Barbara Honigmann’s Eine Liebe aus nichts tells the story of a young expatriate’s journey back to Weimar to attend her father’s funeral. As the narrator remembers her father’s life, she explores her own past and relates her struggle to establish new roots following her emigration from Berlin to Paris. In its portrayal of a young woman’s complex relationship with her father, the novella offers a rich account of German-Jewish history and of the search for identity in the shadow of World War II.

 

This reader is designed for intermediate and advanced German classes. In addition to English glosses of challenging words, annotations are presented alongside the original German text and provide information about cultural and literary contexts. This edition also offers

 

• study lists for active vocabulary;

• “language in context” exercises;

• activities for close reading, creative writing, and literary analysis;

• discussion questions and suggestions for dialogues.

 

A final section with secondary texts related to the novel and a brief biography of the author give students additional tools to engage with Eine Liebe aus nichts and to explore its deeper meaning.