[PW] FWD: School story from Germany or Austria?

[jwood]

---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "jwood" <jwood at ramsey.lib.mn.us>
Reply-To: <jwood at ramsey.lib.mn.us>
Date:  Mon, 23 Oct 2006 15:38:26 -0500

My patron is trying to identify a book she read in school in Hong Kong about thirty years ago.  She read it in translation, but she believes that it's a famous book in (perhaps) German literature.  The title in the Chinese translation was LOVE'S EDUCATION, but we can't find any trace of that title in English.  The book consists of short episodes written in diary format, describing the school days of a group of boys. Here's what she recalls:

  "I remember the first day of school story has very detail description of a 
handful (at least 5) students (it seems they are all boys), the way they 
dress, the look on their face, the way they talk, etc. Some are more bully 
type, some are timid, some look less fortunate. I remember this story more 
than the others because it again was part of my curriculum. 

At one point I had the Chinese translation of the book. Each story (as a day 
in the diary) is a few pages long. As I 
mentioned before, one of the underlying message is that work is noble, with 
no correlation to the financial payoff. Another theme is sympathy to the 
less fortunate."

She remembers an episode (which may come from this book) in which the flag in the classroom is changed from one government to another.  The story is quite similar in her telling to the famous Alphonse Daudet short story, "The Last Lesson"--but she thinks the incident involves the Anschluss of 1938 when Austria became part of Germany.

If this rings any bells, please get in touch.  Our patron is eager to reconnect with her childhood favorite.
Thanks,
Judy 







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Judy Woodward
Roseville Library
Ramsey County Library

2180 Hamline Ave. N.                
Roseville, MN  55113  

Tel: (651) 628-6803 EXT. 555
FAX: (651) 628-6818 
jwood at ramsey.lib.mn.us             
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--
Judy Woodward
Roseville Library
Ramsey County Library

2180 Hamline Ave. N.                
Roseville, MN  55113  

Tel: (651) 628-6803 EXT. 555
FAX: (651) 628-6818 
jwood at ramsey.lib.mn.us             
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