Teacher's Interview: Mr Lüthgens

We loved hearing about Mr Gillig’s reading history so much we thought you might want to learn more about another GISS teacher.  Mr Lüthgens shared some things about what he likes reading with us so that we could all learn more about him.

The first book that Mr Lüthgens recalls reading Jim Knopf, by Michael Ende is one he really enjoyed and also something he has subsequently read to his children.  In the series of two books the orphan Jim Knopf leaves the Island where he grew up and goes on a series of adventures.  The story is definitely very creative and would stimulate the imagination of children and adults alike.

Mr Lüthgens finds himself gravitating toward poetry, which is something he finds himself rereading on a regular basis.  In particular the collection of perms titled Venezianisches Credo, which the author Rudolf Hagelstange wrote about the years following the second world war.  This gives an interesting insight into this period which defined the world today. 

When we asked him to pick his all time favourite book, Mr Lüthgens couldn’t decide, but he managed to narrow it down to his top three.  Camus, an existentialist author, wrote one of those picks.  The plague, initially written in French, is often said to be semi- autobiographical, describing the authors’ experience fighting in the second world war.  Another is Two Planets, a science fiction novel by Kurd Lasswizt.  The theme of the novel, Martians being uncovered by a group of explorers who are then takes back to mars, is also one which is of great relevance in one of Mr Lüthgens’ subjects, Physics.  In Narcissus and Goldmund, by renowned author Hermann Hesse, a mismatched pair become friends in medieval Germany. 

The last book Mr Lüthgens read was The narrow road to the deep north, which like many of his picks is a work of historical fiction.  Richard Flanagan wrote the book on a doctor recovering from his personal and professional experiences on the Thai- Burma death Railway.

His love for reading is something that Mr Lüthgens wants to pass on to his children, reading them many of his childhood favourites like Jim Knopf and an originally Swedish children’s book The Wonderful adventures of Nils, which is about a young farm boy who gets up to mischief.

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed learning about Mr Lüthgens’ reading history as much as you enjoy taking classes with him.  We’ll see you next week for more exciting news out of the library.
Zinnia and Gwendoline

jimknopf [image]. Retrieved on 16.03.2016 from http://www.krippe-jimknopf.ch/