Nesthäkchen Flies From the Nest: First English Edition of the German Children's Classic Translated, introduced, and annotated by Steven Lehrer

Nesthäkchen #6

by Else Ury, Steven Lehrer

Else Ury's Nesthakchen is a Berlin doctor's daughter, Annemarie Braun, a slim, golden blond, quintessential German girl. The ten book Nesthakchen series follows Annemarie from infancy (Nesthakchen and Her Dolls) to old age and grandchildren (Nesthakchen with White Hair). Volume 6, Nesthakchen Flies From the Nest, describes Annemarie's college days, courtship and marriage."

Genres: Childrens, German Literature, Classics, Fiction, Young Adult

276 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1920

About the author

Else Ury (November 1, 1877 in Berlin; January 13, 1943 in the Auschwitz concentration camp) was a German writer and children's book author. Her best-known character is the blonde doctor's daughter Annemarie Braun, whose life from childhood to old age is told in the ten volumes of the highly successful Nesthäkchen series.
During Ury's lifetime Nesthäkchen und der Weltkrieg (Nesthäkchen and the World War), the fourth volume, was the most popular. Else Ury was a member of the German Bürgertum (middle class). She was pulled between patriotic German citizenship and Jewish cultural heritage. This situation is reflected in her writings, although the Nesthäkchen books make no references to Judaism.
As a Jew during the Holocaust, Ury was barred from publishing, stripped of her possessions, deported to Auschwitz and gassed the day after she arrived. A cenotaph in Berlin's Weissensee Jewish Cemetery (Jüdischer Friedhof Weißensee) memorializes her.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

So yes indeed, the sixth novel of Else Ury's classic and delightful Nesthäkchen series (originally published in 1920, it was most recently reissued in the 1990s and unfortunately also somewhat annoyingly and for no good reason, in my opinion, far far too much abridged and altered), Nesthäkchen fliegt aus dem Nest has the main protagonist moving from her native Berlin to Tübingen in order to study medicine (and Tübingen is probably one of the best known German university towns). But although Nesthäkchen (Annemarie Braun) massively enjoys university life, she does end up choosing to abandon her studies when she falls in love with a young physician (which scenario is actually a common enough theme and trope in early German language university and college fiction for women, in so far that especially many of the main and always female characters often do seem to fall in love with doctors, and sometimes even with their very professors), and the novel, Nesthäkchen fliegt aus dem Nest, it does end with Annemarie's marriage.

But while (and definitely a bit frustratingly) Else Ury does not allow Nesthäkchen to complete her medical studies, that the presented narrative of Nesthäkchen fliegt aus dem Nest instead has Annemarie Braun opting to become a wife and mother (to drop out of university), and that of course this does make Nesthäkchen fliegt aus dem Nest somewhat (and perhaps even quite) conservative and dated, it must and should also and still be stated that at least Else Ury allows her heroine to attend university (a scenario that is strongly supported by her physician father, but vehemently criticised by Annemarie's mother). And furthermore, in Nesthäkchen fliegt aus dem Nest most of Nesthäkchen's girlfriends actually do not only attend university, but both obtain their degrees and have successful and satisfying careers in their chosen fields of interest and study. Thus Else Ury is in fact very much demonstrating that different options and educational choices are indeed increasingly available for women, and even though she does not yet envision both a career and marriage combination for Nesthäkchen, for Annemarie herself, many female characters in her novels are indeed and in fact both able and permitted to successfully and gladly combine the two. All in all, a lovely and evocative classic German college/university tale (and whilst for the original, for Nesthäkchen fliegt aus dem Nest, a good level of fluency in the German language is strongly suggested, there is now available a decent enough English language edition, Nesthäkchen Flies From the Nest, translated by Steven Lehrer and available both as a Kindle download and a nicely presented trade paperback).

[Michaela D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

mein Lieblingsbuch als ich 9 und 10 war! Hab es bestimmt 7 mal gelesen!

[Josiemaus85 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goldig :)

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I read a beautifully illustrated book from 1953 with 221 pages (that sadly isn’t on Goodreads). I gave it to my mom for Christmas because when she was a child she wanted to read it but never could. I wanted to read it too and it was so great! It’s an absolute classic that you all should read too. I find it quite interesting how the people spoke and spent their day back then and how the times were for women.
I really recommend to read it if you want to know a bit from the times back then in a funny and cute way.