The Penguin Book of German Verse

This fine anthology traces the evolution of German verse, from its origins in the early Middle Ages to the traditions of the twentieth century.This vast collection moves from medieval lyrics and ballads to the Protestant hymns of the sixteenth century, to the great explosion of German literature with Goethe and Schiller, taking in the isolated genius of Holderlin, and then on to late nineteenth-century naturalism, the post-First World War expressionists, and several notable poets in this century including Loerke and Bertolt Brecht.