mostly blames his father, Fred,
whom she describes as a sociopath. Mary
says she wrote the book because she “felt a
responsibility to make sure that people are
as informed as possible when November
comes, because I do not believe that was
copy  fraudulent  life coaching firm 
the case in 2016 at all.” ,  hier: Exemplar , betrügerisch ,  Unternehmen für
Lebensberatung

CANADA

Take a tour

Fotos: action press/Zuma Press; David J. Mitchell/Alamy Stock Photo; paparoma, Singleline/Shutterstock.com; privat
EASY

The Library of Parliament in Ottawa

is one of the world’s most prestigious
libraries. Built in 1876 in the Victorian
High Gothic style, the library is home to
more than 650,000 items, has a beautiful
vaulted ceiling, carvings of flowers, masks
and mythical beasts, and a white statue
of Queen Victoria. You can take a virtual
tour of the library at: www.ilovelibraries.
org/article/take-virtual-tours-these-stunning-
libraries
Other libraries offering virtual tours
include New York Public Library and the
Bodleian Library in Oxford, used as Hog-
warts’ library in the Harry Potter films.

carving  prestigious 
, Schnitzerei , angesehen

mythical beast  vaulted ceiling 

Take a tour: the Library of , Fabelwesen , Gewölbedecke
Parliament in Ottawa

8  Spotlight IN THE SPOTLIGHT

 Joshua Wong: protesting on
the streets of Hong Kong on
WORLD
1 January 2020

Word
count
MEDIUM

How long will it take you to read any of

the books we recommend in this issue
of Spotlight? To find out, visit the web-
site www.readinglength.com
First, take one of the speed tests
on the site to see how many words
you read per minute. Then, enter the
name of any book in the English lan-
guage and your reading speed to find
HONG KONG
out how many words are in the book,

Off the shelf ADVANCED

and how long it will take you to read
it. If you read 250 words a minute, for
example, it will take you eight hours to
Joshua Wong, 24, is one of Hong Kong’s most prominent activists and has written a get through the 120,000-word novel
manifesto called Unfree Speech: The Threat to Global Democracy and Why We Must Act, Now. Hard Times by Charles
But his writings and those of other pro-democracy activists have been removed Dickens — about as
from Hong Kong’s libraries since the introduction of a new law that many say rep- long as it takes to fly
resents an enormous threat to free speech in the semi-autonomous city. from London to
The new security law came into force in July, just weeks after China proposed New York.
it — and after more than a year of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. It gives
China the power to arrest people there for subversion, secession, terrorism and col-
lusion, and has been used to arrest people simply for carrying slogans or flags that
support independence and greater autonomy. The city authority in charge of Hong
Kong’s public libraries says the books have been removed to determine whether
they violate the new law.

collusion  force: come into ~  violate: ~ a law 

, Verdunkelung ,  in Kraft treten ,  gegen ein Gesetz
verstoßen
determine  semi-autonomous 
,  bestimmen, feststellen , halbautonom

THE NEWCOMER

Tanishq Abraham
EASY  US

Age: 17 biomedical engineering 

From: Sacramento, California, USA , Biomedizintechnik

Background: Born into an Indian-American family, Abraham be- degree 

came a member of the high IQ society Mensa at the age of four, , (Hoch-)Schulabschluss

gave a TED Talk at nine, and graduated from college at 11. When he graduate 
was 15, he became the youngest person ever to graduate from the ,  einen (Hoch-)Schulab-
schluss machen
University of California (UC Davis), with a degree in biomedical
engineering, and he is now doing a PhD there. neurosurgeon 
, Neurochirurg(in)
Famous because: Together with another PhD student, a professor,
and a neurosurgeon, he has written a 30-page chapter in a new book PhD (Doctor of
Philosophy): do a ~  
called Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning in Pathology. , promovieren

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Spotlight 7 

 UNITED STATES

Reading
about
racism
MEDIUM  US

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism (2018)
by Robin DiAngelo is one of the titles on lists of books about racism that
have been circulating online since the killing of George Floyd by a police
officer — which sparked worldwide protests against racism and police 6 Tage lang in Englisch eintauchen
brutality against black people in the US. The lists also include names … ohne Deutschland zu verlassen!
of bookstores owned by black people, which have seen an enormous
increase in orders since the protests began, but are finding it difficult
to fulfill these orders because of delays caused by Covid-19. One such • „One-to-One“-Gespräche mit
bookstore is Turning Page Bookshop in Goose Creek, South Carolina. „Anglos“ aus der ganzen Welt
Its owner, VaLinda Miller, told NBC News that she was trying to fulfill • Telefonkonferenzen,
400 orders for White Fragility. She said she feels conflicted about profiting Präsentationen u.v.m.
from Mr. Floyd’s death, but hopes it will change things. “You don’t run a
• 70 Stunden intensives Training
bookstore for the profit. You run it to change the world,” she said.
• Rundum-Sorglos-Paket
Spotlight asked VaLinda Miller to recommend
• 4 Partnerhotels in Deutschland
books about racism and African-American lit-
erature. You’ll find her suggestions on page 36.

Flüssigeres Englisch
circulate  fulfill: ~ orders 
, kursieren ,  Aufträge erfüllen Verbessertes Sprachgefühl
feel conflicted  run 
Gesteigerte Sprachsicherheit
,  gefühlsmäßig im Streit ,  hier: leiten, betreiben
liegen
spark 
, auslösen
Das sagen unsere Kunden:
• „maximale Effektivität...
mit Spaß und Freude“
• „eine tolle Woche, eine tolle
Lebenserfahrung!“
• „ein perfekt abgestimmtes
Programm“
Questions to go

How carefully have you read these four pages? Can you answer the following
• „straff, abwechslungsreich
questions? und humorvoll gestaltet“
1. What is the name of Ian Fleming’s house in Jamaica?
2. What is the name of the 2018 book by Robin DiAngelo?
3. How old was Tanishq Abraham when he joined Mensa?
4. What word does Mary Trump use to describe Fred Trump,
father of the US president?
5. Who is Joshua Wong?
2. The book is called

for White People

Why It’s So Hard

most prominent
White Fragility:

5. Wong is one of
3. four years old
to Talk about

Hong Kong’s
1. GoldenEye

4. sociopath

activists.
Racism.

Kostenlose Sprachtests und Beratung

Answers

Montag bis Freitag von 9:00 – 18:00 Uhr

Tel. 089 23 51 58 72
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Texts by Talitha Linehan
www.englischhausen.de
 PEGGY’S PLACE

Teen reading
Peggys Enkelin Simone ist enttäuscht, weil das Austauschprogramm ihrer Schule
nicht stattfinden kann. Da lassen sich die Stammgäste in Spotlights ganz eigenem
Pub doch gleich eine Lösung einfallen. Von INEZ SHARP
MEDIUM  AUDIO

Sean Phil & Peggy Helen George Jane

Reading
tip The
Austen Girls
by Lucy Worsley

Helen: Did Simone really think the

exchange programme was going to take
“One Orangensaft Sean: I think she’s written some other
books about historical figures.
place? coming up!” Phil: Yeah, it says here there’s a book
Peggy: Well, she probably just didn’t give about young Queen Victoria.
up hoping. Helen: So, interesting and educational.
Phil: She’s only 12. It’s really hard for kids Sean: I’ll just have an orange juice. Peggy: What more could you ask for?
to understand what a pandemic means. Phil: One Orangensaft coming up! Phil: The challenge is going to be making
Peggy: I think she knows what it means, Sean: A what? Simone feel like it’s her idea. You know
but she just kept thinking it would be Phil: That’s German for orange juice. what teenagers are like about taking
over quicker. Sean: Have you been practising your advice from adults.
Helen: Where exactly was Simone going? German with Simone again? Sean: Leave that up to me. I’ve got an idea.
Peggy: It’s an exchange programme with Phil: Yes, I have, but now the exchange (silence)
a school in Bonn. programme has been cancelled for the Phil: Well, don’t leave us in suspense!
Phil: The pupils were put in touch with foreseeable future. Sean: I’m only going to say it’s got some-
their exchange partners months ago. Sean: Oh, no. Simone must be gutted. thing to do with baking and reading.
Peggy: Simone chats to Elise all the time Phil: She’s gone back to manic reading. Peggy: Whatever it is, let’s hope it works.
and they’ve been talking about their It’s always a bad sign. Helen: You know, there is one advantage
favourite films and music and stuff. Helen: There are worse hobbies. to the cancellation of the exchange, Peggy.
Phil: Elise’s English is incredible. Peggy: I know, but she just completely Peggy: What’s that?
Helen: What about Simone’s German? withdraws from the world. Helen: Elise won’t have to meet Jane.
Peggy: That’s a bit of a challenge, but she Helen: Does Elise like reading? Peggy: True. I love my daughter, but she
does try and Elise corrects her, but in a Phil: Yes. Why? can be a trial sometimes.
nice way. Helen: Well, they could exchange book
Helen: I’m sure they’ll meet up at some tips and maybe read the same books, like
coming up ifml.  manic 
stage. a kind of mini book club. ,  ist schon unterwegs, ,  wie wild, unaufhörlich
Phil: That’s the thing. I can see that Sean: That’s a great idea. The other day, kommt sofort
plot 
Simone is losing interest. Simone was in the kitchen reading a book
Illustrationen: sezgen, ulimi/iStock.com

foreseeable future  , Handlung

Sean: Hi, everyone! Peggy, the vegetable called The Austen Girls. When I asked her ,  absehbare Zeit
stage: at some ~  
delivery will be here any minute. about it, she gave me the whole plot and gutted  UK ifml. , irgendwann
Peggy: No, it won’t. They called and said some. ,  bitter enttäuscht
suspense: leave sb. in ~ 
there’s been a delay. I should have told Peggy: Do you know who the author is? historian  ,  jmdn. auf die Folter
you. Sorry about that. Helen: Isn’t it that TV historian Lucy , Historiker(in) spannen, zappeln lassen
Sean: In that case, I think I’ll have a drink. Worsley? leave: ~ that up to me  trial: be a ~ 
Phil: What’ll it be? Phil: Let me google it. ,  lass mich nur machen ,  strapaziös sein

10  Spotlight PEGGY’S PLACE

 BRITAIN TODAY

My favourite Reading
tip

read — a classic
comedy
Unser Kolumnist über seine Lieblingslektüre und die
Hoffnung, dass Theateraufführungen in Zukunft nicht
nur ein Traum bleiben.
EASY  AUDIO

I
’ve chosen Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream actors, the tragedy they’ve prepared quickly becomes
as my favourite book. Perhaps I’m bending the rules a comedy — to the amusement of their audience.
here: it is, after all, a play. It’s good to read Shake- When the characters are rude to each other, it
speare’s plays, but even better to see them performed sometimes adds to the fun, especially when Hermia
on stage — if the pandemic ever allows it. and Helena forget that they’re friends and swap fero-
This five-act comedy is set in Athens and a near- cious insults. There are darker moments, too, but by
by forest. Shakespeare’s forests can be fun, chaotic, the end of the play, we’re left with a magical sense of
dangerous, magical or a combination of these — but well-being and a classic, 400-year-old happy ending.
they’re never boring. There’s magic in the story and magic in the poetry.
This time, it’s a busy forest, with three groups of The lyrical language we hear from the fairies does as
characters. First, the lovers: Lysander and Hermia much to create our midsummer night’s dream as the
have escaped to the forest from Athens; Demetrius, twists and turns of the love stories.
the man whom Hermia’s father has ordered her to Recently, the Bridge Theatre in London switched
marry, has followed Lysander and Hermia to prevent the roles of fairy king and queen so that Titania made
them from marrying; and Helena, who’s hopelessly Oberon fall in love with Bottom. Her affair with a
in love with Demetrius, but absolutely miserable donkey became his gay affair with a donkey. Wonder-
because he’s in love with her lifelong friend, Hermia. fully comic it was, too. Well, as it’s a dream during
It’s complicated — or, as Lysander puts it: “The course midsummer night, anything can happen.
of true love never did run smooth.”
Also in the forest are six workmen rehearsing
bend: ~ the rules  prank 
a play they hope to perform at the wedding of the ,  die Regeln umgehen ,  Streich, Schabernack
Duke of Athens. One of the men stands out from the
centre stage  quarrel 
rest: Bottom, a weaver and a good-hearted show-off ,  im Mittelpunkt ,  streiten, zanken
who likes to be permanently centre stage.
donkey  rehearse 
The forest is also full of fairies, including Oberon, , Esel , proben
the king of the fairies, and Puck, his mischievous duke  rude 
servant. Instead of helping the lovers, their magic , Herzog , grob
makes them quarrel by mistake. fairy  servant 
Oberon has also quarrelled, with Titania, his fairy ,  Elf, Elfe , Diener(in)
queen. He tells Puck to use magic that will make ferocious  show-off  ifml.
her fall in love with the first thing she sees when ,  wütend, wüst , Angeber(in)
Foto: privat; Illustration: sezgen/iStock.com

she wakes up — which happens to be Bottom. And fiancée  swap 

thanks to Puck’s pranks, Bottom now has the head of , Verlobte , austauschen

COLIN BEAVEN
a donkey. Oops! insult  triple 
is a freelance In the end, all wrongs are put right and everyone , Beleidigung , dreifach
writer. He lives returns to the city for a triple wedding: the duke and mischievous  twists and turns 
and works in
his fiancée, Hermia and Lysander, Demetrius and ,  verschmitzt, schelmisch ,  überraschende Wendungen
Southampton on
the south coast Helena. They then settle down to watch the work- miserable  weaver 
of England. men perform their play. But because they’re terrible , unglücklich , Weber(in)

BRITAIN TODAY Spotlight 11 

 THE SUPPER CLUB
Reading
tip

Eating out —
with William Sitwell
William Sitwells Buch über die Geschichte des Restaurants erschien zu
Beginn des Corona-Lockdowns. Seine Schilderungen lassen uns Freude und
Enttäuschung am Essengehen miterleben. Zudem teilt er sein Lieblingsrezept
für Spaghetti Carbonara mit uns. Von LORRAINE MALLINDER
ADVANCED

T
he timing was us through a populist culinary history, night, while they were sleeping, the other
ironic. For when introducing us to a colourful cast — rang- elephants in the herd gathered around the
restaurant critic ing from the Romans of eat-drink-and- men, smelling each one of them and then
William Sitwell be-merry Pompeii to crazy modern chefs killing them all.
presented his new who have revolutionized gastronomy. In the Industrial Revolution, we meet
book on the history It reads as if it was fun to write, the the geologist John MacCulloch — whom
of eating out, every author taking an almost earnest delight Sitwell calls the world’s first food critic.
restaurant in the in throwing open his larder of fun facts. MacCulloch travelled to the loneliest cor-
world had closed. At home in the family mansion in North- ners of Scotland, suffering the indignities
Eating out? In amptonshire, however, sitting at the same of troglodyte inns and homes. “You must
the middle of the modern-day version desk where his grandfather wrote 137 not prepare to be impatient,” he writes,
of the plague? Face masks and meals in books, he says he went through “months while waiting for a dinner that usually ar-
restaurants don’t go well together. But of panic, stress and anxiety”. rives cold in the dirty inn of Mrs Maclarty.
Sitwell, who writes with the raffish wit of “Good luck with that one,” said anoth-
the old school toff, knows what it’s like to er food critic, Jay Rayner of The Observer,
be out of step with the zeitgeist. when Sitwell presented his “nightmare AD (Anno Domini)  nightmare 
A couple of years ago, the writer had project”. He begins in Pompeii in AD 79, ,  n. Chr. , Albtraum

a confrontation with angry vegans de- just hours before the deadly eruption brothel  pitch 
, Bordell ,  hier: Bewerbung,
termined to tear him down as editor that quickly buried the city. Here are the
Angebot
of a popular food magazine after he’d beginnings of organized hospitality: in an circumcision 
scorned a freelance pitch on vegan food. ancient city preserved under layers of hot , Beschneidung plague 
, Pest
“The main thing is not to look at Twitter,” volcanic ash and pumice for 18 centuries. editor 
he says wryly. Excavations show flashes of a colour- , Herausgeber(in) poo ifml. 
, Kacke
He lost that job, but was back soon after, ful lifestyle — a price list for fine local excavation 
, Ausgrabung pumice 
having landed a cool job as restaurant wines, and entertainingly lewd graffiti in
, Bimsstein
critic for The Telegraph — posing wasp- the bars and brothels. But the writer’s eye freelance 
, freiberuflich; hier: raffish 
ishly with a carrot in his publicity photo. focuses on the real gold: 2,000-year-old
eines Freiberuflers, einer , geistreich
Sitwell is not a man you should read if you poo that shows us what people ate back Freiberuflerin
scorn 
Foto: Kathrin Koschitzki; Illustration: sezgen, ulimi/iStock.com

don’t want any buttons pressed. then. Pompeians enjoyed lots of different
geologist  , verhöhnen
The cover of The Restaurant: A History of foods and some dishes that wouldn’t look ,  Geologe, Geologin
toff UK ifml. 
Eating Out looks like the door of a smart out of place in your local trattoria. hospitality  , Aristokrat
restaurant: it makes you think “exclusive” The joy of Sitwell’s book is in the rich , Gastfreundschaft
troglodyte 
and “expensive”. Knowing that the author detail. The 18,000 eggs included in the indignity  , Höhlenmensch,
comes from a family of aristocratic writers shopping list for a mid-16th-century , Demütigung Neandertaler
— great-aunt Edith was a famously eccen- Ottoman party to celebrate a prince’s larder  waspishly 
tric avant-garde poet (see Spotlight 5/20) circumcision. Or descriptions by 14th- , Vorratsschrank , bissig
— underlines that impression. century culinary explorer Ibn Battuta, lewd  wit 
So, it comes as a surprise to discover an who writes about the unhappy end of , anzüglich ,  Witz, Esprit
informal atmosphere in his book. Using some hungry men in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) mansion  wryly 
his “storyteller’s privilege”, Sitwell leads who killed and ate a small elephant. That ,  Herrenhaus, Villa , ironisch

12  Spotlight THE SUPPER CLUB

William Sitwell’s spaghetti carbonara

INGREDIENTS
• 100 g spaghetti
• 2 rashers dry, cured, unsmoked streaky bacon
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large organic egg
• 1 tbsp freshly grated organic Parmigiano
Reggiano, plus extra grated cheese for serving

INSTRUCTIONS
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes
Total time: 22 minutes

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook

the spaghetti according to the pack instructions.
Pour away the cooking water, but keep two
tablespoons. Meanwhile, cut the bacon rashers into
one-centimetre pieces. Warm a frying pan over a
high heat, then add the olive oil and bacon. Cook
for three to four minutes, until crispy and golden.
Add the pasta to the frying pan. Remove from
the heat and crack the egg into the pan. Stir well
to coat the pasta, adding the cheese and two
tablespoons of cooking water as you mix. Add
freshly ground black pepper.
Serve on a warm plate with extra black pepper
and the extra cheese. Serve with a green salad or a
tomato salad if desired.

crispy  rasher 
, knusprig , Speckstreifen

cured  streaky 
, gepökelt , durchwachsen

frying pan  tbsp (tablespoon) 

, Bratpfanne , Esslöffel

grated  unsmoked 
, gerieben , ungeräuchert
 From top left to bottom right:
With only one (wet and dirty) towel to hand, he has to dry his the eight steps to making Sitwell’s
face on the curtains. spaghetti carbonara
“You couldn’t make it up,” says Sitwell. “[MacCulloch] wrote
in a way that was so vivid. I thought he was so funny, so brilliant.”
Sitwell says he had the most fun writing about Britain’s rela-
tively recent dining revolution, led by the Roux brothers in the ..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
late 1960s. Their risky attempt to shake up the rather colourless ..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
restaurant scene was inspired by a painting of a fearless street ..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
urchin — the original gavroche, namesake of their first restaurant. ..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
Along the way, we meet Marco Pierre White, who went look- WILLIAM SITWELL’S
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
ing for a job with no more than £7.36 in his pocket and a cigarette SPAGHETTI CARBONARA
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
hanging from his lips. This real-life gavroche was the first of many By William Sitwell
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
supernova talents to come out of the Roux brothers’ mafia-like ..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
kitchens, blazing a trail through London’s restaurant scene. If anyone says the words “garlic” or “wine” or “cream” in
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
“Food is truly the greatest subject,” says Sitwell, sitting pretty the same breath as “spaghetti” and “carbonara”, you can
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
in Somerset, where he eats pulses, shellfish, fish and “the occa- only shun them. The simplest of classic Italian pasta dish-
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
sional meat-fest” of wild venison. His various business projects es needs nothing extra, just eggs, bacon — or pancetta, or
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
include William’s House Wines — the smallest wine shop in the lardons — and Parmesan. You don’t even need olive oil,.........
................................................................................................ as
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
world — and a podcast called Biting Talk. the ham can cook without it. Don’t scramble the egg, but
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
The podcast kept him connected to big names and new talent simply mix in the raw egg and add a little Parmesan into
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
in lockdown, which was only being lifted at the time of our chat. ..........................................................................................................
the pan and some more on the plate. It’s a dish that most
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
Restaurants around the world have been hit especially hard. ..........................................................................................................
of us can produce without planning, in that most kitch-
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
“There are a lot of stresses and huge difficulties,” he says. “But ..........................................................................................................
ens have eggs, pasta and Parmesan… Some crusty bread is
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
also a lot of creative energy and innovation. Chefs and restaura- ..........................................................................................................
good, too, and a big glass of wine. For red, choose Montalto
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
teurs are some of the most creative, versatile people there are.” ..........................................................................................................
Nero d’Avola 2018 (a delicious, organic Sicilian wine); for
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
In many ways, Sitwell’s book has arrived at the perfect time. ..........................................................................................................
white, Picpoul de Pinet St Clair 2019 (a crisp, mineral beau-
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
In the style of the best food writing, it tells a much bigger story, ..........................................................................................................
ty from Languedoc). Both are available at:
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
one fizzing with human creativity and imagination and total, ..........................................................................................................
www.williamshousewines.com
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
bloody-minded, relentless drive. ..........................................................................................................
Fotos: Kathrin Koschitzki; The Telegraph

blaze: ~ a trail  fizz  make sth. up  pulses  shellfish  venison 

,  (sich) einen Weg ,  sprudeln, sprühen ,  etw. erfinden , Hülsenfrüchte , Krustentiere , Wildbret
bahnen
garlic  namesake  relentless  shun sb.  versatile 
bloody-minded UK ifml.  , Knoblauch , Namensvetter , unnachgiebig ,  jmdm. aus dem Weg , vielseitig
, stur gehen, jmdn. meiden
lardon  organic  scramble  vivid 
crisp  , Speckwürfelchen , Bio- , verschlagen street urchin  , lebendig
,  hier: frisch , Straßenkind

14  Spotlight THE SUPPER CLUB

 AROUND OZ

My favourite Reading
tip

read — a coming-
of-age classic
Unser Korrespondent hat gelegentlich rebellische Züge – und
kann sich daher auch als reifer Mann mit der jugendlichen
Hauptfigur eines umstrittenen Klassikers identifizieren.
ADVANCED  AUDIO

H
olden Caulfield, the narrator and central character in A few years ago, they had a real alarm. Not a really real
J. D. Salinger’s 1951 masterpiece, The Catcher in the Rye, one, like a proper fire or anything, just some electrical
is just like me. No, he really is. When I was 16, I was so fault. So, I stayed at my computer.
awkward around girls. God, I’m still embarrassed just Then these big firemen in yellow jackets and
thinking about how dumb I was. I also got kicked out stupid helmets came and threw me out. They were
of a Catholic boarding school. I was a troublemaker, not happy with me — just like when I was kicked out
too. In my final exams — before they kicked me out of boarding school.
— I got 26 out of a possible 260 for maths and science. I walked out into the sun and saw all the other
I wasn’t much interested after writing my name on office workers lined up in neat rows. That made me
the cover sheet. laugh: all those grown-ups standing behind placards
The funny thing is, though, the priests made me on sticks with a number for each floor of the build-
read The Catcher in the Rye. I was good at English and ing. The people holding the sticks were wearing red
that book cracked me up. Holden was as goofy as me. helmets, like they were important or something.
He talked a lot about girls and personal stuff. And he Except for my crazy IT mates, Marc, Ric and Rob.
swore heaps. I joined them for a pint next door in Tiger Lil’s beer
You know what’s weird? Last century, this book garden. Sure, it was only 11 in the morning, but those
was — at the same time — the most compulsory and hundreds of people lined up on the street stared at us
censored read in the whole world. Why? It just was. like we were crazy— the bosses and all.
Then last year, my son Markus bought me the Young Holden, he would’ve liked that for sure. He
book again. I didn’t ask him to. Sometimes, he does liked a drink.
sweet shit like that. Because it was the centenary
of J. D.’s birthday, Penguin did special hardback edi-
blare  heaps ifml. 
tions with the original jacket designs. That killed me. , heulen ,  total viel
I mean, why did they put computer bar codes on the
boarding school  jacket 
backs when scanners didn’t even exist in the 1950s? , Internat ,  hier: Buchumschlag
That’s the other thing. You either love this book or centenary  mate UK, Aus. ifml. 
you hate it — nothing in the middle — like a nine out ,  100. Jahrestag ,  Kumpel, Kollege
Foto: privat; Illustrationen: sezgen, ulimi/iStock.com

of ten hot or not pretty at all. A lot of people don’t get coming-of-age classic  neat 
it. Maybe they think too much or don’t think much ,  Klassiker über das Erwachsen- , ordentlich
at all. Or maybe they just hate books. werden
placard 
You want to know what I hate? I hate office fire crack sb. up ifml.  , Plakat
alarms: whoop ... whoop ... whoop ... blaring over the ,  jmdn. zum Lachen bringen;
PETER FLYNN is a shit ifml. 
hier: etw. zum Totlachen finden
public-relations loudspeakers. I really hate the practice tests. ,  Quatsch, Blödsinn
consultant and “Attention, please! Attention, please! This is a fire deaf 
swear 
social commenta- , taub
alarm test. Repeat, this is a fire alarm test. No action , fluchen
tor who lives in
is required — whoop ... whoop ... whoop...” Jesus! Do goofy ifml. 
Perth, Western The Catcher in the Rye 
, verpeilt
Australia. they think we’re totally deaf as well as dumb? ,  dt. Titel: Der Fänger im Roggen

AROUND OZ Spotlight 15 

 INTERVIEW
The lady who
loves language:

Cornelia Funke —
Cornelia Funke

stories that make

you fly
Ihre Bücher haben die Fantasie einer ganzen Generation junger
und junggebliebener Leser beflügelt. TALITHA LINEHAN sprach mit
Cornelia Funke über das Schreiben, über die Wirkung, die Bücher auf
Kinder haben können, und über ihr Leben in Los Angeles.

MEDIUM  US

C
ornelia Funke has, Cornelia Funke: I was a social worker
through her writing, for years because I loved the company of
stolen her way into the children. I still do, and I think children are,
hearts of a generation most of the time, a far more inspired audi­
of children and teen­ ence than grown-ups. Being an illustrator
agers. Born in Dorsten of children’s books is far easier because lit­
in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, erature for grown-ups is no longer illus­
she began her career as an illustrator of trated. In the 19th century, books were
children’s books. Funke discovered that illustrated on every page. Sadly, that’s a
she wanted to draw creatures that authors thing of the past. So, yes, my love for chil­
weren’t writing about. So, she began writ­ dren is part of it. My love for fantasy is
ing herself. part of it, too. And, well, it all came togeth­
In 2000, Herr der Diebe was published in er in magical ways.
Germany to great critical acclaim — the
English translation, The Thief Lord, went Moving to America
on sale in 2002. This was followed by the Spotlight: How did you end up in the US?
young adult fantasy series that began Funke: For years, my husband and two
with Inkheart (Tintenherz) in 2003. Funke children had been thinking about mov­
has sold more than 20 million copies of ing to another country for a while, just
her books, which have been translated to widen our horizons. We had been to
into dozens of languages. Now 61, the au­ many places. Then, more and more things
thor lives on an avocado farm in Malibu happened professionally in the US. My
in Los Angeles County, California, where books were incredibly popular here. I won
she hosts an artists-in-residence program, several awards. I was in the Top 10 lists in
is visited by busloads of city children, and magazines. So many things happened in
tends to her donkeys, ducks, and owls. America that we felt very much at home
here, and we thought: “Why don’t we try
Writing for children to do this for a year?” So, in 2005, we came
Spotlight: Why do you write books aimed for three months and, in the end, we let
at children and young adults? our kids, Anna and Ben, decide whether

artist-in-residence  critical acclaim  host  owl 

Foto: picture alliance/dpa

,  vor Ort arbeitende(r) ,  kritische Anerkennung , veranstalten , Eule

und lebende(r) Künst-
donkey  incredibly  tend to sb./sth. 
ler(in)
, Esel , unglaublich ,  sich um jmdn./etw.
copy  kümmern
, Exemplar

INTERVIEW Spotlight 17 

 Reading
to stay or not, because they would have Reading habits: Germany v. the
tip
to pay a far higher price than us — they United States
would lose their school, their friends. We Spotlight: How do you think the Ameri-
had friends all over the world and could can and German literary markets com-
live wherever we wanted. They both de­ pare? Some might assume that Ger-
cided, for very different reasons, that they mans read more than Americans, but
would like to be here for a year, which at perhaps that’s a misconception.
that point meant Los Angeles. Funke: That’s a deep misconception. First
of all, you have this huge readership in
Life in Los Angeles America among commuters, who often Spotlight
Spotlight: Why Los Angeles? have to drive great distances to work, or recommends:
Funke: We came here for the first time take the train. In my experience, many a book for children
for the BookExpo America, where I had Americans, even if they do it on audio­ Owen Connors, Spotlight’s audio
won an award for The Thief Lord, but we book, are still readers. I think the literary editor, has twin daughters aged 11.
didn’t want to come. We thought: “LA? scene in America is very lively, and so is They loved The Midnight Gang by
No! Everybody hears the worst things the publishing scene. There are far more David Walliams.
about it. It’s just like a plastic city.” When independent booksellers here than, for ex­
we came here, we were surprised by how ample, in England. But in Germany, there Tom has been hit on the head by a
much we liked it. And then we came back, are very many independent booksellers cricket ball at his expensive private
over and over again. We had more and because Germany is, I think, about the school. Now, he must spend time
more friends. Also, Inkheart was being only country that has a fixed book price, recovering at Lord Funt Hospital,
turned into a Hollywood movie at that so the book is sold everywhere for the where he meets children in an even
time. When I finally moved to the US, same price. worse condition than himself: Am­
many people thought it was because of ber has broken both her arms and
the movie, but that’s complete nonsense. Success American style legs; Robin has had an operation on
It was being shot in Europe, so that was Spotlight: How about the publishing his eyes and can’t see; and Sally is so
not the reason. We moved to have an industry? How does that compare in sick, she can’t get out of bed. Mak­
adventure, because the kids wanted it. America and Germany? ing sure they all behave is horrible,
We moved because English was the lan­ Funke: I don’t compare America and child-hating Matron. When Tom
guage and that made it easier; every other Germany because I’m published in 40 discovers that the other children are
language would have been difficult. Nine countries, so I compare many countries, part of a secret club called the Mid­
months after we moved here, my hus­ and I would say that publishing is differ­ night Gang, he begins an extraor­
band died, quite unexpectedly, of cancer. ent in every country. In America, it can dinary adventure in which dreams
We had been married for 27 years and be extremely commercial because this come true. David Walliams is one
had done everything together, so every­ country is, in some ways, very materialis­ of the most popular children’s au­
body in Germany expected me to come tic. American values are far too often de­ thors in Britain and is also famous
back. But by then, I had such a big circle fined by money and success. There is the as a comedian, actor and television
of friends here and such a strong connec­ belief that talent and hard work always personality. In The Midnight Gang, he
tion to the place that I decided, with the bring success and a lot of money. That’s creates a strange and very funny
children, of course, to stay for now. a very old Puritan thought, that you are world that will entertain children
while dealing carefully with the
serious issues the story touches on.
HarperCollins, €7.64.

issue  matron 
, Thema, , Oberschwester
Problematik

assume  lively 
, annehmen ,  lebendig, aktiv

cancer  misconception 
, Krebs ,  falsche Wahrnehmung

commuter  publishing 
, Pendler(in) , Verlags-
Inkheart: a scene
Foto: ddp

from the 2008 film fixed book price  shoot 

, Buchpreisbindung ,  hier: drehen

18  Spotlight INTERVIEW

 Artist at work: Funke’s
desk with illustrations

rewarded in this world. I don’t agree. I made me love the German tongue even fairy tale  pile 
, Märchen , Stapel
think there are many, many talented peo­ more, because now I can compare and
ple out there who will never make it and see: “Ooh, the Germans have a word for infatuated: be ~ with sth.  plot 
,  in etw. vernarrt sein , (Roman)Handlung
never see money come to them, whereas this, the English don’t,” or “Ooh, English
ausdenken, planen
money — and success — can also come to has a word for this and German doesn’t.” mumble 
people who are very untalented. I love, love, love that. I wish I were more ,  vor sich hin murmeln treat 
,  Vergnügen, besonderer
talented in languages and could do this in passionate: be ~ about
Genuss
sth. 
Funke, the book eater 10 languages because it’s so very exciting.
,  etw. leidenschaftlich vast 
Spotlight: What do you like to read? Everybody who lives in two languages gern tun ,  riesig, enorm
Funke: First of all, I’m a book eater, so I will tell you that you are a different per­
have books all over the place. I have them son when you are in another language.
in piles everywhere and on shelves. I have Every language changes you. I used to
four guesthouses for young artists, all speak Italian fluently. Let me say, I was
piled up with books, and they always tell definitely somebody else when I was
me that my library is wonderful. What I speaking Italian.
mostly read, though, is non-fiction. I write
fiction and can get quite tired of plotting, Reading variety is key
so my greatest pleasure is breakfast with Spotlight: Do you have a favorite English
a good non-fiction book. That makes me author?
mumble between coffees: “No way! I had Funke: No, I have hundreds. I love to
no idea! Fascinating!” I read mostly about have many voices. I’m not somebody who
nature, about science, about history. At likes to eat the same thing everyday. My
the moment, the American author David library is so vast that I’m constantly pick­
Quammen is my favorite breakfast treat. ing books off my shelves and thinking:
“Ooh, I haven’t read that.”
Favorite language: English or I buy my books on www.biblio.com,
German? which I love because it sells used books.
Spotlight: You have written books in Eng- I used to be passionate about going to
lish and in German. Which language do libraries, and I still support many, but Reading
you prefer? now I want to have the books so that I tips
Funke: Since the age of 16, I have only can write in them, put them back on the
read in English. I have a love affair with shelves, and remember them. For every
the English language. I don’t really ques­ book that I write, I buy at least 50 to 60
Foto: laif/Dirk Eisermann

tion that, just as I don’t question my love books as research. I just wrote the fourth
affairs! I have always been infatuated part of my Reckless series, which is based
with English. To me, it’s very different and on Japanese fairy tales, so I had to buy
very similar to German, and I love to work everything about Japan and the culture
in both languages. The English language there.

INTERVIEW Spotlight 19 

 I ASK MYSELF

My favorite Reading
tip

read — stories
of gods and
goddesses
Eines der Lieblingsbücher unserer Kolumnistin hat
inzwischen auch das Herz ihrer Tochter erobert.
ADVANCED  US

E
very night, I ask my daughter what bedtime story she green meadow to drag her down to the underworld
wants me to read. And every night, the answer is the in a chariot pulled by black horses. The violence of
same: “Greek myths!” this scene was underscored by the little pink pigs
Not just any Greek mythology, of course, but the the d’Aulaires portrayed falling helplessly into the
luminously illustrated collection by Ingri and Edgar chasm with her.
Parin d’Aulaire — the same book I loved as a child. After I had read every story in the book to my
Reading those stories about Zeus and Athena daughter, and then read them to her a second and
and Apollo and all the other gods and goddesses third time, I decided to let her listen to Greek myth
on Mount Olympus was like entering another uni- podcasts during a long car drive. I was shocked: The
verse. They had an intricate family tree and complex stories were full of sex and graphic violence!
rivalries, and each had a very special kind of power Somehow, it had never occurred to me that the
over the world — the god of war, the goddess of the d’Aulaires had cleaned up the stories to make them
harvest, the god of music and light. They were like suitable for children. Because when I read their book
super-heroes, but with more compelling storylines. as a child, something about its complexity and mythic
Now, it’s hard to imagine how Superman and his power made me feel so grown-up. And I can tell that
brethren could have been inspired by anything but my daughter now feels the same way.
Greek mythology. While I understood that none of it
was “real,” the way their stories offered explanations
brethren   mural 
for so much in the natural world — why the sun rises , Brüder , Wandgemälde
and sets, where thunder and lightning come from,
chariot  occur to sb. 
why bad things happen to good people — prepared , (Streit)Wagen ,  jmdm. einfallen
me to look for answers in my own universe.
chasm  radiate 
But the power of the book wasn’t just in these , Abgrund , strahlen
almost 3,000-year-old tales, my introduction to the
compelling  seize 
classics. It was also in the illustrations, which seemed , fesselnd , packen
equally timeless. The d’Aulaires — he was Swiss- fresco  slab 
Italian, she was Norwegian — met at art school in , Freskenmalerei , (Stein)Platte
Foto: privat; Illustrationen: sezgen, ulimi/iStock.com

Munich and were married in 1925. He studied fresco graphic  stately 

in Florence and painted murals, which may explain , drastisch , imposant
the stately, iconic quality of the illustrations — print- intricate  stone lithography 
ed using stone lithography, which involved using ,  kompliziert, verworren , Steindruck
huge slabs of Bavarian limestone. limestone  underscore 
AMY ARGETSINGER When I first picked up the book to show it to my , Kalkschieferstein , unterstreichen
is an editor at daughter, probably 35 years after I had last read it, the luminously  vivid 
The Washington
vividly colorful, sharply outlined images seemed to ,  brillant, leuchtend ,  lebendig, anschaulich
Post, a leading
daily newspaper radiate against my memory. There was gray Hades, meadow 
in the US. seizing golden-haired Persephone from a sunny , Wiese

I ASK MYSELF Spotlight 21 

 The writer as a speaker:
Reading
Funke at a recording tip
studio in Hamburg, 2017

What Cornelia
Funke is currently reading
At the time of our interview, Funke,
who likes non-fiction, was read­
ing David Quammen. The science
and nature writer is best known
for Spillover: Animal Infections and the
Next Human Pandemic (German: Spill-
over: Der tierische Ursprung weltweiter
Seuchen) from 2012. Lyme disease,
Tell the reader how difficult and and the world is a safe and wonderful Ebola, SARS, and Covid-19 are all
beautiful life can be place.” You can’t do that. You have to tell “zoonoses” — diseases that can
Spotlight: Why do you think your books them the truth. cross from animals to humans. In
are so popular? Spillover, Quammen, writing both
Funke: Maybe because I love my audi­ Books open the world for children for scientists and the general pub­
ence. When I do workshops or speeches Spotlight: How do you encourage chil- lic, investigates these illnesses
for young writers, I often tell them that dren to read? in the style of an exciting crime
many people nowadays Funke: You have to find story. Scientists are detectives
think: “Oh, you write books
to earn a living,” or “You
“Writers a way to show them that
books can open doors and
hunting down different zoonoses
— and Quammen often joins in
write books to be as rich have to windows and make their the search. He goes to Central Af­
as J. K. Rowling,” or “You
write books to please your­
find the world so much wider.
That’s what books did for
rica to see the effect of Ebola on
gorillas, or to the Ganges Delta
self and tell yourself you’re stories me. I lived in a small town to help catch bats so that they
a writer.” I don’t think that’s
true. I think writers have to
others in Germany. My father and
I walked over two bridges
can be tested for the Nipah virus.
Spillover is exciting and informa­
find the stories that others cannot to the library, because we tive — a must-read in these times.
cannot tell and that what
we do is fish the words
tell” didn’t have a car, and for
me, those excursions were
German edition: Deutsche Verlags-
Anstalt, €16.
for all those who cannot magic. In that library, there
do that, who have no words. Ours is al­ were voices whispering in the shelves, bat  Lyme disease 
most like a sacred profession. I have the and they knew so much more about the , Fledermaus , Lyme-Borreliose

parents of dying children writing to me: world than anybody I knew did. There cross 
“With your books, my child faces up to were so many different minds and brains ,  hier: übertragen
werden
death and rides your dragon. The book and ideas in those books. I think you need
comforts and helps us all.” I got a letter to show a child that they can find friends
from a soldier in Iraq who said she sur­ and adventure in books, very interesting
vived the desert because of Inkdeath. I get friends. They make you travel the world, comfort  sacred 
, trösten , heilig; hier: verantwor-
these letters all the time and they remind shape-shift, be a thousand people and a
tungsvoll
you what a story does if you do it properly. thousand different creatures. They train dragon 
You cannot lie about the world. You have you to walk in other people’s shoes and to , Drache shape-shift 
,  sich verwandeln
to say how difficult and beautiful life can be curious. They’re chocolate, not medi­ face: ~ up to sth. 
be. Your words can create shelters from cine prescribed by teachers and parents. ,  etw. ins Auge/Gesicht shelter 
sehen , Schutz(raum)
the storm. But I believe that, at the same Films can do that, too, of course. So can TV
living: earn a ~  shoes: walk in other
time, your readers need to hear the storm and music. All the arts can do that. They
Foto: picture alliance/dpa

,  seinen Lebensunterhalt people’s ~ 

when they travel with your words. They make us fly. verdienen ,  sich in jmdn. hineinver-
need to know you’re not lying to them. setzen
Upcoming novels by Cornelia Funke (in German) prescribe 
You don’t tell them: “Oh, the lamb sleeps Reckless 4: Auf silberner Fährte, November 2020 , verschreiben, whisper 
next to the lion and nothing will happen, Tintenwelt: Die Farbe der Rache, October 2021 verordnen , flüstern

20  Spotlight INTERVIEW

 in the next room opened and Armin stepped on to Herr Konrad was clearly upset and was wagging his
his balcony. finger vigorously at a man and a woman. The woman
“Well?” he asked nervously. “Do you like it?” looked around anxiously from time to time to see if
“It’s very nice,” said Dorothy. “Now, let’s go and they were being watched. They were in their thirties
have lunch somewhere.” and had a certain tanned, polished, business consul­
After they had eaten, Armin showed her the town tant look that reminded Dorothy of weasels.
and the parks, and entertained her with stories of “He does, doesn’t he?” answered Armin. “I wonder
how Chancellor Bismarck would visit each year to what that’s about.”
take the waters and lose weight, then return to Berlin Suddenly, the couple turned and quickly walked
to put it back on again. away from Herr Konrad. He tried to follow them but
“Very interesting,” she said. “What about some soon gave up and sat down on a bench as they left the
tea?” park. After a while, he shook his head, got up and left.
“No, no, Dorothy. The Brunnenhalle is opening “Ah, well, show’s over,” said Armin. “Shall we carry
again for the afternoon session. You can try your on?”
first glass.” They continued to the end of the hall, turned and
“But…” began Dorothy. began walking back. Dorothy’s glass stayed stubborn-
“Come along,” answered Armin. “We’re not here ly full.
to enjoy ourselves, are we?” “Oh, look,” said Dorothy, pointing at some post-
ers advertising events that were taking place in the
town. As Armin went to inspect them, she emptied
her glass behind a nearby palm tree.
“Well, that’s a coincidence!” said Armin, staring at
one of the posters on the wall. “It’s those two people
we saw arguing with Herr Konrad. They’re called
Tony and Gina King and they’re giving a talk here
tomorrow: ‘OneThaler — The Millionaire’s Secret’.
Whatever that is!”
The story continues on the next page.

The Brunnenhalle was light and airy and Dorothy was

impressed by the polished marble and the shiny brass Taking the waters
pipes from which different waters were chosen for Now, try these two exercises.
the visitors, depending on their ailments.
“There you are,” said Armin after a long conver- Exercise 1: Comprehension
sation with a very serious-looking Brunnenfrau. Choose the correct name(s): Dorothy or Armin — or
“You have a glass of Rakoczy water, and I’ll have both.
Pandur. Frau Schönmeier says we should drink it 1. Dorothy / Armin recently had a heart attack.
slowly while walking around the Wandelhalle. Are 2. Dorothy / Armin is looking forward to this holiday.
you ready?” 3. Dorothy / Armin often visited this hotel as a child.
4. Dorothy / Armin is sceptical about the mineral water.
It wasn’t very nice, but Dorothy dutifully took sips
5. Dorothy / Armin watch an argument.
from her glass as they strolled down the hall. She sus-
pected Armin’s water tasted even worse than hers, Exercise 2: Vocabulary
judging by the look on his face.
Choose the right words to complete the description of
“Isn’t that Herr Konrad?” said Dorothy, stopping
the argument in the park.
and pointing towards the park through a window.
anxiously | polished | turned | upset | wagging
“He seems to be having a row.”
1. Herr Konrad was clearly ______________.
2. He was ______________ his finger vigorously at a man
ailment  inspect sth.  suspect  and a woman.
, Krankheit, ,  sich etw. genauer ,  ahnen, den 3. The woman looked around ______________ from time
Beschwerden ansehen Verdacht haben to time.
airy  marble  tanned  4. The couple were tanned and ______________.
, luftig , Marmor , sonnengebräunt 5. Suddenly, the couple ______________ and walked away.
brass  row  UK ifml. vigorously 
, Messing , Streit , energisch Answers
coincidence  stroll  wag 
3. anxiously
2. wagging

4. polished
1. Dorothy

4. Dorothy

Exercise 2
Exercise 1

5. turned

, Zufall , schlendern ,  wedeln, fuchteln

2. Armin
3. Armin

1. upset
5. both

dutifully  stubbornly  weasel 

, pflichtbewusst , hartnäckig , Wiesel

SHORT STORY Spotlight 23 

 SHORT STORY

Taking the waters —

a Ms Winslow investigation
CHAPTER 1

Spotlights Amateur-Detektivin Dorothy Winslow hat sich von ihrem guten Bekannten
Armin von Weiden überreden lassen, mit ihm in den Kurort Bad Kissingen zu fahren.
Von JAMES SCHOFIELD
MEDIUM  AUDIO

T
here,” said Armin von Weiden as he it while walking around the Wandelhalle — which is
parked outside the Kurhotel Fürstin a very elegant building — or the Kurgarten if the
Theresia in Bad Kissingen. “Isn’t it weather’s nice. There’s also an orchestra playing. It’s
impressive? This is where we always all very civilized.”
stayed when I was a child.” “But I won’t know anybody.”
Dorothy Winslow looked doubtfully at the build- “Which is why I’ve decided to come, too. I’ve been
ing. It had been built at the end of the 19th century, feeling a bit unwell myself recently. The waters will
and she could imagine how glamorous it must have do me good.”
been before the First World War, when the town So, Dorothy had agreed.
was a popular resort for European aristocrats and The lobby was grand, but
the wealthy bourgeoisie. Now, it looked a little tired Doro­thy’s feeling that the hotel
and shabby, like an elderly duchess who was finding was in difficulties continued.
it hard to manage on her pension. The postcards on the stand
“Three weeks living here and drinking the Kissin- next to the reception desk were
gen waters and we’ll look ten years younger!” contin- old and the grey-haired man at
ued Armin. “Just what we both need. My great-aunt the counter who checked them
Adeline came here every year and she lived to be over in turned out to be the owner,
a hundred.” Herr Konrad.
After a heart attack had put her in hospital, Doro- “I’m afraid we can’t serve
thy’s good friend Armin had persuaded her to stay for lunch today,” he said apologetically. “We’re short of
a while at a Kurhotel to recover. It had not been easy to kitchen staff at the moment. Dinner will be as usual.
Illustrationen: A-Digit, yellowdesign, Tuchkovo, ivan-96, sezgen/iStock.com

get her to agree. Your rooms are on the first floor…”

“You’re saying I should stay in a hotel and drink Dorothy was pleased with her room, which was
salty water every morning and evening?” she’d asked. at the back of the hotel and looked on to the Kurpark.
“The water isn’t just salty. It has all sorts of miner- It was clean, the furniture was solid and everything
als as well,” Armin had explained. “And it’s a pleasant looked as if the room had remained unchanged since
experience. You go to the Brunnenhalle twice a day the hotel first opened. She went out on to the little
and you’re served one of the different spring waters balcony, and as she stood there, she saw Herr Konrad
in a special glass by the Brunnenfrauen. Then you sip leaving the hotel by a back entrance. The windows

apologetically  elderly  heart attack  short: be ~ of sth.  staff 

, entschuldigend ,  (schon etwas) älter, , Herzinfarkt ,  knapp sein an etw. , Personal
betagt
duchess  shabby  sip  waters: take the ~ 
, Gräfin grand  , heruntergekommen ,  in kleinen Schlucken ,  eine Kur machen
, prachtvoll trinken

22  Spotlight SHORT STORY

 CHAPTER 2

Ms Winslow hatte den Eindruck, dass in diesem ruhigen

Kurort wohl gar nichts Interessantes passiert. Da sollte sie sich aber täuschen.
Von JAMES SCHOFIELD
MEDIUM  AUDIO

W
hen they got back to the hotel, deliberately stepped in front of the bus. It’s all very
they found the lobby in chaos. confusing, but it doesn’t really matter that much. The
The police were leaving, guests main thing is he’s still alive.”
were standing around in little “Hmm, yes, but there is a difference between an
groups and talking excitedly, accident and deliberately stepping in front of the bus.
and the receptionist was trying to deal with things Not that we’ll ever know, I suppose.”
while the phone rang non-stop. Dinner that evening was very quiet. Afterwards,
“Was ist passiert?” Armin asked those around him, Armin went to bed. Dorothy sat in her room for a
and for the next 20 minutes, he was given a dozen while but found it impossible to settle. There was
different accounts. Dorothy went to her room, made something she had to know.
herself some tea and waited. She went downstairs again, walked out of the ho-
“It seems,” said Armin when he finally appeared, tel through the main entrance and crossed the road,
“that Herr Konrad had an accident on his way into which still bore the brake marks made by the bus. She
the hotel, although it may not have been an accident. looked in both directions. The road was very straight.
Nobody’s quite sure. Anyway, the point is that he was It would be impossible not to see a bus approaching.
hit by a bus while crossing the road and now he’s in Back inside, Dorothy went over to the night porter,
hospital.” a young man reading a book.
“What do you mean it may not have been an acci- “Excuse me,” she said. “Is there a back entrance
dent? Are you saying the bus driver may have tried into the hotel from the Kurpark, or is there only the
to kill him?” front entrance facing the main road?”
“No, nothing like that, but people saw different “There is one from the dining room,” he answered.
things. Most of them think he was careless cross- “It’s open during the day.”
ing the road, but there’s one lady who thinks he “Of course. I was just wondering…”

account  approach  brake mark  deliberately 

,  hier: Bericht, Dar- , näherkommen , Bremsspur ,  absichtlich, bewusst
stellung

24  Spotlight SHORT STORY

 “Yes?” “And your grandfather invested in this?”
“Well, I saw Herr Konrad in the Kurpark before his “I know he sold some land, but it wasn’t enough
… accident. It seems odd that he used the front en- to renovate the hotel. So, I think his idea was to use
trance and not the back entrance.” that money to invest in OneThalers to get what he
“Exactly!” said the young man, excitedly. “That’s needed. He showed me their leaflets and asked my
just what I thought! Why would my grandfather go opinion. I thought it was a big con.”
to the front entrance when he was coming from the “But do you really doubt that he had an accident?”
Kurpark?” Dorothy asked.
Dorothy looked at him with interest and noticed She could see the young man was not certain how
that his name tag read Hector Konrad. “You don’t be- much to say, so she helped him a little. “You see, if I
lieve it was an accident?” needed a lot of money — because I was facing bank-
“I’m not saying that. It’s a bit strange, that’s all.” ruptcy — then I might gamble on something like
Dorothy thought for a moment. “I hear,” she said the OneThaler. But if I then realized the OneThaler
finally, “that the hotel is in trouble. Financially, I was a con, I might decide to make my suicide look
mean.” like a traffic accident so that my heirs could claim on
“Anyone can see that. Nothing’s been repaired for insurance and not be left with all my debts. Can you
years, there’s not enough staff and half of them are imagine that happening?”
students, like me. And we get paid late.” Reluctantly, Hector nodded. “It’s possible. Grand-
“But you carry on working here?” father was always heavily insured. And he’d rather
“Well, as I said, he’s my grandfather. He’s really a die than tell anyone he was going bankrupt. But what
very nice man. Just unlucky.” can I do? I don’t know for sure that he’s involved with
“Unlucky?” the OneThaler.”
“People don’t want a hotel Kur any more, they “Hmm,” said Dorothy. “I think he probably is.
want ‘wellness’. My grandfather needed money to Perhaps I should tell you what I saw this afternoon
remodel the hotel, and then he got mixed up with and then maybe we can organize something for
those OneThaler people.” this so-called Millionaire’s Secret event tomorrow
Dorothy’s ears pricked up. “Who are they exactly? evening…”
They’re giving a talk here tomorrow — something The story continues on the next page.
called ‘The Millionaire’s Secret’.”
Hector gave a snort of disgust. “Tony and Gina
King are an American brother-and-sister sales team Taking the waters
for a cryptocurrency called OneThaler. They travel Now, try these two exercises.
around Germany to places where there are plenty
of wealthy old people, like Bad Kissingen, and give Exercise 3: Comprehension
presentations full of words such as “cryptomining” Answer the following questions with “yes”, “no” or
or “blockchain” that nobody understands. They “probably”.
convince people that they can make a fortune by 1. Has Herr Konrad been killed by a bus?
investing in OneThalers, persuade them to wait for 2. Is the hotel in good financial shape?
the value to rise and then, at a certain point in time, 3. Has Herr Konrad invested in OneThalers?
to sell them. But the promised date when they can 4. Does he have good life insurance?
finally cash in their OneThalers for real money keeps 5. Did he deliberately step in front of the bus?
changing.”
Illustrationen: Tuchkovo, ivan-96/iStock.com; Visual Generation/Shutterstock.com

Exercise 4: Vocabulary
Fill in the missing letters to create the words that
bankruptcy  gamble  odd  describe the OneThaler.
, Bankrott , spielen , sonderbar, 1. The OneThaler is a c _ y _ _ o c _ r _ _ n _ y.
seltsam 2. It claims to use b _ o _ k c _ a _ n technology.
blockchain  heir 
, Blockchain-Aktien ,  Erbe, Erbin prick up: sb.’s ears ~   3. Investors wait for the v _ l _ e of the OneThaler to
(digitales Buchungs- ,  jmd. wird hellhörig rise.
insurance: claim
system) 4. At a certain point, they want to c _ _ h i _ their
on ~   reluctantly 
cash in  ifml. , Versicherungs­ , zögerlich OneThalers for real money.
,  in Bargeld anspruch erheben 5. Then they find out that it was all a big c _ n.
remodel 
einlösen
leaflet  , umgestalten
con  ifml. , Broschüre Answers
snort: give a ~ of
,  Betrug, Schwindel
mixed: get ~ up with  disgust 
1. no (He was

2. blockchain
problems.)
2. no (It has

cryptocurrency 
3. probably

5. probably

,  hier: sich mit , verächtlich

currency
financial
injured.)

Exercise 4
Exercise 3

1. crypto­

4. cash in

, Kryptowährung jmdm. einlassen schnauben

3. value

5. con
4. yes

fortune  nod   tag 

, Vermögen , nicken , Schildchen

SHORT STORY Spotlight 25 

 CHAPTER 3

Nach dem mysteriösen Unfall des Besitzers des Kurhotels Fürstin Theresia
nimmt Dorothy Winslow seine Geschäftsbeziehungen genauer unter die Lupe.
Von JAMES SCHOFIELD
MEDIUM  AUDIO

T
he hall for the Millionaire’s Secret Hector raised his hand and an assistant handed him
event was very elegant. As Dorothy a microphone. What about his grandfather, Herr
and Armin entered, they were offered Konrad, the owner of the Kurhotel Fürstin Theresia?
a glass of sparkling wine and some He’d invested in OneThalers and now he was in hos-
canapés. Waiters and waitresses pital because…
carried trays back and forth while large security The microphone instantly went dead and sudden-
guards in black suits checked tickets. ly, there were two large security men standing next to
“There’s a lot of money invested in this event,” Hector. They lifted him up and bundled him out of a
said Armin to Dorothy. “I hope your guess is right side door in about 30 seconds. A nervous ripple went
about what’s going on. Otherwise, this could be very through the audience.
embarrassing.” Tony apologized for the interruption. Unfortu-
“Yes,” said Dorothy. “I might never be allowed to nately, he said, there were people in the world who
drink the Kissingen waters again. Let’s see.” hated OneThalers. People who didn’t want others to
The other guests were mostly elderly and clearly succeed. But they were losers, and the OneThaler was
well-off. The food and drink relaxed them, and by for winners. Were there any more questions?
the time they were asked to sit down, the mood was Armin got up, clearing his throat. The audience
cheerful. turned to look at him and Dorothy could see Tony
The music that had been playing in the back- and Gina relax at the sight of this elderly, well-dressed
ground increased in volume and coloured lights gentleman: he was exactly their target audience and
started flashing on the stage as dry-ice smoke began they knew how to handle him.
to cloud the view. Then the smoke was blown away But what was the exit strategy? Armin asked. How
and Tony and Gina King appeared on the stage like quickly could investors take their money out if they
rock stars. needed it for unforeseen expenses? And, he added,
Their presentation was convincing. Had the guests what about the technology? Was there real block-
heard the story of the taxi driver who’d invested in chain technology in place? How could anyone know
bitcoins because of a conversation he’d overheard if the figures they showed were genuine? And what
in his cab — and two years later was able to retire about cybersecurity? Was there… ?
and travel the world? Did they wish they could do The music quickly started up again. Time for a Illustrationen: Tuchkovo, ivan-96/iStock.com; alya_haciyeva/Shutterstock.com
something like that, or help their children and grand­ short break and another drink, said Gina. Afterwards,
children? It was possible if they invested in the new they’d share the Millionaire’s Secret with those
cryptocurrency, the OneThaler, before the price guests who wanted to make the most of their lives.
exploded. In a year from now, they’d be able to get Everybody stood up, many of them giving Armin
back their money with a potential profit of 13,000 a suspicious look. Was this a OneThaler hater? Armin
per cent! touched the arm of one of the assistants.

back and forth  expenses  instantly  ripple  throat: clear one’s ~  

,  hin und her , Ausgaben ,  sofort, augenblicklich ,  hier: Reaktion, Unruhe ,  sich räuspern

bundle  figure  overhear sth.  sparkling wine  tray 

, packen , Zahl ,  etw. zufällig hören , Sekt , Tablett

cab  genuine  retire  suspicious  well-off 

, Taxi , echt ,  in den Ruhestand , misstrauisch ,  gutsituiert, betucht
gehen
embarrassing  increase in volume  target audience 
, peinlich ,  lauter werden , Zielgruppe

26  Spotlight SHORT STORY

 “Tell Herr and Frau King to meet us in the Brunnen-
halle,” said Armin. “If they want this event to contin-
ue, then we need to talk. We’ll be sitting at a table.”
As Dorothy had predicted, Tony and Gina came
and Armin did most of the talking. He was a lawyer,
he claimed, representing Herr Konrad’s sister, Gun-
dula, who spoke very little English. Herr Konrad had
foolishly invested money belonging to his sister in
their OneThaler scheme. She wanted the money back
and if she didn’t get it, her representatives would fol-
low Tony and Gina to every event they organized
from Rügen to Mittenwald and ask some uncomfort-
able questions in front of the guests. Is that what they
wanted? Dorothy frowned at them, the very picture
of an angry, elderly German matron called Gundula.
Brother and sister looked at Dorothy and shook
their heads. There were plenty more Herr Konrads
waiting for them back at the event. They didn’t need Taking the waters
any trouble. Now, try these two exercises.
“Excellent,” said Armin. “A very good decision.
Now, I have a legally binding contract here for trans- Exercise 5: Comprehension
ferring Herr Konrad’s OneThalers to you, and the Match the sentence halves.
money back to the Konrad family…” 1. The presentation starts with a display that...
They signed. As they did so, Frau Schönmeier, the 2. The Kings claim the OneThaler investment will...
Brunnenfrau, came and placed four small glasses of 3. Armin asks questions that...
water on the table in front of them. 4. The Kings sign a contract that...
“Very good,” said Armin, picking up his glass. “Let 5. The Brunnenfrau gives the Kings special mineral
us drink to a successful meeting with the refreshing water that...
Kissingen waters. Prost!” A. show the problems with cryptocurrencies.
All four drank their water straight down. With dif- B. gives the Konrads’ money back to the family.
ficulty, Dorothy kept her features straight. C. give an unbelievably large profit.
“Jesus!” said Tony, his face twisted in disgust. “No D. will send them hurrying to the toilet.
E. makes the Kings look like big stars.
wonder your client is so sour-faced if she drinks this
stuff! Come on, Gina. Let’s get back to the show…”
Exercise 6: Vocabulary
“You guessed right, Dorothy,” Armin said. “We did
Choose the right meaning (A or B) for each sentence.
manage to frighten them!”
Focus on the word(s) in bold.
“Thanks to you, Armin,” said Dorothy. “You were
1. [Two security men] bundled him out of a side door.
perfect. But I do feel a bit guilty about those people
A. They led him politely out of the room.
about to invest money in that nonsense — 13,000 per
B. They pushed him out of the room.
cent, for goodness’ sake!”
2. A nervous ripple went through the audience.
“Hmm,” said Armin. “Don’t worry about them.”
A. Comments passed through the hall like a little wave.
“No?”
B. Comments crashed through the hall like a big wave.
“No. You see, we had the normal water, but I asked
3. Armin got up, clearing his throat.
Frau Schönmeier to bring Tony and Gina Bitterwasser,
A. He had a sore throat and could hardly speak.
which helps people with constipation. In about 15 B. He gave a little cough, preparing to speak.
minutes, the last thing those two will be able to do is
4. This elderly, well-dressed man was their target
talk about OneThalers.”
audience.
Dorothy smiled. “That seems very suitable. Well, A. He was exactly the sort of customer they wanted.
shall we tell young Hector Konrad the good news?” B. He was exactly the sort of customer they didn’t want.
5. With difficulty, Dorothy kept her features straight.
constipation  for goodness’ sake  scheme   A. She wanted to keep everything tidy on the table.
, Verstopfung ,  um Himmels , Plan; hier: B. She had to hide her feelings, so that they didn’t show
Willen Schwindel on her face.
disgust 
, Ekel frown at sb.  sour-faced  Answers
,  jmdn. finster , sauertöpfisch,
features: keep one’s
ansehen griesgrämig
Exercise 6
Exercise 5

~ straight 
,  keine Miene predict  twist 
4–A
5–D
4–B
3–A

2–A
2–C

5–B
3–B
1–B
1–E

verziehen , vorhersagen ,  (sich) verziehen

SHORT STORY Spotlight 27 

 TRAVEL WRITING

Paper trail — the

history of travel writing
Reiseliteratur ist kein Genre, auf das die englischsprachige
Welt ein Vorrecht hätte, aber sie hat ein paar ihrer besten Vertreter
hervorgebracht. Von EVE LUCAS
MEDIUM  PLUS

Prologue
This is the year in which our plans for travel and the way we travel has hit some serious
turbulence. As we wait and hope for the kind of carefree tourism we all enjoyed before the
pandemic to return, we invite you to join us on another kind of journey — through the his-
tory of travel writing in the English language. Have a good trip!

Chapter 1: Ancient journeys Margery Kempe (who was unable to read or write), dictated
Travel stories, in one form or another, have been with us from to scribes The Book of Margery Kempe about her travels to pil-
the start of human existence. Preliterate people spoke of grimage sites from Canterbury, in south-east England, to the
places they had seen and places they imagined. Writing itself Holy Land and about a parallel inner journey from hopeless-
developed as a result of travelling: somewhere on the eastern ness to salvation. Her book is believed to be one of the earli-
shores of the Mediterranean, a simple alpha- est English books by a woman — and the first
bet was created between 1700 and 1500 BCE, autobiography written in English. The ener-
perhaps to help soldiers and tradesmen to getic Kempe, a businesswoman and mother
communicate with locals. of 14 children, was so moved by the religious
Religious belief was also a reason to travel. sites she visited that “…she cried, she roared,

Fotos: akg-images/British Library; Look and Learn/Bridgeman Images; Christopher Hall/Shutterstock.com; PaulPaladin/iStock.com
In the spring of 1188, Gerald of Wales, a she wept, she fell down to the ground”.
12th-century archdeacon and historian, jour- There have, of course, always been fiction-
neyed across Cambria (Wales), recruiting al travel stories to inspire us, from Homer’s
soldiers for the Third Crusade. His Itinerarium Odyssey (probably composed at the end of the
Kambriae is full of detail about people, places eighth century BCE) to Daniel Defoe’s Rob-
and traditions. inson Crusoe (1719) — these are as much about
In the early 1430s, an Englishwoman, self-discovery as about discovery of place.

Reading
tips

archdeacon  compose  pilgrimage site  recruit  salvation  Third Crusade 

, Erzdiakon ,  hier: verfassen , Pilgerstätte ,  rekrutieren, anwerben ,  Rettung, Erlösung ,  Dritter Kreuzzug

BCE (before the local  preliterate  roar  scribe  tradesman 

Common Era)  , Einheimische(r) ,  ohne Schrift, vor­ , brüllen , Schreiber(in) , Händler(in)
,  vor unserer Zeit­ schriftlich
weep 
rechnung
, weinen

28  Spotlight TRAVEL WRITING

 Chapter 2: Technology and travel writing of a knowledge-hungry citizen reading by candlelight
The invention of book printing in the 15th century created about Cook’s first journey, which began on 25 August 1768:
a larger audience for travel writing and maps. More efficient “At 2 p.m. got under sail and put to sea…”
sea travel took explorers such as Christopher Columbus The Grand Tour — on which aristocratic young English-
(1451–1506) and, later, Francis Drake (1540–1596) to new and men journeyed around Europe to visit sights of cultural in-
exotic locations. Explorers hoped to find great riches and to terest — led to numerous travel accounts, including those
colonize new continents for their kings and queens, so they made famous by James Boswell in the 1760s. Subjective
documented their journeys. responses to new places and experiences became part of
Principall Navigations, published in 1589 by English geog- the genre. Women began to publish travel journals, too. In
rapher Richard Hakluyt (c. 1552–1616), is an early example 1847, the sisters Mary and Anne Wilson from London took a
of collected travel writings. Hakluyt did not journey further tour of Continental Europe. On Sunday, 2 May, Mary wrote:
than France, but in Principall Navigations, he brought together “A beautiful bright morning, did not get up very soon & after
eyewitness accounts of travellers to the New World. The aim breakfast went out to see what like a place Berlin is … walked
of the book was to persuade Queen Elizabeth I of the need to up the Linden avenue, to the Brandenburgh gate & into the
establish colonies in North America. Thier garten…”
As the sun rose on the Age of Enlightenment, knowledge Scientific enquiry continued to dominate travel writing
became the new frontier. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, by men. Charles Darwin’s reports of his voyages on HMS
travel books were a way to Beagle from 1831 to 1836
stay in touch with devel- laid the foundations for
opments. The English ex- his work on evolution.
plorer Captain James Cook Like his friend Alex-
(1728–1779) kept journals ander von Humboldt,
on his expeditions to the Darwin was interested
southern hemisphere. in finding a connection
An edited version of his between all forms of
writings was made avail- life. This educational
able at Bristol Library and and holistic view of ex-
the book was borrowed istence, and man’s place
more than 200 times be- in it, became central
tween 1783 and 1784. to 19th-century travel
Imagine the excitement writing.

Reading
tips

account  avenue  eyewitness  holistic  put to sea  sight 

,  Bericht, Darstellung ,  Allee, Straße ,  Augenzeuge, -zeugin ,  ganzheitlich, holistisch ,  in See stechen ,  hier: Sehenswürdigkeit

Age of Enlightenment  colonize  hemisphere  riches  voyage 

, Aufklärungszeitalter , besiedeln ,  Halbkugel, Erdhälfte , Reichtümer ,  Reise, Seereise

TRAVEL WRITING Spotlight 29 

 Reading
tips

Chapter 3: The arrival of the tourist

The 19th century brought trains and an era of greater mobility. The word “tour-
ist”, which in the 18th century meant “traveller”, became associated with travel
undertaken on a larger scale by more people. Early 19th-century travel guides
by John Murray and Karl Baedeker provided information on climate, routes and
places. Personal travel accounts flooded the book market.
Writing against what they saw as the trivialization of travel, male explorers
began to use a more literary style, turning travel into dangerous adventure in
works such as H. M. Stanley’s Through the Dark Continent (1878). Published at the
height of British colonialism, Stanley saw himself as hero and conqueror in Africa.
Other writers became heroes of the Arctic and Antarctic. Apsley Cherry-Garrard’s
The Worst Journey in the World (1922) is an account of the tragic 1911–12 expedition
to the South Pole led by Robert F. Scott. Unlike Scott and five other members
of the team, who starved to death, Cherry-Garrard survived. In his memoir, he
reflects on the death of his friends: “And if … Death comes for you in the snow,
he comes disguised as Sleep, and you greet him rather as a welcome friend than
a gruesome foe.” Both this book and Scott’s journals reflect travel in extreme
environments and their role in defining individual growth.

Fotos: binik/Shutterstock.com; Christie’s Images/Bridgeman Images; mauritius images

conqueror  foe  height  starve to death  unlike 

, Eroberer , Feind(in) ,  hier: Höhepunkt , verhungern ,  anders als

diSguise  gruesome  scale  trivialization 

,  sich verkleiden , grausam ,  Ausmaß, Umfang , Verharmlosung

30  Spotlight TRAVEL WRITING

 Chapter 4: A golden age of travel writing
The 20th century saw a huge increase in travel writing, made
possible by more and cheaper travel options. In the 1930s,
even as the tidal wave of fascism was rolling towards what
author Cyril Connolly called “the pleasure gardens of the
West”, travel writers were enjoying a golden age. In 1933,
aged 18, Patrick Leigh Fermor began a walk across Europe
that resulted, decades later, in a trilogy of books: A Time of Gifts
(1977), Between the Woods and the Water (1986) and The Broken
Road (2013) — while fellow Englishman Graham Greene was
hiking across Liberia (Journey Without Maps, 1936) and yet an-
other Englishman, Robert Byron, was being awestruck by the
beauties of Persia and Afghanistan (The Road to Oxiana, 1937).
After the Second World War, attitudes changed. The unhappy legacy of colonialism, the
tarnish of mass tourism and globalization challenged travel writers to look for new routes in
their writing. The fragmented, impressionistic style of In Patagonia (1977) by Bruce Chatwin
and the cynical tone in Paul Theroux’s The Great Railway Bazaar (1975) reflect this. At the same awestruck 
time, a wish to experience journeys differently and individually produced Bill Bryson’s A Walk ,  von Ehrfurcht ergriffen

in the Woods (1998; about hiking), Roger Deakin’s Waterlog (1999; about swimming) and Robyn hike 
Davidson’s Tracks (1980; about her journey on a camel). , wandern

As travel writers and, more recently, bloggers reflect on how travel helps us to find a place in isle 
a technically connected but lonely world, travel writing is treading new, slower paths. Writing , Insel

recently in The New Yorker about a journey to Antarctica, author Pico Iyer says: “…the point of legacy 
every trip is not new sights but new eyes. Once we have those, even the old sights are reborn.” , Vermächtnis

tarnish 
Reading ,  hier: Schandfleck
tips tidal wave 
, Flutwelle

tread 
, betreten

Reading
tip

Spotlight reading tip

English travel writer Philip Marsden has a way of turning places ranging from Corn-
wall to Ethiopia into sites of both history and mystery. He gives the reader context,
but never forgets the important connection between place and people. Marsden’s
latest book, The Summer Isles: A Voyage of the Imagination, describes a sailing trip he took
alone from Cornwall around the west coast of Ireland to north-western Scotland. The
islands on Europe’s western border regions are wild places. Saints and missionaries
appear as ghosts to the author and he describes them with respect and imagination.
His journey is characterized by difficult seas and friendly people, by childhood mem-
ories and a joyful experience of nature. This is travel writing at its best, taking readers
into places and minds mostly hidden from view. Granta Books, €12.76.

TRAVEL WRITING Spotlight 31 

 Elizabeth Macneal’s first historical novel, cellar working on her own art with the backdrop  paced: perfectly ~ 
The Doll Factory, is a perfectly paced and paper and paint she has bought with , Hintergrund ,  in perfektem Tempo
gehalten
richly atmospheric gothic drama set in her savings. bohemian 
Victorian London, against the backdrop Her life changes when she meets two , unkonventionell Pre-Raphaelite
Brotherhood 
of both the Great Exhibition of 1851 and very different men: Louis Frost, an art- elaborate 
, Präraffaeliten
an artistic revolution led by the group of ist in need of a model, and Silas Reed, a , kunstvoll
taxidermist 
artists who called themselves the Pre- lonely collector and taxidermist in need gothic drama 
, Tierpräparator(in)
Raphaelite Brotherhood. The story of an obsession. In different ways, both , Schauerroman
Foto: iStockphoto/iStock.com

follows Iris Whittle, who works in Mrs men desire Iris. Louis teaches her to paint Great Exhibition 
Salter’s Doll Emporium shop with and she becomes both muse and pupil to ,  erste Weltausstellung

her twin sister, Rose. Iris spends her the bohemian pre-Raphaelites, although
days making elaborate painted dolls Victorian limitations block her career.
for rich children, and her nights in the Silas has more disturbing plans for her

34  Spotlight WHAT TO READ

 WHAT TO READ

Books for now

Lesen Sie hier unsere Empfehlungen zu drei sehr unterschiedlichen
Büchern — zwei Romane und ein Sachbuch.
Von STEPHEN ARMSTRONG
MEDIUM

How to choose from among the more than half a million books published every year
in English? We’ve tried to make the choice a little easier for you by reviewing just three
recently published books that we think non-native speakers will enjoy without too
much effort. Happy reading!

T
Reading
tip
here’s something about the summer be- Told by the adult Charlie, the book’s
tween leaving school and starting your voice is full of the comedy and terror of
adult life so filled with hope and aware- teenagers trying to be cool while feeling
ness of time passing that makes you be- worried and alone. (It’s also a sly swipe
come nostalgic even as you live it. Add at the mid-1990s, from the Spice Girls
in your first love and the rest of your life to chemically enhanced deodorants.)
doesn’t stand a chance. David Nicholls Nicholls understands the British fixation
has always understood the insecurities, with class. Charlie lives in a boring town
ecstasy and pain of young love — and with a boring job at a petrol station, caring
how that experience shapes memory. The for his depressed father after his parents’
clever way he moves between the years in divorce. He went to a poorly performing
his bitter-sweet bestsellers One Day (2009) school and expects his exam results to be
and Us (2014) provides both heartbreak bad. He’s moving away from his school
and laugh-out-loud jokes. friends, whose talk is sharp and cruel, and
With Sweet Sorrow (2019), he perfects feels hopelessly outclassed by the rich,
his considerable art. Set during a long beautiful and successful Fran. It’s love
summer in 1997 after end-of-school ex- across the classes, and Nicholls likes to
ams, his 16-year-old hero, Charlie Lewis, draw the parallels to the Shakespearean
joins a production of Romeo and Juliet, but drama.
only because he finds Fran Fisher, who Hoping he can copy the lifestyle en-
plays Juliet, very attractive. They stumble joyed by Fran and her friends, Charlie
through an uncomfortable summer ro- begins stealing from the petrol station,
mance that seems doomed from the start. but his life starts to fall apart after his
It’s certainly life-changing, from their ex- boss notices the thefts. As with his ear­
quisitely described first kiss to Charlie’s lier books, though, Nicholls’s unexpected
discovery of the wonders of Shakespeare. twists overturn every expectation. Sweet
Nicholls describes both passions ele- Sorrow is Nicholls at his best: a nostal-
gantly — Juliet’s speech, urging the night gic landscape of memory built around a
to take Romeo and “cut him out in little love story — intelligent and funny, and
stars”, becomes a theme, reflecting the told without sentimentality. Hodder &
couple’s desire to keep alive a moment Stoughton, €10.45. (German translation
Fotos: iStockphoto, sezgen/iStock.com

they know can never last. published by Ullstein)

doomed  outclass sb.  sly  swipe  twist 

,  zum Scheitern verurteilt ,  jmdn. deklassieren, ,  schlau, geschickt , Schlag ,  (überraschende) Wendung
jmdm. überlegen sein
enhance  stumble  theft  urge 
,  verbessern, optimieren petrol station  UK , stolpern , Diebstahl , drängen
, Tankstelle

WHAT TO READ Spotlight 33 

 Reading
tips

— wondering what she would look like Gen-X women with too many clothes, but
as one of his taxidermy subjects. is written with such humour and elan that
Macneal is also a potter and makes it will fascinate anyone interested in the
her own ceramics, and this adds another meeting point between pop culture and
dimension to her description of the art politics. Along the way, Bravo invites us to
at the heart of her novel. Macneal com- look at some shocking statistics: we now
municates both the intense colours of buy 60 per cent more clothes than we did
the Pre-Raphaelites and the importance 15 years ago, but keep them for only half
of this strange London brotherhood to as long. Textile production pumps more
the history of art. Louis Frost is a fiction- carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
al character, but William Holman Hunt, than international flights and maritime
Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Everett shipping combined: 1.2 billion tonnes
Millais were all Pre-Raphaelite painters, annually. Of the UK’s leading retailers,
and through their interaction with Frost, 77 per cent believe there’s probably some
Macneal helps us to understand this bo- (modern) slavery at some stage in their
hemian group of artists. The story moves supply chains.
a little too quickly at times, but this is an Bravo, however, prefers humour over
imaginative and thrilling read. Macmillan preaching. She knows clothes can be a
Publishers International, €11.55. (German defence against the world for those who
translation published by Eichborn) find it hard to accept themselves. She isn’t
looking to criticize as she describes her
Journalist and fast-fashion enthusiast journey through eBay, charity shops and
Lauren Bravo was shocked into looking dress rental agencies with wit and style.
at her careless shopping habits by the Along the way, she exchanges and lends,
billion  mend 
2013 Rana Plaza disaster, in which an modifies and mends, speaks to designers , Milliarde(n) , flicken
eight-storey building that contained sev- and influencers, and takes a careful look at carbon dioxide  New Year’s Eve 
eral clothing factories collapsed in Dhaka, eco-friendly textiles. , Kohlendioxid , Silvester
Bangladesh, killing at least 1,130 people, Of course, fast fashion is a complex in- dress rental  potter 
including many underpaid workers. How dustry with transcontinental trade struc- , Kleiderverleih , Töpfer(in)
to Break Up with Fast Fashion follows her tures, environmental problems and social eating disorder  preach 
efforts to rid herself of cheap, ecological- relations. Bravo doesn’t intend this to be a , Essstörung , predigen
ly damaging and generally unnecessary detailed study of these topics. Instead, she fast fashion  retailer 
clothes, starting with a final shopping wants to make her readers care, and in this , Wegwerfmode , Einzelhändler(in)
expedition on New Year’s Eve. It reads she succeeds — her tips on stain removal, grim awakening  stain removal 
like someone with an eating disorder. for example, may not start a revolution, ,  böses Erwachen , Fleckenentfernung
Part grim awakening, part practical but they do offer ways to make it possible. maritime shipping 
guide, the book is aimed at millennial and Headline, €14.50. , Seeschifffahrt

Jane Gardam
Foto: © Victoria Salmon. hanser-literaturverlage.de
320 Seiten. Gebunden. Auch als E-Book

»Lesenswert, weil Jane Gardam, Grande

Dame der englischen Literatur, mit feinem
Humor eine große Wahrheit erzählt:
Übersetzung: Isabel Bogdan

In jedem, auch dem stillsten Menschen,

wirken Leidenschaften und Geheimnisse.«
Lisa Goldmann, MADAME

HANSER BERLIN

WHAT TO READ Spotlight 35 

W
hen African Reading has married Brian, a black man. When the
American tip two women meet as adults, they careful-
George Floyd ly observe each other’s lives. But their be-
was killed havior is complicated and, in the end, also
this year by a destructive. Penguin Classics, €11.57.
white police
officer on a street in Minneapolis on May
25, Americans were reminded in the most
visceral way that racism is endemic and
Reading
systemic in US society. For Europeans —
tip
aware that accusations of discrimination The Autobiography of Malcolm X
and prejudice can be leveled at us, too — “I’m for truth, no matter who tells it.”
watching the protests that erupted after Published posthumously in 1965, The
Floyd’s killing was deeply uncomfortable. Autobiography of Malcolm X is based on in-
What, though, can we do to understand terviews the writer Alex Haley (author
how a nation can become so divided? of Roots) conducted with Malcolm X. In
A good start, perhaps, would be to read clear, unemotional language, it tells of his
what African Americans have written sad childhood, first romances, involve-
about their lives and their fight for fair ment with crime, and 10-year prison A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
treatment. Over the next pages, we review sentence. His conversion to Islam, and The title of this 1959 play is taken from a
books on this topic chosen for Spotlight by change of name (he was born Malcolm line in a poem by Langston Hughes. The
VaLinda Miller, owner of Turning Page Little), led Malcolm X to become an in- poem (“Harlem”) briefly describes what
Bookshop in Goose Creek, South Caro- spirational — and feared — speaker. He can happen when a dream is deferred —
lina (see page 9). We would like to thank called for militancy, but also preached and that is the question at the heart of
Ms. Miller for these recommendations. love and hope to millions of oppressed Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. All
black Americans. The book describes the five members of the Younger family live
development of his views and struggle in a small apartment in Southside Chica-
within the Nation of Islam movement, go. When we meet them, they are waiting
until his assassination in February 1965 for the arrival of a life insurance check for
Reading robbed the world of a unique vision and $10,000, which they hope will turn their
tip call for truth. Penguin Classics, €11. lives around. But can the money lift them
out of poverty? And what about prejudice
and discrimination? Will money help the
Younger family battle that, too? A moving
Reading story of broken dreams and new begin-
tip nings. Reclam, €6.80.

Aryan  nephew 
, arisch , Neffe

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin assassination  oppress 

, Ermordung , unterdrücken
Published in 1963, The Fire Next Time by
James Baldwin takes its title from an Afri- briefly  pass: ~ oneself off as
,  in Kürze white 
can American spiritual song. Dealing with
,  sich als weiß ausgeben,
hard truths in turbulent times, the book is, compassion 
eine Identität als Weiße(r)
, Mitgefühl
in fact, two polemic essays. “My Dungeon Passing by Nella Larsen verinnerlichen
Shook” is written in the form of a letter to The term “passing” describes the prac- conduct 
prejudice 
, durchführen
Baldwin’s 14-year-old nephew and looks tice of people of mixed heritage passing , Vorurteil(e)
at the destruction of black lives by a white themselves off as white to avoid dis- defer 
prison sentence 
,  (zeitlich) verschieben,
America “trapped in a history which they crimination. Passing happens in many , Haftstrafe
aufschieben
do not understand.” The second, longer societies — Jewish people sometimes trap 
erupt 
essay, “Down at the Cross — Letter from a changed their appearance to look Aryan , fangen
, ausbrechen
Region of My Mind,” is about the author’s in Nazi Germany — but it has probably unique 
heritage 
experience of growing up in Harlem, New been most widespread in the United ,  einzigartig, besonders
, Erbe; hier: Herkunft
York, and confronts religion and its role in States. Nella Larsen’s novel Passing (1929) visceral 
level sth. at sb. 
the repression of black identity. Although is about the lives of African Americans , tiefsitzend
,  etw. auf jmdn. richten
angry, Baldwin preaches compassion and Clare and Irene, both of whom could pass
militancy 
understanding in a siren call for our times. as white. Clare has married a white man, ,  Kampfgeist, Gewalt­
Penguin Classics, €7.70. Jack, while her childhood friend Irene bereitschaft

AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE Spotlight 37 

 A rally in New York
in June 2020 to
commemorate the end
of slavery in Texas

AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE

Stories for understanding

Fotos: A. Kelly/Reuters/picture-alliance; lllustration: sezgen/iStock.com

Die Nachrichtenbilder aus Amerika zeigen eine tief gespaltene Nation. Wie konnte eine solche
gesellschaftliche Kluft entstehen? Wie lebt es sich in einer Gesellschaft, in der Rassismus, Vorurteile
und Diskriminierung derart systemimmanent sind? JULIAN EARWAKER und INEZ SHARP
suchen nach Antworten in der afroamerikanischen Literatur.
MEDIUM  US

36  Spotlight AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE

 her parents in a wintry Ohio, the feeling
of being safe in the arms of her grand­
father in sunny South Carolina, the sin- Reading
Reading
gle, gray, sickly tree on the street of her tip
tip
new home in New York. The events of
Woodson’s young life are like a series of
intense and colorful snapshots. Written
for young teenagers, this book may take
only a few hours to read, but the experi-
ence is both vivid and memorable. Puffin
Books, €9.31.

Last Stop on Market Street

by Matt de la Peña
Hop on the bus with CJ (a little African
Brown Girl Dreaming American boy) and Nana (his grand­
by Jacqueline Woodson mother) and meet the various characters
This reviewer does not like experimen- traveling the route along Market Street. guide dog  sickly 
tal writing, so when she opened Brown There’s Mr. Dennis, the bus driver, who , Blindenhund , kränklich
Girl Dreaming and saw it was written in pulls a coin from behind CJ’s ear, the blind memorable  snapshot 
verse, her heart sank. Then the reviewer man with his guide dog, and the guitar , unvergesslich, , Momentaufnahme
started reading, and the story and style player who entertains the passengers — einprägsam
vivid 
became a revelation! Brown Girl Dreaming including the cool boys — with a song. revelation  ,  lebendig, eindringlich
(2016) is about Jacqueline Woodson’s This children’s book is a great read for kids , Offenbarung
wintry 
childhood: the sad, cold relationship of aged around five. Puffin, €7.59. , winterlich

May 4, 1963,
Birmingham, Alabama:
demonstrators protest
against segregation

Fotos: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

38  Spotlight x/2020 RUBRIK

 Was lese ich als
LANGUAGE
Nächstes?
Welches Genre liegt m
ir?
The Und was er warte ich

language von einem guten Buch?

VANESSA CLARK
of präsentiert das

books
Vokabular, das Sie
benötigen, um diese
MEDIUM  AUDI
O Fragen auf Englisch
zu beantworten.
Fotos: XXX

40  Spotlight
 Reading Reading Reading
tip tip tip

Let Freedom Sing I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings The Women of Brewster Place
by Vanessa Newton by Maya Angelou by Gloria Naylor
Let Freedom Sing begins: “Powerful! Inspi- In her first autobiographical novel, Maya This 1982 debut novel by Gloria Naylor
rational! Unifying! Music was an unde- Angelou describes various stages of her tells the stories of several black women
niable force in the American civil rights life: with her strict Christian grandmother who live in Brewster Place, an inner-city
movement during the racially segregated in small-town Stamps, Arkansas; the time slum in an unnamed American city. It
1950s and 1960s.” This joyful children’s she spent with her mother in St. Louis, begins with Mattie Michael. The single
book about heroes of the civil rights Missouri, where, as an eight-year-old, she mother moves to the city to escape the
movement will provoke a lot of questions is raped by her mother’s boyfriend; her shame of having no husband. Mattie is
— Who is Ruby Bridges, mommy? — but return to Stamps; and, later, her move as a looking to make a life for herself and her
a lot of singing, too. If you don’t know the teenager to San Francisco. Angelou’s writ- son, Basil. She finds a home in Brewster
tune to the popular gospel song “This Lit- ing is clear, energetic, and often powerful- Place, yet hard work and love cannot stop
tle Light of Mine,” you’d better listen to it ly angry. Her love for her older brother, Basil going off the rails. Kiswana Browne
a couple of times online before you start Bailey, her fear of the “powhitetrash” kids moves to Brewster Place to connect to
reading Let Freedom Sing with your chil- who try to provoke her grandmother, and her African roots. She despises her par-
dren. The song is the leitmotif of Vanessa the shame of being raped all burn off the ents for being members of the Nation-
Newton’s book, and your kids will love page. From an early age, Angelou loves al Association for the Advancement of
singing along. This reviewer sang along to read and Mrs. Flowers, a kindly neigh- Colored People (NAACP), but her efforts
loudly in her office as she looked through bor, encourages the little girl to do so. At to build a community at Brewster are
Let Freedom Sing. Blue Apple Books, €15.39. their first meeting, Mrs. Flowers begins met with suspicion. And when Theresa
by reading aloud from Charles Dickens’s and Lorraine, a gay couple, arrive, a previ-
novel A Tale of Two Cities. The opening ously hidden homophobia breaks out in
line — “It was the best of times, it was the neighborhood. In the microcosm of
civil rights movement  powhitetrash the worst of times…” — perfectly encap- Brewster Place, Naylor presents us with
,  Amerikanische Bürger­ (poor white trash) sulates the contradictions of Angelou’s every kind of love and prejudice. Penguin
rechtsbewegung N. Am. ifml. 
,  verarmte weiße childhood. Ballantine Books, €6.99. Classics, €11.63.
contradiction  Unterschicht
,  Widerspruch, Gegen­
satz racially segregated 
,  rassisch getrennt
despise 
, verachten rape  English Naturally since 1999
, vergewaltigen
encapsulate sth. 
,  alles Wesentliche über sing along 
etw. enthalten , mitsingen Improve your English in Winchester and enjoy our beautiful countryside!
1:1 Full-immersion English courses – General or Business
go off the rails  ifml. single 
1 hour from London by train | 1.5 hours from the World Heritage Jurassic Coast!
,  auf die schiefe Bahn ,  hier: alleinerziehend
geraten
suspicion 
Foto: Bettmann/Getty Images

life: make a ~ for oneself  , Argwohn

,  sich eine Existenz
tune 
aufbauen
, Melodie Accommodation with high-class host families COVID-19 SAFE
NAACP N. Am.  Mention Spotlight when you contact us
undeniable 
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Menschen

AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE Spotlight 39 

 Meet Isobel. She’s a keen reader and looking for something new
to read. We’ll follow her in her search for a good book.

Isobel: I want to find something new to read. Isobel: I’m looking for something to read.
Nick: You have a stack of books by your bed. Bridget: Well, you’ve come to the right place! Fiction or
Isobel: I’ve either read them already, or I don’t really want to non-fiction?
read them. Isobel: Fiction. A novel rather than short stories. Contempo-
Nick: What are you looking for? rary or classic, I don’t mind.
Isobel: I want something meaty. Something to get my teeth Bridget: Did you have a particular author or genre in mind?
into. Isobel: I like most things. I’m not so keen on historical fic-
Nick: Not a vegan cookbook then? tion, or romance, or murder mysteries, or spy stories,
Isobel: Ha, ha! I mean a good thick book with a gripping story. or war stories, or chick lit…
A page-turner that I can’t put down. A bit of escapism Bridget: Woah, hold on! That’s a lot of things you don’t want!
for the evenings. Isobel: Sorry, I guess I should be more positive. I’m here with
Nick: I know what you mean. There’s something about a an open mind. What can you recommend?
good book that transports you to another world.
Isobel: I’ll go to the library this afternoon and see what I can
find. 2. What are you looking for?
Nick: Or pop into the bookshop and see if they can recom-
mend something for you. Isobel explains what kinds of books she likes — and
doesn’t like. Find the word(s) in the dialogue with these
meanings.

1. I want a good book A. modern, written in the last few years

Isobel describes the sort of book she’d like to read. Fill in B. a great work of literature
the missing letters to complete the phrases.
C. a full-length work of fiction
A. something m y
B. something to get my t h into D. a crime story, a detective story
C. a g g story
D. a page-t r E. light fiction written for (young) women
E. a bit of e m
Illustrationen: Martin Haake

chick lit  ifml. keen  UK pop in(to) 

,  kurz vorbeischauen
D. murder mystery

,  seichte Literatur für (junge) Frauen ,  eifrig, begeistert

A. contemporary
1. I want a good

2. What are you

looking for?

escapism  meaty  rather than 

E. escapism
C. gripping

, Realitätsflucht , gehaltreich , anstatt

E. chick lit
B. classic
A. meaty

D. turner
Answers

C. novel
B. teeth
book

gripping  page-turner  ifml. stack 

, spannend ,  fesselndes Buch , Stapel

LANGUAGE Spotlight 41 

 Bridget: Did you find something?
Isobel: The new Joanna Trollope. I picked it up because I was
attracted by the cover. I’ve read the blurb on the back
and I’ve flicked through a few pages and skimmed
the opening paragraphs. It looks OK. A bit light, but
OK.
Bridget: May I make a suggestion? If you’re looking for some-
thing a bit different, what about Anthony Trollope?
Isobel: Wasn’t he Joanna Trollope’s great-great-great grand-
father, or something like that?
Bridget: The two of them are related, yes. And he was one of
the greatest English writers of the 19th century.
Isobel: I’ve never read anything by him.
Bridget: He’s definitely worth a try. The best place to start is
The Warden. It’s quite short and it’s a great
little story. It’s one of my personal favour-
ites. We have it here in paperback for
£4.99. Trust me, I think you might
enjoy it.
Reading
Bridget: This is our display of new publications. And over tip
there, we have titles that have been shortlisted for
various awards.
Isobel: OK. 4. How to choose a book
Bridget: And next to the till, you’ll see this week’s bestsellers.
Isobel: Right. Isobel explains how she chose her book. Rearrange the
Bridget: We also have our own “top picks” chosen by our own letters in bold to form the words she uses.
team.
Isobel: Oh, that’s really helpful. Thank you. A. She was attracted by the vrcoe.
Bridget: And on the main shelves, keep an eye out for these
little cards with reviews written by our staff and B. She read the brubl on the back.
customers.
Isobel: Gosh! So much to think about. C. She fclkied through a few pages.
Bridget: I’ll leave you to browse. Take your time, but if you
want any help, just shout. D. She kmmised the opening paragraphs.

3. What’s on display?
5. Recommending a book
The bookshop has several displays of books. Match the
phrases from the dialogue to the correct meanings. Bridget recommends a book. Put the words in the correct
order to form the phrases she uses.
A. new publications 1. books that are the most
popular at the moment A. a | definitely | He’s | try | worth
B. titles that have been 2. books that have been .
shortlisted for awards nominated for prizes B. best | The | to | is | place | The Warden | start
3. books that the book- .
C. this week’s bestsellers shop staff personally C. personal | one | my | It’s | favourites | of
recommend .
D. our own “top picks” 4. books that have come D. me | Trust | I | you | enjoy | think | might | it
out recently , .

blurb  Gosh!  ifml. skim sth. 

5. Recommending a
4. How to choose a

D. Trust me, I think

you might enjoy

, Klappentext , Donnerwetter! ,  etw. überfliegen

A–4; B–2; C–1; D–3

B. The best place

A. He’s definitely

to start is The

my personal
worth a try.

browse  pick  staff 

favourites.
3. What’s on

C. It’s one of
D. skimmed
display?

Warden.

, schmökern , Wahl , Mitarbeiter

C. flicked
Answers

A. cover
B. blurb
book

book

flick through sth.  shortlist  till 

it.

,  durch etw. blättern ,  in die engere Wahl ziehen , Kasse

42  Spotlight LANGUAGE

 Nick: How are you getting on with your new book?
Isobel: I’m enjoying it. It’s not what I expected.
Nick: It’s 19th century, isn’t it?
Isobel: Yes, but there are quite a lot of parallels with modern
society.
Nick: What’s it about?
Isobel: The warden of the title is in charge of a charitable
home for poor old men. He’s a good man who wants
to do the right thing, but he’s never quite sure what
the right thing to do is. It raises questions that are
still relevant today — about money and power and
charity. Nick: Would you read any more Trollope?
Nick: It sounds a bit dull, to be honest. Isobel: Definitely. The Warden is the first in a series of six, and
Isobel: Not at all. It’s full of twists and turns. There’s an excel- the rest are much longer. Only… I don’t know if I have
lent baddie as well, an oily character called Slope. He’s time!
the kind of character you love to hate. It’s surprisingly Nick: You could try them as audiobooks. They’re often
funny, actually. abridged.
Isobel: That feels like cheating. I’ll try the second book and
see how it goes. The series is known as The Chronicles of
6. Not what I expected Barsetshire, because it’s all set in the fictional county of
Barsetshire.
Choose the right meaning for each phrase from the Nick: Oh, I remember now. There was a TV adaptation of it,
dialogue. wasn’t there?
Isobel: Yes, in the 1980s. The dreadful Slope was played by a
A. There are quite a lot of parallels with modern society. young Alan Rickman.
1. It’s similar to life today. Nick: Alan Rickman who later went on to become Snape in
2. It’s very different from life today. the Harry Potter films?
Isobel: Yes, his career made the big leap from Slope to Snape.
B. It raises questions that are still relevant today. I’m going to see if it’s available on DVD and order the
1. It makes you think about how things are now. second book.
2. It’s difficult to understand for the modern reader.

C. It’s full of twists and turns. 7. Further reading

1. The language is complicated.
2. The story has a lot of surprises. Are these statements true (T) or false (F)?

D. He’s the kind of character you love to hate. T F

1. We enjoy how bad he is. A. The Warden is the first and longest book in a
2. We hate how good he is. series.
B. Audiobooks often use a shorter version of the
E. It’s surprisingly funny, actually. text.
1. It’s not very funny for the modern reader. C. Barsetshire is a real English county.
2. It’s funnier than I thought it would be. D. The books were filmed for television.
Illustrationen: Martin Haake

abridged  cheating  leap 

C. false (Barsetshire
A. false (It’s the first

book in a series.)
but the shortest

, gekürzt ,  Betrug, Schummeln , Sprung

7. Further reading
A–1; B–1; C–2; D–1;

is fictional.)

baddie  ifml. dreadful  twists and turns 

6. Not what I
expected

,  Bösewicht, Schurke ,  schrecklich, furchtbar ,  Drehungen und Wendungen

Answers

B. true

D. true

charge: be in ~ of sth.  dull  warden 

E–2

,  etw. leiten , langweilig ,  Wächter, Aufseher

LANGUAGE Spotlight 43 

 THE LANGUAGE PAGES

Welcome to the
Alle Übungen
aus dem Sprachteil
können Sie hier
auch online und

language pages
interaktiv machen.

Over the next dozen or more pages, we give you the opportunity to learn
about grammar and vocabulary in an up-to-date context. We start off here
with a column that takes a very personal look at the English language.

JUST JUDI

Reading

A fine line
tip

Der erste Satz eines Buches ist kein Satz wie jeder andere.
Für unsere Kolumnistin ist er ein Magnet mit eindeutiger
Mission — den Leser in seinen Bann zu ziehen.
MEDIUM  US

I’m a great lover of mysteries and thrillers. All books was blazing over the desert and she was about to give autograph 
should thrill, of course, and make the reader want to up, when she noticed the finger poking through the , Autogramm
continue reading. But solving a riddle, staying one sand.” blaze
step ahead of the plot, really keeps my adrenalin go- From the start, the reader is thrown into the , brennen
ing. middle of the action. In this example, it’s not clear curious
Years ago, in Munich, I walked past a bookstore what the action is, but that’s precisely what makes , neugierig
and noticed that one of my favorite writers, Donna the reader want to continue. The reader is immedi- either way 
Leon, was signing her latest book there that after- ately transported to a desert. There is struggle and ,  so oder so

noon. I hadn’t asked for an autograph since I was desperation. And someone (or something) is buried explicit
a kid, but I thought this would be fun, so I went in the sand! Who? What? Why? Who is “she”, and ,  deutlich, detailliert

in. When my turn came, we talked about mystery what was she about to give up doing? mystery
writing for a bit, and then she recommended Ruth You can explain almost everything, as in Ruth , Kriminalgeschichte

Rendell’s 1977 novel, A Judgement in Stone, to me. Rendell’s example, or you can explain just enough, plot
Ms. Leon praised not only the structure of the book, as in mine. Either way, you make the reader curious. , Handlung

but, above all, its opening line: “Eunice Parchman One of my favorite first lines — a paragraph in poke
killed the Coverdale family because she could not itself — opens Caleb Carr’s 1994 historical thriller, ,  hier: stecken

read or write.” The Alienist: “Theodore is in the ground.” precisely

The brilliance of this first line, Ms. Leon explained, Who could resist this? Who wouldn’t want to con- , genau

is that the reader finds out what happened, why it tinue reading after that? Who is — or was — Theo- resist
happened, and who caused it to happen to whom — dore? A hamster? A child? A man? And why is he , widerstehen

all in one sentence. I never forgot that. Although I dead? Or, worse, has he been buried alive? riddle
, Rätsel
already knew intuitively that the start of a book Whatever you write, think of your first line — and
needs to pull the reader in, this was my first explicit all your lines thereafter — as a magnet. Pull. Pull. Pull. thrill
, fesseln
lesson in the function and importance of first lines.
Fotos: sezgen, ulimi/iStock.com; privat

Whether you’re a fiction writer, a journalist, or

even someone writing a business e-mail, your first
line has to be so interesting that the reader wants to
continue reading. When I write fiction, I also try to in-
JUDITH GILBERT
clude the setting, which in my stories are often exotic.
Writer, editor, translator, and photographer
In Spotlight 4/20, for example, my story “The Golden Judith Gilbert divides her time between New York
Hand” opens with this: “She was sweating, the sun City and a small town in Bavaria.

JUST JUDI Spotlight 45 

 AMERICAN LIFE

My favorite Reading
tip

read — a tale of
injustice
Unsere Kolumnistin beschreibt eine sehr aktuelle
Geschichte über Rassenungerechtigkeit in den Vereinigten
Staaten, die zu denken geben sollte.
MEDIUM  US  PLUS

I
magine that you’re an experienced nurse asked to since we see fewer successful black professionals
monitor a newborn baby. Suddenly, the baby devel- than white in the workforce, people often stereotype
ops heart problems, and you’re the only one around blacks as being less ambitious or less intelligent.
to help. But your supervisor, bending to the demands This situation isn’t new. But there is a growing
of the white-supremacist parents, has told you not to awareness that we as individuals must ask ourselves:
touch the baby. This is the situation that Ruth, a black What does it mean when I label myself “not racist”?
nurse, finds herself in at the start of Jodi Picoult’s This label might make me feel good about myself,
novel Small Great Things. When the baby dies, Ruth is but it won’t help to bring about real change. For that,
charged with negligent homicide. we must go beyond being “not racist” and become
With the stage thus set, Picoult examines the ways actively anti-racist. The first step is to educate our-
that different members of society confront racism selves about the policies and social structures in
— from the white-supremacist parents to the lib- which racism is embedded — and then work to
eral, white public defender who tells Ruth that she change them. To create change, we can, for example,
is “colorblind.” There’s Ruth’s sister, critical of her volunteer at racial-justice organizations, join peace-
for trying to be part of the white world, calling her ful demonstrations, help register and educate voters,
an Oreo: black on the outside but white on the in- or raise awareness among elected officials. We can
side. And there’s their mother, who, for decades, has do so much. But one thing is certain: Simply telling
worked as a maid for a wealthy white family, putting ourselves that we aren’t racist is not enough.
their needs above hers and those of her own family.
As I read this novel, I began thinking about my
views of race, equality, and my privileges as a white
bend: ~ to demands   negligent homicide  
person. I was taught as a child not to be racist. But ,  sich Forderungen beugen ,  fahrlässige Tötung
in the 1950s, most people who said they weren’t
bring about   pervasive  
racist simply meant they disliked the Ku Klux Klan ,  bewirken, herbeiführen ,  allgegenwärtig, durchdringend
— those folks in white hooded robes who terrorized
CEO (chief executive officer)   public defender N. Am. 
and killed blacks. Or that they were kind and gener- , Firmenchef(in) , Pflichtverteidiger(in)
ous to the blacks who worked as their maids and nan- embed   school district N. Am. 
nies. It did not mean that they viewed them as equals , verankern , Schulbezirk
or would welcome them as neighbors. generous   segregate  
Even though we now have laws against discrim- , großzügig , trennen
ination, racism remains pervasive. It’s not just a
Foto: privat; Illustration: sezgen, ulimi/iStock.com

hooded robe   stage  

mindset of individuals — it’s institutionalized. So, , Kapuzengewand ,  hier: Hintergrund
although segregated schools are illegal, the quality label   starting gun  
of education is related to how wealthy a school dis- , bezeichnen , Startpistole
GINGER KUENZEL
is a freelance
trict is. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand maid   supervisor  
writer who lived that if the school you attend has limited funding, , Dienstmädchen , Vorgesetzte(r)
in Munich for 20 your chances of becoming a doctor, CEO, or rocket mindset   volunteer  
years. She now
scientist are also limited. Think of it as a race in which , Geisteshaltung ,  sich ehrenamtlich engagieren
calls a small
town in upstate you’re held back when the starting gun is fired: It’s monitor   white supremacist  
New York home. nearly impossible for you to get ahead. On top of that, , überwachen ,  weiß und rassistisch

44  Spotlight AMERICAN LIFE

 3

15

14

10

13 2

12

16

11
Illustration: Martin Haake

46  Spotlight VOCABULARY

VOCABULARY

The joy of
reading
Spotlight’s “All you can read” special gives
you the perfect excuse to stay at home with a
great magazine and a couple of good books. Reading
VANESSA CLARK presents the words The longer evenings are the perfect time to draw the curtains and
you’ll need to talk about the joy of reading. curl up in a cosy corner at home with a good book. You might reread a
favourite novel, try a classic work of literature or venture into some-
MEDIUM  PLUS
thing new, perhaps some contemporary fiction by a living author.
Reading is the ultimate form of escapism because it helps us to
lose ourselves completely in a good story. A book can transport us
to other worlds, to faraway lands and imaginary places, and into the
minds of great fictional characters. The words “chapter one” offer a
world of tremendous potential.
Few of us have time to read a whole book, from cover to cover,
in one sitting — but we can manage a few pages, a chapter or two,
a short story, or just dip into a book when we have an hour to spare.
As we get older, we may need reading glasses, or large-print books,
which are easier to read. A good reading lamp with a daylight bulb
1.  armchair 9.  coffee-table helps, too.
, Sessel book So, make yourself comfortable and dive into a good book!
2.  beanbag , Bildband
, Sitzsack 10.  hardback
3.  bookcase , gebundenes
, Bücherschrank Buch, Hardcover Reading with a child
4.  book cover 11.  Kindle, e-reader The best way to cultivate the joy of reading in children is to read aloud to
, Einband, , E-Book-Reader them while they’re sitting on your lap. Let them enjoy the illustrations in
Buchumschlag 12.  paperback a picture book and help you turn the pages to follow the story. A bedtime
5.  bookends , Taschenbuch story is a good way to wind down at the end of the day.
, Buchstützen 13.  picture book Sharing books is the first step for children towards learning to read,
6.  bookmark , Bilderbuch and it will make them want to become independent readers when they
, Lesezeichen 14.  reading glasses start school. Hopefully, they’ll become keen readers, not reluctant readers.
7.  bookshelf , Lesebrille They might even become bookworms, with a lifelong love of reading.
, Bücherregal 15.  reading lamp
8.  book token , Leselampe
, Buchgutschein, 16. stack of books
Bücherscheck , Bücherstapel

bookworm  ifml. dip into sth.  lap 

, Leseratte ,  in etw. hineinschnuppern , Schoß

contemporary fiction  escapism reluctant

,  zeitgenössische Belletristik , Realitätsflucht ,  widerwillig, unwillig

cosy corner  have an hour to spare  tremendous

, Kuschelecke ,  eine Stunde übrig haben ,  enorm, riesig

curl up in one sitting  venture into sth. 

,  sich zusammenrollen; hier: ,  auf einmal ,  sich an etw. herantrauen
es sich bequem machen
keen  UK wind down
At www.spotlight-online.de/teachers/picture-it, you can daylight bulb  ,  begeistert, eifrig ,  abschalten, sich entspannen
find our Vocabulary archive. , Tageslichtbirne

VOCABULARY Spotlight 47 

 EVERYDAY ENGLISH

Joining the library

DAGMAR TAYLOR presents four dialogues about
library membership. Read them carefully and look
at our tips to brush up on your everyday English.
MEDIUM  AUDIO  PLUS

⋅⋅
Tips
1. Mainly for school If something you have done pays off,

⋅⋅
It’s Thursday afternoon and Alexa’s daughter, Millie, has just come home it leads to a successful result.
from school. When you join a library, you become
a member and can use all the services

⋅⋅
Alexa: Hello, darling! Did you have a Alexa: I’m not sure. Let’s have a look the library offers.
good day at school? online. Why do you want to Local describes a place, organization,
Millie: It was all right. I got 15 out of join? Is it for a school project group or building belonging to, or
20 in my maths test. or do you want to borrow connected with, the particular place
Alexa: Well done! You see? All your books? or area that you are talking about or

⋅⋅
hard work is paying off. Millie: Mainly for school. We’re where you live.
Millie: Yeah, I know. Oh, Mum. doing a project on local histo­ When you borrow something, you
I need to join the library. ry and Mrs Isherwood said we take and use something that belongs
Alexa: OK. Do you want to join the could go and do research in to somebody else, and return it to

⋅⋅
local one or the central one in the library, but we would have them later.
the city centre? to join first. We talk about doing a project, rather
Millie: The local one, I guess. Do we Alexa: Well, that shouldn’t be too than “making a project”. “Do” (not
have to go there? much of a problem. “make”) is used to talk about work,
jobs and tasks.

⋅⋅
Tips
2. This could take a while It is/was supposed to be... is used
Alexa and Millie are trying to find out how to join their local library. to show that you do not believe that
something really is what other people

⋅⋅
Alexa: Millie. Come here, darling. OK, let’s see. It says here that claim it to be.
I’ve found the website. Let’s you can join the library in If you do something in person, you
have a quick look together. person or online. Oh, wait. go somewhere and do it yourself,
(Millie munching) What are you (reading) “If you are 15 or instead of doing it in writing or asking

⋅⋅
eating? under, you will need a parent, somebody else to do it for you.
Millie: Cereal. Lunch was horrible, so carer or a responsible adult A carer (UK) is an adult tasked with
I didn’t eat it. over 18 in the family to act as taking care of and looking after a child

⋅⋅
Alexa: What was it? guarantor.” OK. Oh, look. We instead of his or her parents.
Millie: I think it was supposed to have to fill out this regis- A person who agrees to take respon­
be shepherd’s pie, but it was tration form. That could take sibility for somebody else acts as (a)

⋅⋅
really dry and disgusting. a while. I’d better make you a guarantor.
Alexa: That doesn’t sound very nice. snack first. A registration form is a form you fill
I’ll make you a snack in a Millie: Oh, yes, please. I’m absolutely out (or fill in) in order to register for a
minute. (looking online) starving. place on a course, or to get something,
such as a membership or a licence.

cereal  disgusting  munch  shepherd’s pie  UK starve 

,  Frühstücks-, Getreideflocken, , eklig ,  mampfen, kauen ,  mit Kartoffelpüree über­ , verhungern
Müsli backener Hackfleischauflauf

48  Spotlight EVERYDAY ENGLISH

 ⋅⋅
Tips
3. Library rules Something that is tricky is difficult

⋅⋅
Alexa and Millie have just finished their application for Millie’s library to do or deal with.
membership. Here, pick up means “collect some­

⋅⋅
thing from a place”.
Alexa: That wasn’t too tricky. And Alexa: We could go at the weekend. Your library card shows that you’re a
now that we’ve got your Let me check whether the registered member of the library and

⋅⋅
membership number, we can library is open on Saturday. are allowed to use its services.
go and pick up your Yes, it’s open in the morning. If you abide by something (ifml.), you
library card. I’ll have to come Shall we do that? accept and act according to a law, an

⋅⋅
with you, though, as you’re Millie: OK. Did you go to the agreement or rules.
under 16. And it says here that library when you were a kid in A fine is a sum of money that must
you must promise to abide by the 19th century? be paid as punishment for breaking

⋅⋅
the rules. Alexa: (laughs) Cheeky! Yes, but a law or rule.
Millie: I know. If I don’t take the because I didn’t live in a town, A library van is a mobile library
books back on time, I’ll have a library van came to our (often a converted bus) offering
to pay a fine of 25 pence a day. village every two weeks. lending services in more remote areas
Can we go on Monday? I loved it. where people don’t have easy access
to a “normal” library.

⋅⋅
Tips
4. My library card A reception desk is a desk or counter,
Alexa and Millie are at the library for the first time. such as at a hotel, an airport or an
office building, where visitors go

⋅⋅
Alexa: What a lovely old building! to borrow anything. You when they arrive or want to check in.
Millie: Look, there’s the reception can borrow up to ten You’ll need to... (ifml.) is often used to

⋅⋅
desk. books or talking books. tell people what they will have to do.
Librarian: Hello, there. Can I help You can borrow books Up to is used to express a maximum
you? with yellow labels on the quantity or number (how much or
Foto: Mikael Damkier/Shutterstock.com; Illustration: sezgen/iStock.com

Millie: Hello. I’d like to pick up my spine, but books with how many), time (until) or distance

⋅⋅
library card, please. white labels cannot be (how far / as far as).
Librarian: Yes, of course. Do you have taken out of the library. Talking books are spoken recordings
your registration number? And you can renew and of books, originally designed for use
Millie: Yes, it’s 67543. reserve books online. OK? by blind people. Another word for

⋅⋅
Librarian: Thank you. OK, Millie, Millie: OK. Thank you. “talking book” is “audiobook”.
right? Here’s your library Alexa: I’d forgotten what special The spine is the narrow part of the
card. You’ll need to bring places libraries are. I think cover. It has the title and author’s
that with you if you want I’ll join, too! name on it and is the part you see
when books are lined up on a shelf.

cheeky UK  convert  lined up  remote  renew 

, frech; hier: Frechdachs , umbauen , aufgereiht , abgelegen , verlängern

EVERYDAY ENGLISH Spotlight 49 

 THE GRAMMAR PAGE
Reading
tip

Indirect questions
ADRIAN DOFF presents and explains this key
point of grammar with notes on a short dialogue.
MEDIUM  PLUS

Dialogue Remember!
Liz is in a bookshop and she wants to buy a particular We use indirect questions after expressions such as
novel — but she can’t remember much about it. I’m not sure..., I don’t know..., I wonder..., I can’t
remember... They have normal sentence word order

⋅⋅
Assistant: Can I help you? and no question mark:
Liz: I’m looking for a book — it’s a novel. Direct question: Who is she?

⋅⋅
Assistant: Yes. What’s the title? → Indirect question: I’m not sure who she is.
Liz: I can’t actually remember what the title is.1 Direct question: Where does he live?
Assistant: OK, then who’s the author? → Indirect question: I wonder where he lives.
Liz: I’m not sure who the author is,1 either.
Assistant: Ah, OK. Do you know what it’s about?2 Indirect questions can use...
Liz: Yes. It’s about a family. a “wh-” question word (“what”, “where”, “how”, “who”,

⋅⋅
Assistant: A novel about a family? etc.):
Liz: Well, I’m not quite sure if it’s about a I can’t remember where I put my glasses.

⋅⋅
family,3 but I think it is. if / whether:
Assistant: Do you know whether it’s a new book?4 I don’t know if / whether I’m free tomorrow.
Liz: I ’m not really sure when it came out,5 to be
honest. I think a couple of years ago.
Assistant:  Do you know what the cover looks like?6 Beyond the basics
Liz: No, I’m afraid I don’t. But I do know that it We can also use indirect questions as part of a longer
was turned into a Netflix series recently. direct question. These are sometimes called embedded

⋅⋅⋅⋅
Assistant: Ah! Now I know what you’re talking about! questions (= a question within a question):
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. Brilliant Do you know what the time is?
book! Can you tell me if there’s a cash machine near here?

Explanations
1. After I can’t remember and I’m not sure, Liz uses an indi-
rect question. It has a “wh-” question word (“what”, “who”,
etc.), but keeps the normal word order, i.e. noun before verb
(“...what the title is”, not “what is the title”).
2. Sometimes, an indirect question can be part of a longer
direct question: “What is the book about?” → “Do you know
what the book is about?”
3. Here, Liz uses an indirect question with if. It’s the indirect
form of a yes/no question: “Is it about a family?” → “I’m
not sure if it’s about a family.”
4. Here, the assistant uses an indirect question with whether
instead of if. The two words have the same meaning. (She
Illustration: sezgen, ulimi/iStock.com

could also ask: “Do you know if it’s a new book?”)

5. Another example of an indirect question — this time, with either: not ... ~  i.e. (id est) 
a main verb. (Direct question: “When did it come out?” → ,  auch nicht ,  d.h., sprich
indirect question: “I’m not sure when it came out.”) embedded noun
6. Another example of an indirect question inside a longer , eingebettet ,  Nomen, Substantiv
direct question: “What does the cover look like?” → “Do honest
you know what the cover looks like?” , ehrlich

50  Spotlight THE GRAMMAR PAGE

 LANGUAGE CARDS EASY  MEDIUM  ADVANCED

New
Newwords
words Spotlight — 07Spotlight
— 2016 Global English Spotlight

What would a speaker of British English say?

e-literature
Speaker of Indian English:
Some e-literature requires a
touchscreen device to read and At university, I spend a lot of time
enjoy it properly. mugging. Reading comics is just a
nice timepass.

(In)Formal English Spotlight Translation Spotlight

What do these informal phrases mean? Translate the following sentences into English:

1. Ich habe mir zwei Krimis von einer Freundin geliehen.

I wanna go to the library. I’m
gonna borrow loadsa graphic 2. Kann man DVDs in der Bücherei (aus)leihen?

novels for my holidays. 3. Würdest du ihm dein Lieblingsbuch leihen?

Pronunciation Spotlight Idiom magic Spotlight

How would you stress the phrases in bold?

Zeichnung: Ching Yee Smithback

I think I’ve read this comic before, but I’m not sure.

I think short stories are better than graphic novels,

even if you don’t agree.

A closed book

Illustration: Martin Haake

bookworms

7. ribbon bookmark , Lesebändchen

, Vorsatzpapier

, Kapitalband
2

, Buchrücken
, Buchdeckel
, Buchblock

, Leerblatt
3
Words

, Falz
1

4
➞ Austrennung an der Perforierung

for

4. front cover
7

5.  headband
2.  endpaper
6

3.  flyleaf

6.  hinge

8.  spine
1.  body
8
5
 LANGUAGE CARDS

Global English
New words Spotlight — 07Spotlight
— 2016 New words Spotlight

British speaker:
At university, I spend a lot of time cramming. Reading
The term e-literature is short for “electronic literature”,
comics is just a nice way to kill time.
which is literature published only in electronic form. Such
digital literature often includes hyperlinks, animations
What Indians call mugging is the memorization or
and inter­active elements that would not be possible to
“rote learning” of texts. In the UK and US, this is called
include in print form.
cramming. A timepass is something unimportant you do,
just to pass, or kill, time.

Translation Spotlight (In)Formal English Spotlight

1. I’ve borrowed two crime novels from a friend.

I want to go to the library. I’m going to borrow
2. Can you borrow DVDs from the library?
lots of graphic novels for my holidays.
3. Would you lend him your favourite book?

These slang words are short forms of “want to”, “going to”
The German word leihen is translated as either borrow or
and “lots/loads of” and are used frequently in spoken Eng-
lend, depending on who gives what to whom. The word
lish. Note that “gonna” is not used when “go” is the main
“borrow” puts the focus on receiving something, whereas
verb (as in: “I’m going to the library”).
“lend” focuses on the giving.

Idiom magic Spotlight Pronunciation Spotlight

[aɪ (θɪŋk]

[(aɪ θɪŋk]
This phrase refers to a subject or person you know nothing
about and do not understand. For example: “Interpreting The introductory phrase “I (don’t) think” is stressed dif-
poetry will always be a closed book to me.” ferently, depending on whether you want to emphasize
that you’re not sure about something (I think), or contrast
your own view with someone else’s (I think).

Illustration: Martin Haake

bookmark
Spotlight
The
 LOST IN TRANSLATION
Reading
tip
VANESSA CLARK turns her attention to
a particularly interesting word or expression
that could be a challenge to translate.
ADVANCED

jam tomorrow phrase UK

Example The National, 1 June 2020

“Northern Ireland needs

This statement was made by a
politician warning of risks to
the Northern Irish economy.

practical action now, not

jam tomorrow”
Usage Background
The British English phrase “jam tomorrow” means “a promise of The phrase “jam tomorrow” comes from Lewis Carroll’s classic
better things in the future”. children’s book Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found
Of course, every child would prefer to have “jam today”, but There. When Alice goes through the mirror and into a world
with the promise of “jam tomorrow”, parents hope that their where everything is reversed, she meets a lot of strange charac-
children will eat their plain bread quietly today and stop asking ters, including the White Queen. She offers to pay Alice “Two
for jam. pence a week, and jam every other day” and explains: “The rule is,
Employers who offer no pay rise this year but promise one for jam tomorrow and jam yesterday — but never jam today.”
next year are offering “jam tomorrow” — hoping their employ- This “rule” is based on a mnemonic that schoolchildren used
ees will accept less money now in return for more in the future. to help remember their Latin vocabulary. The Latin word iam
The promise of a better salary next year “sweetens the deal”. But (formerly, often written and pronounced “jam”) means “at this
be careful — if the jam is never served, or the pay rise isn’t given, time” but only in the future (“jam tomorrow”) or in the past
then “jam tomorrow” is no more than an empty promise. (“jam yesterday”), not in the present (“never jam today”).
This idea leads you straight to a good German translation: leere
Versprechungen. You could also use the phrase jemanden auf morgen
vertrösten. Exercise A

In which of the following contexts would “jam tomorrow”

make sense?
Illustration: sezgen, ulimi/iStock.com

A. “He has a great new job with a good salary and good
prospects, so it’s definitely .”
mnemonic  prospect 
,  Eselsbrücke, Gedächtnis­ , Aussicht
stütze B. “An unpaid work placement can lead to a real job
work placement  UK
pay rise  UK , Praktikum afterwards, but it feels like to me.”
, Gehaltserhöhung Answer: B

LOST IN TRANSLATION Spotlight 53 

 SPOKEN ENGLISH
Reading
tip

I’ll take it as read

How do we use expressions connected with books
and reading in conversational English? Look at
the examples below, and read the explanations to
learn some useful phrases. By ADRIAN DOFF
MEDIUM  PLUS

The verb “read” can also form part of phrasal verbs.

⋅⋅
read out = read aloud for other people to hear:
What does the e-mail say? Could you read it out?

⋅⋅
read up on = read a lot about a subject to learn more about it:
I need to read up on the French Revolution before the exam.
read through = read something carefully from beginning to end,

⋅⋅
to check the details or to make sure there are no mistakes:
Exercise I’ve read through your contract. It seems to be OK.

Look at the expressions on the left (A–D) and match them

with their definitions (1–4). Idioms with “read”
Many idioms using the word “read” are not about reading at all.
A. read someone’s mind 1.  misinterpret something If you read between the lines, you look for the real meaning

⋅⋅
behind what a person says or writes:
B. read
 too much into 2. know what someone is She says she’s happy, but, reading between the lines, I think
something thinking she regrets getting married.
If you read too much into something, you see a meaning in a

⋅⋅
C. do things by the book 3. someone who’s very keen situation or a person’s words that they may not actually have:
on reading I know they left your party early, but don’t read too much
D. a voracious reader into it — they were probably just tired.

⋅⋅
4. closely follow the rules If you read someone’s mind, you know what they’re thinking:
You must have read my mind. I was just about to phone you!
If you take something as read [red], you assume that it’s true

⋅⋅
Reading books is an important part of life, so it’s not surprising without checking or discussing it:
that there are many idiomatic expressions in English connected We took it as read that he would follow the advice of experts
to books and reading. and act quickly to deal with the crisis.

Reading and readers Books

We often want to say whether a book is easy to read or not, and There are many common idioms in English that refer to books.
how people read books. For a holiday, you’ll probably choose a If you’re in someone’s good (or bad) books, they’re pleased (or

⋅⋅
book that’s light or easy reading, but some of the books you may annoyed) with you:
have to read as a student are more likely to be heavy reading. He’s in his mum’s good books at the moment because he

⋅⋅
We can say that books are readable or unreadable: helped her clean the flat.

⋅⋅
I love Chris Pavone. His books are very readable. (= easy to If you do something by the book, you follow the rules exactly:

⋅⋅
read but also very interesting) As a police officer, you have to do everything by the book.
The book was completely unreadable (= impossible to read). And if you take a leaf out of someone’s book, you follow their

⋅⋅
I didn’t get further than the first chapter. example and behave in the same way they do:
Some people read more than others. People who read a lot are I decided to take a leaf out of my boss’s book. Now, I always
Illustration: sezgen, ulimi/iStock.com

⋅⋅
avid or voracious readers: reply to e-mails the same day, just like she does.
She’s a voracious reader. She gets through about four books
a week.
Answers
If someone spends a lot of time reading, we can say that they’re assume  bookworm  voracious 

⋅⋅
a bookworm or they’ve always got their head stuck in a book: , annehmen , Leseratte , unersättlich
He doesn’t go out much these days. He’s always got his head avid regret
D–3
C–4
A–2
B–1

stuck in a book. , begierig , bereuen

54  Spotlight SPOKEN ENGLISH

 ENGLISH AT WORK

Dear Ken
Communication expert KEN TAYLOR answers your KEN TAYLOR
is a communication
questions about business English. Here, he looks at the consultant and
difference between “if” and “when” and has advice on author of 50 Ways
to Improve Your
how to communicate your opinion in a meeting. Business English
(Lulu Publishing).
MEDIUM  AUDIO  PLUS Contact:
[email protected]

Dear Ken Dear Ken Send your questions

Generally, I know when to use “if” or “when”. But some­ I find it difficult to get my opinions about business English
times, I have problems. Can you help me? across in an international meeting. by e-mail with “Dear
Ken” in the subject line
Regards When it’s my turn to speak, I can’t to: language@
Florian Z. seem to order my thoughts in English! spotlight-verlag.de
Each month, I answer
Do you have some advice? two questions Spotlight
Dear Florian Best wishes readers have sent in.
If one of them is your
German speakers of English are not always sure about Ralf M.
question, you’ll receive
the use of “if” or “when”. Maybe this is because the a copy of my book: Dear
German word wenn covers both meanings. Dear Ralf Ken... 101 answers to
your questions about
“When” is used to talk about events that are certain or I use a simple, four-stage approach to
business English. So

⋅⋅
very likely to happen: get my ideas across in an effective way. don’t forget to add your
I’ll read the report when I get back from the I call it the DORA approach. postal address.

⋅⋅
meeting. (= I know I’ll have enough time then.) Start by defining what you want to
I’ll have a barbecue this evening when I get home talk about. Next, state your opinion.
from work. (= I know that I will get home from Then, give the reason for your opinion.

⋅⋅
work in time to have a barbecue.) Finally, ask your colleagues whether
I wonder when the delivery arrived. (= I know the or not they agree. Here are two simple
delivery has arrived — but not the exact time.) examples:
“If” is used to suggest that you are not sure something Definition: I have a suggestion regard-

⋅⋅
will happen: ing public relations.
I’ll read the report this afternoon if I have time. Opinion: I think we need to increase

⋅⋅
(= I’m not sure I’ll have enough time to read it.) our budget by 10 per cent next year.
I’ll have a barbecue this evening if it doesn’t rain. Reason: Because we have to attract

⋅⋅
(= There’s a chance that rain will affect my plan.) younger customers.
I wonder if the delivery has arrived yet. Agreement: Wouldn’t you agree?
(= I don’t know whether it has arrived or not.) Definition: The role of personal assis­
In some sentences, if / when you are generalizing about tants is changing as technology
things that happen regularly, both “if” and “when” are allows everyone to be their own

⋅⋅
possible: secretary.
If / When I have a meeting, I need to prepare the Opinion: Our personal assistants

⋅⋅⋅⋅
agenda. should be given more responsibility.
It always rains if / when I have a barbecue. Reason: Otherwise, they will not be affect sth. 
John is usually here if / when deliveries arrive. able to use their skills optimally. ,  sich auf etw. auswirken
When you have finished reading this, do get in touch Agreement: Don’t you think so? approach
if you have further questions. (= I’m sure you will read With this four-stage approach, you , Methode
this, but I’m not sure you will have further questions.) should be able to organize your generalize 
If / When I get questions, I reply as quickly as possible. thoughts and get your opinions across , verallgemeinern
Foto: Gert Krautbauer

(= This is always the case.) simply and effectively. get: ~ sth. across 
All the best Regards ,  etw. vermitteln
Ken Ken in time
, rechtzeitig

ENGLISH AT WORK Spotlight 55 

 THE BASICS

Easy English Show and tell

Now, find out more about something that The
book collectors occasionally find: book- Spotlight
Here, you’ll find a conversation and interesting bookmark
marks.
facts related to it — at the A2 level of English.
By VANESSA CLARK When you want to mark the page you are
EASY  PLUS on in a book, what do you use? A book-
mark? Or simply the nearest thing that
comes to hand, like a pizza menu, a receipt
or an envelope?

Bookmarks found in old books can be

more interesting — and more valuable
— than the books themselves. Postcards,
playing cards, train tickets and theatre
programmes are all interesting to collec-
tors and historians. Even an old shopping
list can give a fascinating insight into
everyday life in the past.

Library books sometimes have strange

things inside them. Librarians have been
known to find, for example, bread, bacon,
ollector cheese, banana skins and even broccoli Find your very own
ers, book c
Janet With (with a bit of butter on it, apparently) in free bookmark on
books that have been returned! page 52

A conversation with Janet Withers

Here, we present interesting lives from around the English- Cabinet of curiosities
speaking world. This time, we talk to Janet Withers, who collects
old books.

What sort of books do you collect?

I love books written for girls between 1900 and the 1960s, espe-
cially boarding-school stories.

Why do you like them?

They’re great stories, but they’re also fascinating historical doc-
uments. They show how life has changed for girls over the years.
Everyone thinks they’re very old-fashioned, but actually, many
of the stories have feminist ideas. The girls have strong charac-
ters and they work hard at school. I think they would become
successful women — more than “just” good wives and mothers.
Illustrationen: donatas1205/Shutterstock.com; Martin Haake

Did you go to a boarding school yourself?

No, I went to a very normal school. I never thought of the
schools in books as being real, more like a fantasy world.

Where do you buy your books?

I love looking around second-hand bookshops. You never know
what you’ll find. Last year, inside one book I had bought, I found apparently  bookmark 
a handwritten letter that had been used as a bookmark. The date ,  allem Anschein nach ,  Buch-, Lesezeichen
was 1919. I felt a little strange about reading a personal letter — boarding school  receipt
but it was fascinating! , Internatsschule , Quittung

56  Spotlight THE BASICS

PHONETIC FUN

How do you say that?

Here are the phonetic transcriptions of words taken from this issue of Spotlight that may be difficult to pronounce.
EASY  MEDIUM  ADVANCED

apologetically curious [(kjUEriEs] mischievous [(mIstSIvEs] seize [si:z]

[E)pQlE(dZetIk&li] neugierig schelmisch, verschmitzt packen
entschuldigend; p. 22 p. 45 p. 11 p. 21
apprenticeship explicit [Ik(splIsIt] mnemonic [nI(mQnIk] source [sO:s]
[E(prentIsSIp] deutlich, detailliert Eselsbrücke, Gedächtnis- beschaffen
Ausbildung, Lehre; p. 62 p. 45 stütze; p. 53 p. 62
assume [E(sju:m] ferocious [fE(rEUSEs] negligent homicide stone lithography
annehmen wütend, wüst [)neglIdZEnt (hQmIsaId] [)stEUn lI(TQgrEfi]
pp. 18, 54 p. 11 fahrlässige Tötung; p. 44 Steindruck; p. 21
autograph [(O:tEgrA:f] fiancée [fi(QnseI] pedestal [(pedIstEl] unique
Autogramm Verlobte Sockel [ju(ni:k]
p. 45 p. 11 p. 60 einzigartig, besonders; p. 37
bas-relief [)bA: ri(li:f] genuine [(dZenjuIn] prospect [(prQspekt] vigorously [(vIgErEsli]
Flachrelief echt Aussicht energisch
p. 61 p. 26 p. 53 p. 23
brethren [(breDrEn] heir [eE] quarrel [(kwQrEl] visage [(vIzIdZ]
Brüder Erbe, Erbin streiten, zanken Antlitz, Gesicht
p. 21 p. 25 p. 11 p. 60
calf [kA:f] intricate [(IntrIkEt] rehearse [ri(h§:s] voracious [vE(reISEs]
hier: Kalbsleder kompliziert, verworren proben unersättlich
p. 62 p. 21 p. 11 p. 54
centenary [)sen(ti:nEri] luminously [(lu:mInEsli] reign [reIn] weird [wIEd] ifml.
100. Jahrestag brilliant, leuchtend herrschen, regieren sonderbar
p. 15 p. 21 p. 61 p. 64
cereal [(sIEriEl] marvellous [(mA:vlEs] scheme [ski:m] white supremacist
Frühstücks-, Getreide­ großartig Plan; hier: Schwindel [)waIt su(premEsIst]
flocken, Müsli, p. 48 p. 62 p. 27 weiß und rassistisch; p. 44

Vowels Consonants
Symbol Example words Symbol Example words
In case there are red, head, said church, chat, match
e ɔ: war, law, more tʃ
some phonetic
symbols that you æ mad, sad, add u: two, through, do dʒ page, edge, stage
are unfamiliar with,
ʌ love, but, sun ɑ: mask, hard, start θ thing, faith, path
we have provided
this table, which ʊ good, foot, wood ɪə here, near, beer ð that, other, smooth
lists the most useful
ɒ wash, body, hot eə fair, mayor, rare ʃ shape, sugar, action
symbols — with
example words ə about, again, occur eɪ day, awake, take ʒ leisure, vision, treasure
that include those
sounds in British I hit, inform, myth ɔɪ boy, boil, loyal ŋ sing, long, thanks
English. i happy, genius, city aɪ high, tie, why
i: sea, machine, me əʊ no, toe, low
ɜ: nurse, hurt, worse aʊ now, cow, mouth

PHONETIC FUN Spotlight 57 

 THE PUZZLE PAGES

Hotels and Hellenism

Brain-twisters to challenge you. By OWEN CONNORS
EASY  MEDIUM  ADVANCED

Word search
There are 12 words hidden in the puzzle below. All 12 come from
the Short Story on pages 22–27. Find the English translations of
the German words below.

Bankrott
Gräfin
E C O N S T I P A T I O N heruntergekommen
Krankheit, Beschwerden
M B A N K R U P T C Y R M misstrauisch

B Y R X C S O X B O B L R näherkommen
peinlich
A T O S U S P I C I O U S Plan; hier: Schwindel
spielen
R L A V A E R U Y N V L V Verstopfung
R D D E U J O I P C I P L vorhersagen
Zufall
A P P R O A C H F I O R S
Word search solution
S H H G N T M D U D P E C S S E H C U D Y G E L W I

S H N A Q O Z Z R E T D H
E T M E I O T V B L T F G
M C J C X G I B C B N N N

I W A M A I L M E N T I E
E I T N E M L I A M A W I
H D T E R Z Z O Q A N H S

N N N B C B I G X C J C M
C E P D U D M T N G H H S
S R O I F H C A O R P P A

G F T L B V T O I E M T E
L P I C P I O J U E D D R
V L V N Y U R E A V A L R

I W L E G Y D U C H E S S
S U O I C I P S U S O T A
R L B O B X O S C X R Y B
M R Y C T P U R K N A B M
N O I T A P I T S N O C E

Word snake
In the word snake below, we have hidden vocabulary to do with hotels. In between the words, you
can find letters that can be rearranged to form the name of a hotel employee who looks after guests.

Word snake solution:

“concierge”.
The hidden word is

gb ousekeepin
Illustration: vable/Shutterstock.com

ell ncy n v a l e tc h grre

receptionist
boy vaca cept
housekeeping
olugg e
tc l o b b y ioniste
valet
ageibuffe vacancy
lobby
buffet
luggage

A hotel employee who looks after guests is a(n) .

bellboy

58  Spotlight THE PUZZLE PAGES

Crossword
The words in this puzzle are taken from this issue’s I Ask Myself. You may
find it helpful to refer to the text on page 21.

Across
1. The Greek god of thunder.
2. 3. In explicit detail.
7. A field with wild grass and flowers.
1. 4. 5. 6. 8. “Her dress wasn’t a(n) choice
for the ball.”
3.
10. “I was amazed by the size and
7. of the problem.”
12. A story or a narration.
13. Very brightly covered.
14. A picture painted on a wall.
15. The art of painting on wet plaster.
9. 8.
Down
11.
2. Emphasize.
10. 4. Give off energy or light.
5. The time when crops are gathered
from the fields.
6. “The ground dropped away into a
12.
deep .”
13. 9. “This medicine should be taken at
and first thing in the morning.”
14. 11. “The White Cliffs of Dover have
status in British history.”
15.

Competition
Your chance to win Solution to crossword 11/20:
ammunition
Form a single word from the letters in the coloured squares. Send it on a
postcard to: S U R G E O N Q
C U
Redaktion Spotlight
U B O A T S W A I N
“Issue 12/20 Prize Puzzle”
Kistlerhofstraße 172 R B A R
81379 München V O H U M I L I T Y
Y O W L A V E
Or take part by visiting spotlight-online.de/crossword, where you can also E T A P R O N
find the list of winners of our crossword competition in issue 10/20. A E T M
B U C K L E I A
Five winners will be chosen from the entries we receive by 27 October 2020.
Each winner will be sent a copy of Englisch — Übungen für zwischendurch A M O U S E R
by courtesy of Hueber. P R I V Y N T U
O E E F
P C A R P E N T E R F

THE PUZZLE PAGES Spotlight 59 

 POETRY CORNER

VANESSA CLARK stellt ein berühmtes Gedicht von

Percy Shelley vor. Es stammt aus dem 19. Jahrhundert,
doch seine Botschaft ist so aktuell wie eh und je.
ADVANCED  AUDIO

Ozymandias
by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822)

I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said — “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert… Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

‘My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!’

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

bare  despair  mock  shattered  trunkless  wreck 

,  nackt, bloß , verzweifeln ,  verhöhnen, verspotten , zerschmettert , rumpflos , Wrack

boundless  frown pedestal sneer vast wrinkled

,  endlos, unermesslich ,  finsterer Blick , Sockel ,  spöttisches Lächeln ,  gewaltig, enorm ,  faltig, runzelig

decay level sculptor stamped visage ye Mighty

,  Verfall, Ruin ,  eben, flach , Bildhauer(in) , eingestanzt ,  Antlitz, Gesicht ,  Ihr Mächtigen

60  Spotlight POETRY CORNER

 New
in Spo
tlig
ht

What’s it about?
In this famous sonnet, Shelley tells us a story. A traveller visits
Egypt, the land where the powerful Pharaoh Ozymandias had
reigned many centuries earlier. In the desert, he sees a pair of
massive stone legs without a body (“trunkless legs”). They are
the remains of a great statue of the pharaoh. Lying on the sand is
the broken face (“shattered visage”) of the statue, still showing
the king’s cruel expression. The inscription on the base of the
statue invites other great men (“ye Mighty”) to look around and
admire Ozymandias’s great works — but there is nothing to see,
only sand. Shelley uses this bitter irony beautifully to show that
although tyrants may have great power while they rule, it will
come to nothing in the end.

Good to know
Shelley was inspired to write this poem, published in early
1818, by the imminent arrival in England of a damaged statue
of Pharaoh Ramses II — who is also known as Ozymandias in
Greek sources. The importance of statues as symbols of power
is relevant today in both the US and the UK, as both countries
consider removing public statues of “great” men with shameful
histories linked to slavery and colonialism. Shelley’s inspiration: the fallen statue
of Ramses II in Luxor, Egypt
If you liked this poem...
go to www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-23528902 to hear
actor Bryan Cranston recite Ozymandias in a powerful voice-over
for the trailer of the final season of the hit US drama Breaking Bad.
There are many other references to the sonnet in popular
culture. The line “Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair”,
for example, is quoted by CIA analyst Jack Ryan in Tom
Fotos: INTERFOTO/Granger; NYC; Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection; Christine Glade; sezgen/iStock.com

Clancy’s novel The Hunt for Red October and by protagonist Ted
Mosby in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother. It also appears in an
Egyptian-style bas-relief at London’s famous Harrods depart-
ment store.

Reading
tip

bas-relief  final season  reign 

, Flachrelief ,  letzte Staffel ,  herrschen, regieren

cruel imminent sonnet

, grausam , bevorstehend , Sonett

department store  recite

, Kaufhaus , vortragen

POETRY CORNER Spotlight 61 

 A DAY IN MY LIFE

The cover
story I will also spend time sourcing special materials for different
jobs. A customer might want a very specific type of leather, or
I could be trying to match a 250-year-old marble endpaper. If a
Die Kunst der Buchbinderei wird oft noch von book was printed in Britain or Ireland, there’s a fair chance of
finding the endpaper the customer needs, but it can be a bit of a
Generation zu Generation weitergegeben.
struggle to match the endpapers for some others.
JOHN STANLEY sprach mit einem Buchbinder, Sometimes, a really old book will come in for restoration, and
der sein Handwerk von seinem Vater erlernt hat. we have to be mindful of the different processes used to make it
300 or 350 years ago. I’d say about 70 per cent of the older books
MEDIUM  AUDIO  PLUS
that come in need to be rebacked. For us, it’s all about retaining
as much of the original binding as we possibly can. If the original
spine is in fragments, each piece will have to be remounted on a
new calf spine. The whole process can be very time-consuming,
but there’s a real joy in working with an item like that.

I learned my bookbinding skills from my father. When I was at

school, I worked in the business during the school holidays, and
then I served an apprenticeship under him. That’s typical of this
industry. Very few people decide that they want to be a book-

M
binder; it usually runs in families. Both my father and his father
were bookbinders, and my great-grandfather was a papermaker.
y name is Pascal Flynn. I’m 51 years of He actually died in an accident in a machine at a papermaking
age and I’m the managing director of factory. It’s the same with the lads we have here in the company.
PCF Antiquarian Bookcrafts. We’re a I think the shortest generational span we have here is a
small firm that does bookbinding and third-generation bookbinder.
print finishing for a diverse range of cus- In recent times, the business has changed to reflect the
tomers that includes art studios, printers, marketplace. Even just ten years ago, we would often do runs of
libraries, book collectors and individuals. 20,000 books. That market doesn’t exist any more. People will
Over the years, we’ve done everything pick a higher specification, but much shorter runs. We did a run
from binding visitor books for Áras an of 2,500 books last week, for example, and it was unusual for
Uachtaráin (the official residence of the us to do one that size. A lot of print has gone online, and both
president of Ireland) to binding books print and bookbinding are changing, so we’ve become much
as gifts to US presidents and restoring more specific as a result. Today, we do a lot more restoration and
books bought at auction, as well as work presentation work, so while our skills haven’t changed, they

Fotos: John Stanley; ika84, Nastco, sezgen/iStock.com; Gena Melendrez, Harry Hykko/Shutterstock.
for publishers. have possibly been honed.
I normally arrive at work around 7.15 There were times when I was advised to go abroad to broaden
a.m. It takes me about 90 minutes to get my horizons, but as we became more involved in the craft end
the admin tasks out of the way and plan of the business, I stayed with it, because it’s what I enjoy doing,
the day ahead. There are five of us here, and I’m 34 years in the business now.
and I’ll decide, for example, who is going
to do a particular job or whether we need
admin(istration)  hone  reback 
to come together as a team to push a par- ,  Verwaltung, Büro- ,  verfeinern, perfek­ ,  einen Buchrücken
ticular project through. tionieren erneuern
apprenticeship 
First and foremost, I’m a bookbinder, ,  Ausbildung, Lehre lad ifml. residence
so I spend most of my day in the factory. ,  Junge, Kerl , Wohnsitz
calf
I’m very fortunate that my wife is essen- ,  hier: Kalbsleder marble retain
tially the office manager, so there are lots , marmoriert , bewahren
diverse
of administrative tasks I don’t have to , vielfältig marvellous source
deal with, which is marvellous. But there , großartig , beschaffen
endpaper
are still points throughout the day when , Vorsatzpapier mindful: be ~ of sth  spine
I’ll answer e-mails and, of course, I have to ,  etw. beachten ,  hier: Buchrücken
first and foremost 
be available to every customer who wants ,  in erster Linie print finishing  time-consuming 
to talk to me. , Druckveredelung ,  zeitraubend, langwierig

62  Spotlight A DAY IN MY LIFE

 A scapel and
other tools
are used to
create a book’s
look and feel

A screw press
holds the book
together while
the glue dries

Old books
made 300 to
350 years ago
were produced
using different
processes

A sponge
can be used in
the restoration
process of old
books

A magnifying
glass
is a useful tool
for seeing the
Some fine details
customers
ask for a
specific kind of
leather for the
cover Loves her
On the road:
truck driver work: Carrie
Michelle Kitchin Goldberg

Brushes of
various sizes
are used to
apply paste
 MARKTPLATZ – MARKETPLACE
SPRACHKURSE UND SPRACHFERIEN

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 THE LIGHTER SIDE
The Argyle Sweater

Shelf help
I went to the
bookstore and
“Everybody does have a asked the sales-

book inside them, but in person where

the self-help
most cases, that’s where it section was. She

should stay.” replied that if

she told me that,
Christopher Hitchens (1949–2011), it would defeat
British-American journalist, author, essayist, critic
the purpose.

by Scott Hilburn

Literary Lab Laughter with authors

A man goes to the cinema and notices the • Why did Shakespeare always
woman in front of him has brought her write in pen? — Pencils were
Labrador with her. The movie starts, and confusing to him. 2B or not

Cartoons: © 2020 PEANUTS Worldwide LLC, Dist. by Andrews McMeel Syndication/Bulls Press; © 2020 Scott Hilburn/Distributed by Universal Uclick/Bulls Press
during the funny parts, it seems that the 2B?
dog is making a low woofing sound like • W hat would you find in
laughter, while during the sad parts, tears Charles Dickens’s kitchen? — Literary light bulb
actually flow down the dog’s face. When The best of thyme, the worst How many mystery writers
the lights come up, the man taps the of thyme. does it take to screw in
woman on the shoulder and says, “I know • What kind of dinosaur writes a light bulb? —
this is weird, but it looked like your dog novels? — A Brontësaurus. Two. One to screw it almost all
really enjoyed the film.” “It is weird,” • J. R. R. Tolkien: What are you the way in, and the other to give
replies the owner, “because he absolutely doing in that wardrobe? — it a surprising twist at the end.
hated the book.” C. S. Lewis: Narnia business!

Compiled by Owen Connors

Funny fiction
light bulb  parka: in the ~  thyme 
, Glühbirne ,  Wortspiel auf ,  Thymian (klingt • When I read a comic book, I always tear out the last page. I like
Open-Air-Theater wie: „time“) to draw my own conclusions.
mystery writer 
„in the park“ • I decided to kill off some characters in the book I’m writing. It
, Krimi-Autor(in) twist
spoil , Wendung will definitely make my autobiography more exciting.
Narnia
, verderben • I’ve written a poem about chopping onions. Read it and weep.
,  klingt wie: weird  ifml.
„none of your“ , sonderbar

Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz

64  Spotlight THE LIGHTER SIDE

 COMPETITION

All you can read —

win 10 books!
We hope you enjoyed this special issue of Spotlight
and found lots of useful and interesting book recom-
mendations. If you’d like to win some of the books
mentioned in it, just take part in our special quiz.

How well do you know your way around the classics

of English literature? If you can tell us which novels
these three quotes are from (clue: all three books are
mentioned in this magazine), you can win 10 of the
books recommended in this special issue:

A. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of

times…”
B. “Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family
because she could not read or write.”
C. “If you really want to hear about it, the first thing
you’ll probably want to know is where I was
born, and what my lousy childhood was like…”

To enter the competition and pick the books of your

choice, go to www.spotlight-online.de/literature

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COMPETITION Spotlight 67 

 FEEDBACK
Dear Spotlight team There are many theories, by the way, on
In issue 11/20 of your exercise booklet why Adams chose the number 42, but
Spotlight plus, I came across the follow- he rejected them all. In fact, he once de-
ing example sentences: “The answer to scribed his choice as “a completely ordi-
the question was staring me in the face nary number ... the sort of number that
all the time. It was 42!” you could without any fear introduce to
Am I right in thinking that this is a your parents.” Finding that quote really Reading
reference to Douglas Adams? I hope it made my day! tip
is, because it really “made my day”. (This All the best — and keep looking out for
is another phrase I learned from Spotlight those hidden references!
and Spotlight plus, by the way). Petra Daniell, language editor
Keep up the great work. All the best!
Tomma Renker, by e-mail Herzlichen Glückwunsch zu Ihrer Kurz­
geschichte “The Golden Hand” in Spotlight
Dear Tomma 4/20. Sie hat wirklich Spaß gemacht!
Yes, your hunch is absolutely correct! It Manfred Kolesnikov, by postcard
is one of the great perks of my job to be
able (and allowed) to sneak little personal Dear Mr Kolesnikov
jokes and references into the texts I write Thank you so much for taking the time
and edit. In Douglas Adams’s cult science- to write to us. We hope you’ll also enjoy
fiction series, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the the Ms Winslow story in this issue. And,
Galaxy, a computer named Deep Thought of course, there’ll be more short stories
takes millions of years to find “the answer in the near future by Judith Gilbert, the
to the ultimate question of life, the uni- author of “The Golden Hand” .
verse, and everything” — which happens Best wishes
to be 42! Inez Sharp, editor-in-chief

PROVERB

The best laid plans

of mice and men
“I was going to spend The saying “The best laid plans of mice apology from a farmer to a mouse for
and men” is the short version of the pro­ accidentally destroying its nest. It was
the whole weekend with
verb: “The best laid plans of mice and men written in Scottish dialect, so if you’d
a good book. Instead,
often go awry.” It means that even the like to impress a Scotsman by quoting
I ended up writing my most carefully made plans may have to be the original line, it reads: “The best laid
son’s essay on John abandoned. Life can throw an unexpected schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gley.”
Steinbeck. Oh well, the problem at you and force you to change This quotation is also the source of the
best laid plans...” your plans. title of John Steinbeck’s 1937 novel Of
This proverb is a quotation from the Mice and Men, about two poor men who
ADVANCED
poem “To a Mouse” (1786) by the Scot- have hopes and dreams for the future. So,
tish poet Robert Burns. The poem is an the title itself hints at an unhappy ending.

accidentally  hint at sth.  Reading

Irgendwas geht immer schief
, versehentlich ,  etw. andeuten tip
apology  proverb 
, Entschuldigung , Sprichwort

awry  source 
, schief , Quelle by Vanessa Clark

66  Spotlight FEEDBACK – PROVERB

 ECCENTRIC LIFE

Edgar Allan Poe — the

first crime writer
Der Vater des Kriminalromans lebte ein ungewöhnliches Leben und starb eines
mysteriösen Todes. Von PAUL WHEATLEY
MEDIUM  US Reading
tip

O
n September 27, raised in Richmond by a rich business-
1849, Edgar Allan man, John Allan, and his wife, Frances.
Poe left Richmond, The family spent 1815 to 1820 in Great
Virginia, for Phila- Britain, an experience Poe would later
delphia, where he draw on extensively in his writing. Back in
was to work as an the US, he became estranged from his fos-
editor. He had be- ter parents and, in 1826, had to leave uni-
come a major liter- versity because of debts. He then joined
ary name four years and left the army, and deliberately got
earlier with the publication of his poem himself dismissed from the prestigious
“The Raven,” but often did editing work West Point Military Academy. It was dur-
to make money. Poe, however, never ar- ing this time that he began to earn money
rived in Philadelphia. as a writer and literary editor.
A week after Poe had left Richmond, on Born: In 1836, Poe married Virginia Clemm,
October 3, a man named Joseph W. Walk- January 19, 1809, his 13-year-old cousin, by which time he
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
er was walking along a wet Baltimore was a respected poet, novelist, literary
street when he saw a man lying on the Died: theorist, and critic — who was known for
ground in a clearly uncomfortable state. It October 7, 1849, looking into the dark corners of the hu-
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
was Poe. Four days later, he was dead, aged man psyche. He was also a heavy drinker,
just 40. And so began Edgar Allan Poe’s Nationality: especially after Virginia’s death in 1847.
American
greatest mystery story: his own death. Poe was part of the wider romanti-
Poe was author of “The Murders in the cism movement, though his works were

Foto: The Everett Collection/Shutterstock.com; Illustration: sezgen, ulimi/iStock.com

Rue Morgue” (1841), considered to be the mostly anchored in a darker world, some-
first detective story. The tale influenced thing mirrored in Europe in the writings
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the of Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker. In the
anchored  exploration 
Sherlock Holmes stories. , verankert ,  Erkundung, Erfor- early 20th century, Poe became fashion-
Poe also broke new ground by writ- debt 
schung able among surrealists, who admired
ing science-fiction tales, notably “Von , Schulden extensively  the depth of his imagination and his
Kempelen and His Discovery” (1849), , ausgiebig exploration of the subconscious mind.
deliberately 
and modern horror stories, most famous- , absichtlich foster parents  Why was Poe in Baltimore, and not
ly, “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839). , Pflege-/Zieheltern in Philadelphia, on that rainy October
dexterous 
Poe’s writing was original and he’s , gewandt lionize  day in 1849? And why was he in such a
still lionized for his dexterous use of , umschwärmen, terrible state when Walker found him
dismiss 
vergöttern
the English language. His journey to ,  entlassen, kündigen on the street? It was murder, said some;
becoming a great literary figure, how- notably  others called it heart failure or a brain
estranged 
, insbesondere
ever, was a turbulent one. Born in , entfremdet tumor. Whatever the reason, the mys-
Boston in 1809 to actor parents, both subconscious mind  tery surrounding this great writer’s death
, Unterbewusstsein
of whom were dead by 1811, he was continues to fascinate us even today.

68  Spotlight ECCENTRIC LIFE

 NEXT ISSUE
D
nächs ie
Ode to Ireland te Aus
von S
ersch
gab
potligh e
t
eint a
28.10 m
.2020
Castle Leslie in County Monaghan sits in a thousand acres of rolling green country-
side. Join us on a trip to this beautiful Irish estate for some riding, fishing and delicious
local food.

The long swim

Discover our new column Looking at Lives, where we meet extraordinary people from
around the English-speaking world. We begin with Ross Edgley, an extreme athlete
who recently swam around the British Isles!

Tea and a copy of Spotlight

Do you know what a “teasmade” is? No? Then take a look at our Iconic Products pages,
where we present classic products from around the English-speaking world.

A chapter on verse
If you haven’t seen our Poetry Corner yet, this is where you can read and discover more
about poems in English.

Learn faster
Looking for quick results? Once you have read the short story, the Eccentric Life col-
umn or our news section, why not try the simple comprehension exercises at the end
of these sections to see how much you have understood?
Foto: Tourism Ireland

NEXT ISSUE Spotlight 69 

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