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Das hohe Lied
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First published in 1908, this is one of many works by Sudermann, a German dramatist and novelist. This edition is reprinted from Thomas Seltzer's English translation which first appeared in 1910 and went into many editions. The book was filmed several times, most notably in 1933 starring Marlene Dietrich.
415 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1992
52 people want to read
About the author
Hermann Sudermann
176 books13 followersEducated at Koningsberg University and the University of Berlin, Sudermann had to give up his studies because of financial difficulties. He worked for a time as a tutor before becoming a journalist in Bern, Switzerland. He returned to Germany in 1881 and became the editor of the Deutsches Reichsblatt. Thereafter, he devoted himself to writing. In 1886, he published Zweilicht, his first novel, and followed in 1887 with Frau Sorge, which was critically acclaimed. His first drama, Die Ehre, or The Honour appeared in 1889 and was enormously successful. Sudermann also produced a number of short stories. His other works include Geschwister (1888), Der Katzensteg (1890), Sodoms Ende (1891), Die Heimat (1893), Morituri (1896), Es Lebe das Leben! (1902), Es War (1904) and Stein unter Steinen (1905).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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January 11, 2026This is a book that F. Scott Fitzgerald recommended in his College of One, a set of 40 books he considered necessary for an education: https://www.listchallenges.com/f-scot...
Unannotated Book in F. Scott Fitzgerald's College of One
Unannotated Book in F. Scott Fitzgerald's College of One
June 21, 2018
This book is really two books, Part I being a rather middling romantic story of its protagonist, Lilly, taking place in a small town and in a rural castle, but Part II being a truly incredible, wild, deeply stirring work, taking place in Berlin. The book is very unusual in several respects and unlike anything else on the Powys list.
Sudermann was apparently full of German nationalism (although it is not apparent in this book), and while very popular in his day, was completely forgotten after 1945. It is really too bad, because there's so much of interest in this book, particularly the description of the Berlin art world. In fact the incredible - unreally modern - party scene, which is near the beginning of Part II, ranks fairly highly in the best scenes I've ever read in my entire life. It comes almost as a shock, like finding an excerpt from "Bright Lights, Big City" in the middle of a rural Hardy book.
The entire book is in the third person, but the point of view throughout is through the eyes of the main character Lilly. "Full of love" would be the best way to describe her, and she is certainly of a type that I've encountered in my life, which gives the book a surprising modern realism compared to similar books by Balzac or Hardy. The book is about her irresistible love - of people, of art, of the senses, and where it leads her. She is an enormously sympathetic character, flawed (perhaps), but pure in spirit.
Powys short blurb on Sudermann is fairly accurate, although not as deep as some of his other comments. I will say that this is yet another book on the Powys 100 list of an obscure author which I found to be excellent, and part of why going through the list has been such an enjoyable experience. The book is also particularly interesting to read in conjunction with the other novels on the list, particularly Hardy and Balzac, which it most resembles (Hardy in Part I, Balzac in Part II).
The book is rather lengthy, my version was 640 pages, but there was not a single moment which was boring or uninteresting, in fact after Dante it was a great pleasure to read. While I'm not sure I would place it among the great works of literature, it was enjoyable throughout. I can recommend it to anyone.
Sudermann was apparently full of German nationalism (although it is not apparent in this book), and while very popular in his day, was completely forgotten after 1945. It is really too bad, because there's so much of interest in this book, particularly the description of the Berlin art world. In fact the incredible - unreally modern - party scene, which is near the beginning of Part II, ranks fairly highly in the best scenes I've ever read in my entire life. It comes almost as a shock, like finding an excerpt from "Bright Lights, Big City" in the middle of a rural Hardy book.
The entire book is in the third person, but the point of view throughout is through the eyes of the main character Lilly. "Full of love" would be the best way to describe her, and she is certainly of a type that I've encountered in my life, which gives the book a surprising modern realism compared to similar books by Balzac or Hardy. The book is about her irresistible love - of people, of art, of the senses, and where it leads her. She is an enormously sympathetic character, flawed (perhaps), but pure in spirit.
Powys short blurb on Sudermann is fairly accurate, although not as deep as some of his other comments. I will say that this is yet another book on the Powys 100 list of an obscure author which I found to be excellent, and part of why going through the list has been such an enjoyable experience. The book is also particularly interesting to read in conjunction with the other novels on the list, particularly Hardy and Balzac, which it most resembles (Hardy in Part I, Balzac in Part II).
The book is rather lengthy, my version was 640 pages, but there was not a single moment which was boring or uninteresting, in fact after Dante it was a great pleasure to read. While I'm not sure I would place it among the great works of literature, it was enjoyable throughout. I can recommend it to anyone.
May 18, 2011
I read the English version of this book, titled "The Song of Songs", downloaded for my Kindle from Project Gutenberg. Written in 1908, it is a somewhat "Sturm und Drang" romantic novel, rather hard to classify. Think of Jackie Collins meets Thomas Hardy, with a touch of Thackeray's "Vanity Fair". If this sounds bizarre, it's meant to. I quite unexpectedly enjoyed the book. The author, Hermann Sudermann was popular in Germany in the first half of the 20th Century, and has now seems to have sunk into obscurity. He deserves to be resuscitated.
January 24, 2024
A beautiful novel of the rise, fall, and various other adventures of a young girl basically orphaned. She retains her ideals and hope symbolized by her father's musical masterpiece, the song of songs, though her father left her family and never returned.
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October 9, 2018This book was adapted to film starring Marlene Dietrich and Brian Aherne.
Read this book for free through Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/34791/...
Read this book for free through Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/34791/...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews