Review: Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition

Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition by Ben Schott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This book is brilliant. Each entry has 5 parts: an article about the word, the word itself, the transliteration, the English definition, the literal definition. Let me tell you, often times the literal definition is simply poetry. Is there a German word for "the completed feeling of an entire story from a short phrase"?

Many entries in here fall into "why is there not a word for that in English" or "holy crap, there's a word for that specific concept?!" But sprinkled throughout are words that are touching and bittersweet.

Erlösungsfreudeschuldbewusstsein
Guilt at the relief of a loved one’s death.
deliverance-joy-shame

Some words in here are profound, you know that if they are used then there is a much longer story behind the situation.
Schubladenbrief
The letter you write, but never send.
(desk-)drawer-letter

And some are short poems. Japanese has the succinct structure of 5/7/5 for their haiku. I believe that Germans have truncated the art of confined poetry to a single word.
Herbstlaubtrittvergnügen
Kicking through piles of autumn leaves.
autumn-foliage-strike-fun

Some words are so specific it seems silly that they exist at all.
Geheimgangsverlockung
The conviction that all old, large houses must contain secret passages.
secret-corridor-seduction

Some make you wonder why we don't have a word or phrase for it in English yet.
Leertretung
Stepping down heavily on a stair that isn’t there.
void-stepping


Where should one catalog this book? Poetry, linguistics, reference? It's so damn good perhaps one copy belongs in each section. And I'll leave you with one last word that you will need while reading.

Zeuxisgelächter
Laughter so prolonged and intense it causes physical pain.
zeuxis-laughter



View all my reviews