Menschen, Pferde, weites Land. Kindheits- und Jugenderinnerungen.

by Hans Graf von Lehndorff

German

Genres: History, Biography

298 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Descriptive, historically (and culturally) enlightening, nostalgic and often very much imbued with an almost palpable tenderness, one can with Menschen, Pferde, weites Land: Kindheits- und Jugenderinnerungen (which of course and naturally feature Hans Graf von Lehndorff's remembrances of and about his East Prussian childhood and youth) glowingly and passionately feel and experience (indeed almost taste) the author's love for his family, for his East Prussian "Heimat" and yes certainly for the horses which were often an integral part of Hans Graf von Lehndorff's life and a sense and area of constant joy (as Hans Graf von Lehndorff's father was the main stud-master at Trakehnen, responsible for breeding, upkeep, horse training etc. and therefore naturally, the von Lehndorff family as a whole lived and breathed Trakehners, lived and breathed horses). However, and as much as I as very much a horse and especially as a Trakehners as a breed enthusiast (as my family also used to in fact breed Trakehners) have indeed for the most part much enjoyed and appreciated Menschen, Pferde, weites Land: Kindheits- und Jugenderinnerungen, I do and unfortunately so also tend to find the author's general narrative flow a trifle dry and too unemotional, too distancing at times, and can also, considering how much of the book deals specifically with horses well understand that for some readers, the pretty well constant thematics of describing and depicting equestrian pursuits, of focussing on horse breeding, horseback riding, mounted hunts and the like might easily get a bit tedious and monotonous (even though ALL of the information contained and presented in Mensches, Pferde, weites Land: Kindheits' und Jugenderinnerungen is definitely interesting and both historically and culturally enlightening).

Three and a half stars for Menschen, Pferde, weites Land: Kindheits- und Jugenderinnerungen, but rounded down to but three stars for me, as even though I have personally very much if not totally with pleasure appreciated my reading journey into the East Prussia of Hans Graf von Lehndorff's childhood and youth as well as the historical information, the specific details about his family and their background, their histories, and yes indeed, have totally and absolutely loved and massively so all of the information and anecdotes pertaining to horses and in particular Trakehners, the rather annoying and to and for me supremely frustrating truth of the matter that Hans Graf von Lehndorff very positively and with absolute enjoyment and personal pleasure depicts and describes trophy hunting for sport (and that going hunting, that shooting scores of birds, deer and wild boar was obviously one of his main childhood and youth joys and pleasures), this does indeed more than somewhat rub me the wrong way so to speak.

[Antje · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ich bedaure meine recht niedrige Bewertung dieses Buches, weil ich Hans Graf von Lehndorff nach wie vor für einen ausgezeichneten Erzähler halte und ich sein "Ostpreußisches Tagebuch" mit Begeisterung verschlang.
Jedoch war ich mit der falschen Erwartung herangegangen, dass sich seine Erinnerungen vielmehr wieder auf Ostpreußen konzentrieren, weshalb mich seine Anekdoten aus der Schweiz, England, Frankreich nicht packen konnten. Mit der Tatsache, dass er verständlicherweise ein ausgesprochener Pferdenarr gewesen ist und die Hälfte des Buches vor allem von seinen Erlebnissen mit Pferden und Pferdezucht handelt, konnte ich noch gut verkraften. Auch wenn ich zu diesen edlen Tiere keinerlei Bezug habe, fand ich seine Schilderungen interessant und lehrreich.
Allerdings erzählte der Autor auch ausgiebig von seiner zweiten großen Leidenschaft, nämlich dem Jagen, womit er bei mir gar nicht punkten konnte und ich solche Seiten großzügig überlas.
Ich hätte mich stattdessen vielmehr über Anekdoten aus seiner Familie gefreut. Von seiner Schwester erfährt der Leser erschreckend wenig, während er von diversen Freunden, die meine Interesse nicht erregten, ausführlich berichtete. Auch fand ich den Aufbau seines Buches zu unstrukturiert, ohne für mich erkennbaren roten Faden.

Leider kein Buch für mich, obgleich ich die eine oder andere Erzählung durchaus zu schätzen wusste. Schade!

[Gabriele Goldstone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. Just a bit heavy on the topic of horses. It's very well written and gives insight into the life of the well-to-do in rural pre-Hitler East Prussia. I've enjoyed all the books by this author.

[Marion Princic · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you love trakehner horses this book is a must read. i