People & Stories – Page 2

Why Did Mark Twain Write “The Awful German Language,” and Did He Secretly Love German After All?

A Love-Hate Affair With Words

Mark Twain had a knack for turning irritation into laughter. Few writers could complain as brilliantly as he did, and nowhere is this talent more obvious than in his famous essay “The Awful German Language.” At first glance, the title seems like a blunt dismissal, a declaration that German is unwieldy, unforgiving, and perhaps not worth the trouble. Yet the more one reads, the clearer it becomes: Twain’s tirade is not only a list of grievances but also a declaration of fascination. His exaggerated frustration hints at a deeper affection for the very language he seemed to mock.

The Amish: Tradition, Faith, and the Pursuit of Simplicity

Roots in Reformation and the Anabaptist Movement

The story of the Amish begins amid the turmoil of the Protestant Reformation in sixteenth-century Europe. The Anabaptist movement, which took shape in Switzerland in 1525, became known for its radical stance, most notably the belief that baptism should be reserved for adults who made a conscious decision of faith. This went directly against established Catholic and Reformed practice, leading to severe persecution of Anabaptists throughout Europe. Thousands were executed or forced into hiding, yet the movement endured and evolved.

Bernd das Brot: Germany’s Grumpiest Loaf and Unlikeliest Cult Hero

Few nations would proudly crown a national pop culture icon in the form of… a square, perpetually grumpy loaf of bread. Yet Germany has done exactly that with Bernd das Brot, a character who looks perpetually one sigh away from giving up, and who has nonetheless captured the affections of children and adults alike. He is not cute, not adventurous, and definitely not optimistic. His trademark long-suffering groans have become the strange cultural glue binding late-night KiKA viewers and ironic twenty-somethings who enjoy their comedy with a side of existential dread.

Die Peanuts werden 75 (The Peanuts turn 75)

A humorous odyssey through failure, imagination, and eternal charm—their creator had German roots.

The Little Comic Strip That Could

On October 2, 1950, a modest black-and-white comic strip quietly slipped into a handful of newspapers. It featured a round-headed boy, a tiny dog, and a couple of kids chatting in clipped lines of dialogue. Few suspected that this strip, called Peanuts, would become one of the most influential cultural creations of the twentieth century. Seventy-five years later, Charles M. Schulz’s comic has charmed, consoled, and entertained countless readers around the world.

Dû bist mîn ich bin dîn: A Coming-of-Age Drama in Middle High German

Imagine diving into 14th-century southern Germany, not with modern dialogue, but with authentic Middle High German. The short film Dû bist mîn ich bin dîn by director Tim Gerbert is a gem that blends history, emotion, and linguistic heritage. Even if you’re a German language enthusiast who doesn’t fully grasp the medieval tongue, you’ll adore it. The subtitles help, and the sound alone revives the roots of our modern language in a captivating way.

Germany: Das Land der Dichter und Denker, Where the Braniacs Roamed—and Roamed Off

Welcome to the Hall of Threadbare Geniuses

Germans have a particular fondness for calling their homeland “das Land der Dichter und Denker,” a phrase that rolls off the tongue with just enough theatrical flair to impress both tourists and locals. “Land of Poets and Thinkers” graces everything from airport billboards to school book covers. Names like Goethe and Schiller are conjured with reverence, as if contemporary teenagers, between TikTok scrolls and existential sighs, are secretly scratching out the next Faust instead of WhatsApp memes.

«Don’t forget us!»—Julie Wolfthorn, An Artist’s Journey

Julie Wolfthorn, born Julie Wolf on January 8, 1864, in Thorn, West Prussia (now Toruń, Poland), was the youngest of five children in a Jewish family. Her birthplace held such significance for her that she incorporated it into her surname, becoming Julie Wolfthorn. Tragically, her father passed away shortly before her birth, and her mother died when Julie was just six years old. Following these losses, she and her sisters were raised by their grandmother, who relocated the family to Berlin in 1883.

Roots of Power: The Three German-American Presidents Who Shaped U.S. History

More than half of all U.S. presidents have Irish ancestry, while only three of the 45 presidents to date have or had German roots. These three, whose ancestors all came from the Electoral Palatinate, one of the main sources of German emigration to the U.S., had little to no close connection with their ancestral homeland.

Chaos, Comedy, and You: Embracing the Lotterleben

There are certain words in German that defy easy translation. Schadenfreude, for instance, has become the international shorthand for cackling at someone else’s misfortune. Wanderlust makes us imagine bohemian daydreamers striding through airports with scarves fluttering in the breeze. But then there is Lotterleben. Literally, it drags behind it all kinds of tragic weight: misery, dissolution, questionable morals. In the dictionary, it is described as shabby and indulgent, existing one missed rent payment away from collapse. But much like life itself, the dictionary often misses the joke.

They Don’t Mince Their Words: The Brutally Honest Art of Berlin Communication

Welcome to Berlin, the city where «politeness» is just another word for cowardice, and where the weather isn’t the only thing that’s cold. Fancy a chat? Prepare for a clinical dissection of your motives. Craving a little kindness with your morning coffee? Dream on. If cities had spirit animals, Berlin’s would be a grumpy, half-plucked street pigeon. Unimpressed, slightly threatening, and suspicious of good intentions.