What do you think?
Rate this book
Parzival: Band 1
Der vorliegende Band enthält die ersten 8 von insgesamt 16 Büchern des Parzival, der mit seinem Gegen- und Ineinander von Artuswelt und Gralssuche der wohl tiefsinnigste und faszinierendste höfische Roman des deutschen Mittelalters ist.
736 pages, Perfect Paperback
First published January 1, 1953
About the author
Wolfram von Eschenbach
181 books64 followersWolfram von Eschenbach was a German knight and poet, regarded as one of the greatest epic poets of his time. As a Minnesinger, he also wrote lyric poetry.
Little is known of Wolfram's life. There are no historical documents which mention him, and his works are the sole source of evidence. In Parzival he talks of wir Beier ("we Bavarians") and the dialect of his works is East Franconian. This and a number of geographical references have resulted in the present-day Wolframs-Eschenbach, previously Obereschenbach, near Ansbach in Bavaria, being officially designated as his birthplace. However, the evidence is circumstantial and not without problems - there are at least four other places named Eschenbach in present-day Bavaria, and Wolframs-Eschenbach was not part of Bavaria in Wolfram's time.
The arms shown in the Manesse manuscript come from the imagination of a 14th-century artist, drawing on the figure of the Red Knight in Parzival, and have no heraldic connection with Wolfram.
Wolfram's work indicates a number of possible patrons (most reliably Hermann I of Thuringia), which suggests that he served at a number of courts during his life. In his Parzival he claims he is illiterate and recorded the work by dictation, though the claim is treated with scepticism by scholars.
Wolfram is best known today for his Parzival, sometimes regarded as the greatest of all German epics from that time. Based on Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, le Conte du Graal, it is the first extant work in German to have as its subject the Holy Grail. In the poem, Wolfram's narrator expresses disdain for Chrétien's (unfinished) version of the tale, and states that his source was a poet from Provence called Kyot. Some scholars believe Wolfram might have meant Guiot de Provins (though none of the latter's surviving works relate to the themes of Parzival), however others believe Kyot was simply a literary device invented by Wolfram to explain his deviations from Chrétien's version.
Wolfram is the author of two other narrative works: the unfinished Willehalm and the fragmentary Titurel. These were both composed after Parzival, and Titurel mentions the death of Hermann I, which dates it firmly after 1217. Wolfram's nine surviving songs, five of which are dawn-songs, are regarded as masterpieces of Minnesang.
Little is known of Wolfram's life. There are no historical documents which mention him, and his works are the sole source of evidence. In Parzival he talks of wir Beier ("we Bavarians") and the dialect of his works is East Franconian. This and a number of geographical references have resulted in the present-day Wolframs-Eschenbach, previously Obereschenbach, near Ansbach in Bavaria, being officially designated as his birthplace. However, the evidence is circumstantial and not without problems - there are at least four other places named Eschenbach in present-day Bavaria, and Wolframs-Eschenbach was not part of Bavaria in Wolfram's time.
The arms shown in the Manesse manuscript come from the imagination of a 14th-century artist, drawing on the figure of the Red Knight in Parzival, and have no heraldic connection with Wolfram.
Wolfram's work indicates a number of possible patrons (most reliably Hermann I of Thuringia), which suggests that he served at a number of courts during his life. In his Parzival he claims he is illiterate and recorded the work by dictation, though the claim is treated with scepticism by scholars.
Wolfram is best known today for his Parzival, sometimes regarded as the greatest of all German epics from that time. Based on Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, le Conte du Graal, it is the first extant work in German to have as its subject the Holy Grail. In the poem, Wolfram's narrator expresses disdain for Chrétien's (unfinished) version of the tale, and states that his source was a poet from Provence called Kyot. Some scholars believe Wolfram might have meant Guiot de Provins (though none of the latter's surviving works relate to the themes of Parzival), however others believe Kyot was simply a literary device invented by Wolfram to explain his deviations from Chrétien's version.
Wolfram is the author of two other narrative works: the unfinished Willehalm and the fragmentary Titurel. These were both composed after Parzival, and Titurel mentions the death of Hermann I, which dates it firmly after 1217. Wolfram's nine surviving songs, five of which are dawn-songs, are regarded as masterpieces of Minnesang.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 1, 2020
Review after Volume 2
April 1, 2019
Parzival gehört wohl zu einem meiner liebsten Helden der mediävistischen Literatur (wobei man sich selbstverständlich darüber streiten kann, ob er nun ein Held ist ist oder nicht). Der arme Tropf legt sich selbst einen Stein nach dem anderen in den Weg - was der Erzähler selbstverständlich der Leserschaft schon weit im Voraus verrät, sodass man das Drama auch wirklich voller Vorfreude antizipieren kann - und scheitert an seinem Unwissen und seiner absolut unbelehrbaren Überzeugung das Richtige zu tun. Ein Werk voller Humor und Tragik, dass ich nicht nur jeden Mediävistikstudenten, sondern allen Lesern generell nur ans Herz legen kann.
March 28, 2025
Mittelalterliche Literatur kinda has my heart. Ich denke man muss der Geschichte kritisch gegenüberstehen aber sie ist auch ein Produkt ihrer Zeit. Ich liebs wenn man über eine Passage ein 2.Mal liest und plötzlich alles einen Sinn Macht. Ich liebe einfach die Ritter/Abenteuerwelten gemischt mit der höfischen Sprache, weil sichs so anfühlt als wär man wirklich vor 800 Jahren mitten in dieser Welt.
Trotzdem natürlich recht anstrengend zu lesen.
Trotzdem natürlich recht anstrengend zu lesen.
September 2, 2010
The first German Bildungsroman? You know what? I don't care.
June 11, 2018
The work itself would get five stars, but the present rating is for this particular rendering, the first English translation, and the only one I know of into verse. I find that it becomes wearying rather fast, but others may enjoy it.
It is a product of late-nineteenth-century scholarship, and much of what the translator has to say is dated, let alone the base text.
Breaking up the digital edition into two "volumes" follows the lead of the original edition. This requires two purchases. Other digital publishers have put them into a single file (they aren't abrodged. as this might suggest).
This review also appears with "Volume 2."
It is a product of late-nineteenth-century scholarship, and much of what the translator has to say is dated, let alone the base text.
Breaking up the digital edition into two "volumes" follows the lead of the original edition. This requires two purchases. Other digital publishers have put them into a single file (they aren't abrodged. as this might suggest).
This review also appears with "Volume 2."
June 18, 2026
ich sage die senewen âne bogen.
diu senewe ist ein bîspel.
nu dunket iuch der boge snel:
doch ist sneller daz diu senewe jaget.
ob ich iu rehte hân gesaget,
diu senewe gelîchet maeren sleht:
diu dunkent ouch die liute reht.
swer iu saget von der krümbe,
der will iuch leiten ümbe.
swer den bogen gespannen siht,
der senewen er der slehte giht,
man welle si zer biuge erdenen
sô si den schuz muoz menen.
swer aber dem sîn maere schiuzet,
des in durch nôt verdriuzet:
wan daz hât dâ ninder stat,
und vil gerûmeclîchen pfat,
ze einem ôren în, ze dem andern vür.
mîn arbeit ich gar verlür,
ob den mîn maere drunge:
ich sagte oder sunge,
daz ez noch baz vernaeme ein boc
oder ein ulmiger stoc.
September 28, 2015
zu viel sex
August 3, 2025
To be able to write a proper review of Parsifal, one would need to be more familiar with the Medieval Minnesänger culture. That would allow the reader to see the poems in the proper context. The thoughts that now arose in me while reading it don’t apply, as such, to the work itself but the world it describes with all these knights and maidens. The first thing that rubs me the wrong way is related to the character incoherence that was also apparent in Odysseus: the loyalty of the knights as Minne servants is praised, but the Minne of the previous maiden seems to be immediately forgotten as soon as another beauty enters the scene and offers her Minne. This applies, in particular, to Gadwan; Parzival himself is faithful to his wife, although the reader might not completely understand why Parzival stays away from her for years. The attraction of the Grail is a bit hard to grasp, and Wolfram doesn’t offer much of an explanation, only says that Parzival yearns for the Grail even more than for his wife. Umm, why? Despite this, Parzival is perhaps the most faithful man in the literature so far. If there is a better hubby somewhere before the 13th century, let me know.
Gawan, on the other hand, appears to fall in love uninhibitedly with a new stunner without a single thought for all the women already left waiting for him somewhere in the European countryside. Or perhaps it’s me who got it wrong: maybe becoming a Minne servant did not have faithfulness in the job description, maybe one could serve the Minne of several maidens at the same time, and keep collecting rewards from all of them, one after the other? Gawan did not, however, return to the previous maidens after he found a new ‘love’ (at least not during the book).
The most conspicuous feature of the people of Wolfram’s era was their amazing ability to incite themselves, almost at once and without much of grounds, to hatred and love. Gawan could lose his heart ‘for good’ (perhaps this was true for the last damsel) just by looking at a pretty face. The woman’s behaviour or character meant nothing. Wolfram seemed to see this as true love. Was he a very simple man, or completely ignorant when it came to women, or did he simply – for one reason or another – think that a beautiful face would guarantee a beautiful soul? Be that as it may, there’s no doubt about one thing: the last opinion became very popular after the publication of Parzival. Could be that most people thought like that even before Wolfram.
No less scary is a world where men start to hate each other in the blink of an eye, without any better reason than happening to face each other in full armour on a path in a forest and looking like they won’t give way without a tussle, like Wolfram’s ‘heroes’ constantly do. Maybe these types of mindless skirmishes between two strangers were common at the time, otherwise I doubt the sensitive singer Wolfram would have idolised them with such fervour. Was it only due to his custom to exaggerate when he used the word ‘hatred’ for the feeling evoked in these situations? No clue, but the heroes don’t get full points from me for behaving in such a ridiculous manner, starting to hate in an instant and, occasionally, stopping to hate (almost as fast) when they learn that they are brothers, for example.
Maybe this was all meant to maximise the drama. Maybe it never occurred to Wolfram that it might be more interesting to know how the knights and maidens behaved in reality.
Gawan, on the other hand, appears to fall in love uninhibitedly with a new stunner without a single thought for all the women already left waiting for him somewhere in the European countryside. Or perhaps it’s me who got it wrong: maybe becoming a Minne servant did not have faithfulness in the job description, maybe one could serve the Minne of several maidens at the same time, and keep collecting rewards from all of them, one after the other? Gawan did not, however, return to the previous maidens after he found a new ‘love’ (at least not during the book).
The most conspicuous feature of the people of Wolfram’s era was their amazing ability to incite themselves, almost at once and without much of grounds, to hatred and love. Gawan could lose his heart ‘for good’ (perhaps this was true for the last damsel) just by looking at a pretty face. The woman’s behaviour or character meant nothing. Wolfram seemed to see this as true love. Was he a very simple man, or completely ignorant when it came to women, or did he simply – for one reason or another – think that a beautiful face would guarantee a beautiful soul? Be that as it may, there’s no doubt about one thing: the last opinion became very popular after the publication of Parzival. Could be that most people thought like that even before Wolfram.
No less scary is a world where men start to hate each other in the blink of an eye, without any better reason than happening to face each other in full armour on a path in a forest and looking like they won’t give way without a tussle, like Wolfram’s ‘heroes’ constantly do. Maybe these types of mindless skirmishes between two strangers were common at the time, otherwise I doubt the sensitive singer Wolfram would have idolised them with such fervour. Was it only due to his custom to exaggerate when he used the word ‘hatred’ for the feeling evoked in these situations? No clue, but the heroes don’t get full points from me for behaving in such a ridiculous manner, starting to hate in an instant and, occasionally, stopping to hate (almost as fast) when they learn that they are brothers, for example.
Maybe this was all meant to maximise the drama. Maybe it never occurred to Wolfram that it might be more interesting to know how the knights and maidens behaved in reality.
Read
October 28, 2019Habe das Buch abgebrochen, da es mir überhaupt nicht zugesagt hat :/
Ich muss sagen, dass es deutlich bessere mittelhochdeutsche Texte gibt
Ich muss sagen, dass es deutlich bessere mittelhochdeutsche Texte gibt
September 10, 2023
war gut, fand nur das parzival ein bisschen hätte selber denken können.
June 26, 2024
>ichne kan deheinen buochstap<
(Ich selbst kann nämlich weder lesen noch schreiben)
Wolfram von Eschenbach comedy king since 1200 AD
(Ich selbst kann nämlich weder lesen noch schreiben)
Wolfram von Eschenbach comedy king since 1200 AD
July 1, 2024
Sehr amüsant, manchmal echt random, aber herrlich dramatisch
October 6, 2021
The Angevin connection was the most interesting part, honestly. Plus the bi- racial half- brother part.
April 8, 2009
Interesting, I guess. Didn't like it much.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews