This is a strange, darkly ironic novel published under the nom de plume of Bonaventura, originally in German, in 1804. It is a true child of the romantic agony: the narrator and anti-hero, a night watchman named Kreuzgang, was once a poet. Now stripped of all Romantic illusion, he works as a watchman, which gives him a vantage on the follies of other citizens. To Kreuzgang, life is a grotesque, macabre and sordid joke sprung by a mechanical and heartless force. A cult classic in some literary circles (Gothic lit fans and ...
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This is a strange, darkly ironic novel published under the nom de plume of Bonaventura, originally in German, in 1804. It is a true child of the romantic agony: the narrator and anti-hero, a night watchman named Kreuzgang, was once a poet. Now stripped of all Romantic illusion, he works as a watchman, which gives him a vantage on the follies of other citizens. To Kreuzgang, life is a grotesque, macabre and sordid joke sprung by a mechanical and heartless force. A cult classic in some literary circles (Gothic lit fans and specialists in German Romanticism), the book is uncannily cinematic: Every night, Kreuzgang goes on his rounds and stops to peer into a window or door where he observes a framed scene of murder, despair, theft, romance, or some other private moment. He is cynical and pessimistic and comic in a way that seems current, turning the culture of Romanticism inside out. The writing is, quite simply, brilliant. Ever since Die Nachtwachen was first published fans have speculated on who could have written it. The belief today is that the author was probably the theater director August Klingemann, who, as translator Gerald Gillespie explains, idolized Shakespeare and first staged Goethe s Faust. Certainly Klingemann would have understood the power and artifice of the framed scene. In 1972, Gerald Gillespie published a translation in the Edinburgh Bilingual Series, which was released in the States by the University of Texas Press. Our edition includes the English version only, with a new, less pedantic introduction by Gillespie and a brief afterword."
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Add this copy of The Nightwatches of Bonaventura to cart. $6.29, very good condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by University of Chicago Press.
Add this copy of The Nightwatches of Bonaventura to cart. $6.30, good condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by University of Chicago Press.
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Good-Bumped and creased book with tears to the extremities, but not affecting the text block, may have remainder mark or previous owner's name-GOOD Standard-sized.
Add this copy of Nightwatches of Bonaventura to cart. $13.59, good condition, Sold by TextbookRush rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Grandview Hts, OH, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by University of Chicago Press.
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Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 216 p. Contains: Illustrations, black & white. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
