"A successful experiment! A book to entice people into reading."— Hermann Koch, P.S.
"This book is for everyone who wants to see literature from a different perspective. I am deeply moved."— Jonah Bisaro, Buch am Platz
"This anthology shows that literature can be both artful and easy to understand."— Ralph Kunz, bref Magazin
Dieses Buch ist voller Geschichten in Leichter Sprache.
Es enthält 14 neue, schöne, abenteuerliche und überraschende Geschichten von Schweizer Autorinnen und Autoren.
Aber auch Texte aus der Weltliteratur.
Leichte Sprache ist eine besondere Art, Geschichten zu erzählen.
Sie konzentriert sich auf das Wesentliche.
Leichte Sprache ist für Menschen, die eigentlich gern lesen.
Denen es aber nicht leichtfällt.
Oder für Menschen, die Deutsch lernen.
Oder für Menschen, die mit dem Gedächtnis Mühe haben.
Die Geschichten in diesem Buch sind für sie.
Und sie sind für uns alle.
Geschichten von Franz Hohler, Franz Kafka, Dorothee Elmiger, Angélique Beldner, Günter Eich, William Carlos Williams, Christoph Keller, Damian Bright, Zsuzsanna Gahse, Rahel Hutmacher, Katharina Tanner, June Jordan, Jan Heller Levi, Julia Weber, Ivna Žic, Claudia Vamvas, Etrit Hasler, Andres Lutz, Christine Fischer, Usama Al Shahmani, Peter Bichsel, Michael Fehr, Muriel Rukeyser.
And Then You Ring My Bell:
Stories in Easy Language
This book is full of stories in Easy Language.
It contains 14 new, beautiful, adventurous, and surprising stories by Swiss authors.
But also texts from world literature.
Easy Language is a special way of telling stories.
It focuses on the essentials.
Easy Language is for people who actually enjoy reading – but find it difficult.
Or for people who are learning German.
Or for people who struggle with memory.
The stories in this book are for them.
And they are for all of us.
Stories by Franz Hohler, Franz Kafka, Dorothee Elmiger, Angélique Beldner, Günter Eich, William Carlos Williams, Christoph Keller, Damian Bright, Zsuzsanna Gahse, Rahel Hutmacher, Katharina Tanner, June Jordan, Jan Heller Levi, Julia Weber, Ivna Žic, Claudia Vamvas, Etrit Hasler, Andres Lutz, Christine Fischer, Usama Al Shahmani, Peter Bichsel, Michael Fehr, Muriel Rukeyser.
«Dieses Buch ist für all jene, die Literatur aus einer anderen Perspektive sehen wollen. Ich bin tief berührt.»
Jonah Bisaro, Buch am Platz
«Ein gelungenes Experiment! Ein Buch, um Menschen zum Lesen zu verführen.»
Hermann Koch, P.S.
«Der Sammelband zeigt, dass Literatur kunstvoll und gleichzeitig leicht verständlich sein kann.»
Ralph Kunz, bref Magazin
‘Fascinating … compelling … very funny’ Sunday Times
‘A defiant call to arms … affecting … lingers long in the memory after its final page’ Morning Star
‘A skilful act of literary witness, sharp, moving and funny’ Joanne Limburg
‘Christoph Keller … ranks among the great Swiss writers’ Neue Zürcher Zeitung
The Legend of Minetta
by Christoph Keller
Once upon a time.
That’s how fairy tales begin.
Sometimes, legends begin like that too.
What is the difference?
A fairy tale is not true.
We all know that.
But a legend?
A legend might be true.
That’s strange.
That’s really strange.
So:
Once upon a time, there was a snake.
She was huge.
And very evil.
She lived a long, long time ago.
Before people counted years.
She lived with the Lenape.
The Lenape are a Native people from America.
Today, we say: Indigenous people.
But many Indigenous people still say in English:
American Indian or Amerindian.
Maybe “Indian” is not such a bad word.
But one thing is sure:
Christopher Columbus was dumb.
He thought:
I found India.
But he really found America.
How dumb!
And even dumber:
America was already found —
by the Native people.
So dumb!
Back to the evil snake:
She lives on the island of Mannahatta.
Today, we call it Manhattan.
“Mannahatta” is a Lenape word.
It means: land with many hills.
Today, that place is New York City.
It stands on Lenape land.
On stolen Lenape land.
The snake’s name is Minetta.
She cannot die.
She still lives in the same place.
Now it is called New York.
But the snake is invisible now.
She is an invisible river
under the streets of New York.
But you can still feel her.
Everyone feels her.
But no one knows.
Most of the time, Minetta sleeps.
But sometimes, she wakes up.
Then she hisses, loud and angry.
She hits the ground with her giant tail.
The earth shakes.
She opens her long mouth.
And spits poison.
It flies far.
It hits everyone.
It spreads.
Just one tiny drop
can make people go crazy.
Now Minetta slithers through the Lenape village.
Someone grabs an axe.
And breaks his own house to pieces.
Some people do somersaults.
Others plant stones in the ground.
A mother tells her daughter:
You are so smart.
But everyone knows the girl is a little dull.
Still, the girl believes it.
She says:
I am so smart.
And she drives everyone even crazier.
Another man steals a stone axe
from his neighbor.
His best axe.
Then he kills someone with it.
And says:
It was my neighbor!
Others run around for no reason.
They run into trees—
birch trees, willow trees, beautiful cherry trees—
and hit their heads.
Trees are very hard.
Some run to the next village.
They kill everyone there.
They burn everything down.
Just like that.
Crazy!
Just because Minetta spat poison.
This must stop!
That’s what Nanapush thinks.
Nanapush is the bravest Lenape.
And the smartest.
And the strongest.
It is clear:
Only Nanapush can defeat Minetta.
