Beginning with two Grimm fairy tales, it proceeds through stories by Peter Bischsel, plays by Brecht, a Hörspiel by Dürrenmatt, fables and parables by Kafka, and poems by Goethe, Eichendorff, Heine, Hesse, Brecht, and Wolf Biermann to present engaging readings that are accessible to first- and second-year students. All texts are unabridged and unrevised, fully glossed, and accompanied by discussion questions as well as exercises that lead students from reading comprehension to active mastery of the vocabulary and grammar they have met in the selections.