Die schwarze Spinne
Retold in easy German (B2) from the novel by Jeremias Gotthelf
On the Hornbach farm in the Emmental, a window post is as black as coal, and in a hole in it sits a plug that nobody may touch. On the night before little Noah's christening, when the storm puts out the lights, Grandfather tells why: of a knight who demanded the impossible, of a green hunter who offered help, and of a woman who said no in the end. Elin listens, and so does her swaggering cousin Fabio. But a story nobody believes does not hold, and sometimes a single sentence is enough to pull a plug. Jeremias Gotthelf's famous novella, retold for young readers.
In German and English · 22 chapters · about 34,100 words · 4 h to read.
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How it begins
Der schwarze Pfosten
The Black Post
«Fass ihn nicht an», sagte Grossvater. Er sagte es nicht laut, aber so, dass Fabio die Hand zurückzog, als hätte er sich an der Herdplatte verbrannt.
“Don’t touch it,” said Grandfather. He did not say it loudly, but in such a way that Fabio pulled his hand back as if he had burned himself on the stove.
Elin sah es von der Tür aus. Sie war erst vor einer Stunde mit dem Zug aus Zürich angekommen, ihr Rucksack stand noch im Gang, und schon lagen ihr Cousin und das älteste Möbelstück des Hauses im Streit. Das Stubenfenster bestand aus vier Scheiben nebeneinander. Zwischen der zweiten und der dritten stand ein Holzpfosten, so schwarz, dass das Licht darauf zu erlöschen schien. In Brusthöhe war ein Loch hineingebohrt, dick wie ein Daumen. Ein Zapfen verdeckte es, dunkler noch als das Holz ringsum, und in seine Stirn hatte jemand ein Kreuz geritzt.
Elin saw it from the doorway. She had arrived by train from Zurich only an hour ago, her rucksack was still standing in the hall, and already her cousin and the oldest piece of furniture in the house were at odds. The parlour window consisted of four panes side by side. Between the second and the third stood a wooden post, so black that the light seemed to go out on it. At chest height a hole had been bored into it, as thick as a thumb. A plug sealed it, darker even than the wood around it, and someone had carved a cross into its head.
Languages
- Die schwarze Spinne · German (original)B2 Intermediate · 34,143 words · ~3 h 45 min
- The Black Spider · EnglishB2 Intermediate · 36,541 words · ~4 h
Open it in the reader: all 2 language pairs
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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 Die schwarze Spinne in?
- German and English. 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?
- The original German is B2 Intermediate. In translation, English is B2 Intermediate. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from A1 (beginner) to C2.
- How long is it?
- About 34,143 words in 22 chapters: around 4 h 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 downloads (PDF, EPUB, and AZW3 and MOBI for Kindle) need a free account.
- 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.