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
