Classic
Die unendliche Geschichte
James Baldwin (1841–1925)
In each language: The Endless Tale · Die unendliche Geschichte · El cuento sin fin · Le conte sans fin · Il racconto infinito
In the Far East, a king who never tires of stories offers his fairest daughter and his throne to anyone who can tell a tale that never ends. Anyone who tries and fails loses his head. A stranger from the South begins a story about locusts and a granary.
In English, German, Spanish, French and Italian · about 650 words · 5 min to read.
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So fängt es an
Im Fernen Osten gab es einen großen König, der keine Arbeit zu verrichten hatte. Jeden Tag, den ganzen Tag lang, saß er auf weichen Kissen und hörte sich Geschichten an. Und egal, wovon die Geschichte handelte, er wurde nie müde, sie zu hören, auch wenn sie sehr lang war.
In the Far East there was a great king who had no work to do. Every day, and all day long, he sat on soft cushions and listened to stories. And no matter what the story was about, he never grew tired of hearing it, even though it was very long.
"Es gibt nur einen Fehler, den ich an deiner Geschichte finde", sagte er oft: "sie ist zu kurz."
"There is only one fault that I find with your story," he often said: "it is too short."
Alle Geschichtenerzähler der Welt wurden in seinen Palast eingeladen; und einige von ihnen erzählten Geschichten, die in der Tat sehr lang waren. Aber der König war immer traurig, wenn eine Geschichte zu Ende war.
All the story-tellers in the world were invited to his palace; and some of them told tales that were very long indeed. But the king was always sad when a story was ended.
Languages
- The Endless Tale · English (original)649 words · ~5 min
- Die unendliche Geschichte · GermanB1 Intermediate · 619 words · ~5 min
- El cuento sin fin · SpanishB1 Intermediate · 592 words · ~5 min
- Le conte sans fin · FrenchB1 Intermediate · 646 words · ~5 min
- Il racconto infinito · ItalianB1 Intermediate · 576 words · ~5 min
Open in the reader: German with English · Spanish with English · French with English · Italian with English
More stories at this level
Intermediate stories in German with English beside it (all of them: Intermediate German stories).
- Androklus und der LöweJames Baldwin (1841–1925) · B1 · 645 words
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- Die WichtelmännerBrothers Grimm · B1 · 711 words
- Horatius an der BrückeJames Baldwin (1841–1925) · B1 · 734 words
- König Alfred und die KuchenJames Baldwin (1841–1925) · B1 · 493 words
Reading it as a parallel text
A parallel text puts a story next to its translation, paragraph by paragraph. Read in the language you are working on and glance across only when a sentence stops you: the story keeps moving, and the words you look up stay in context. More in how to read with a parallel text.
Questions
- Which languages can I read The Endless Tale in?
- English, German, Spanish, French and Italian. Pick the language you want to read and the one to keep beside it: every paragraph sits next to its translation, so you can check a sentence without losing your place.
- What level is it?
- In translation, German, Spanish, French and Italian are B1 Intermediate. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from A1 (beginner) to C2.
- How long is it?
- About 649 words: around 5 min of reading, with the translation beside it. The time depends on the edition's level: an easier edition is read more slowly.
- Is it free?
- Yes. Read it online with no account. The e-reader files (EPUB, and AZW3 and MOBI for Kindle) need a free account; the PDF doesn't.
- Can I read it on a Kindle or Kobo?
- Yes. Download the EPUB for Kobo, Apple Books and most e-readers, or the AZW3 or MOBI for a Kindle, with each paragraph followed by its translation. There is also a side-by-side PDF to print, and each language on its own.