Cassandra

Christa Wolf was one of the two finest writers in the German language to emerge following World War II, the other being Ingeborg Bachmann, whom Wolf discusses extensively and cogently in one of the four accompanying essays. The first part of the book, the novel itself written in first person from the point of view of Cassandra, is utterly enthralling. It is one of those books in which every paragraph contains a sentence or an expression or an idea so startling that one feels the need to stop and think about it before one continues reading. Wolf succeeds brilliantly in getting inside Casandra, her feelings, thinking, loves, hates and desires. And the character of Cassandra, in turn, succeeds brilliantly in getting inside the other players in the Trojan War saga, both the Greeks and the Trojans. The accompanying essays are no less fascinating. Yes, this is a profound and lasting piece of feminist writing. But it is so, so much more. Wolf's admirable and ground-breaking feminism is only one aspect of her overall view of history and the human species' place in it. To sum up: this is a work of genius by a genius. I give it my highest recommendation, and am certain that I will read it again.

Took me a bit to settle into the writing style which was a bit conscious of telling a grand ancient tale. Then the story started to emerge of what the life of Cassandra might have been like and why she was often discounted. There's a reality about the 'siege' of Troy (which was more an attack than a siege) whereby people could in fact come and go from the city and we enter the life of the people on the outside of the citadel as well as the very human behaviour of the 'powerful' within. The author brings in all the main names and gives us a glimmer of the characters of these players in an ancient and probably true tale.

A priestess, a defeated world power, the arrogance of victors in the world of classical Greece - how can all that speak to us today? Combine those features with the frustration of a woman being right but routinely ignored, and you have a great novel. Wolff adds to the wonderful experience through her essays, well worth reading. She is little known in the US, but should have a great audience among young women and fans of well-designed plots,

His is definitely a work of literature, something that the author wanted to write and so she tells de story of Cassandra in her own way, following her own narrative structure and personal style. It seems that by dong this one is able to meet the real Cassandra, listen to her speak and penetrate her thoughts.

This is an astounding novel. Told from Cassandra's point of view, as she awaits her end at Mycenae, the recount of the war at Troy from one who wasn't listened to offers tremendous insight into any war, at any time, in any place. It's about the mythologising of myth, really; the spin, the suppression of truth, the misuse of language, the subversion of the normal, the rejection of good sense, to bring about a state of war that will satisfy the perverse egos of a particular type of back-room intriguer with limited talents and too much influence. It's handy to have some knowledge of 'The Iliad' and Greek mythology (or to have a copy of 'Who's Who in Greek Mythology' close by) because sometimes you need reminding about who everyone is among the large cast of characters. Despite this description, which sounds a bit heavy, it's a very readable book in an excellent translation. Cassandra is not the moaning Minnie she's often depicted as, but a character of depth, interest, sly observations, and even humour of a bleak kind. The language is wonderful, too. In fact, this novel has everything going for it. And into the bargain, it's not very long. Plus, it comes with some (probably) very insightful notes and lectures by the author at the end (which I haven't read, but you don't really need to, although they're most likely very edifying).

I remember an old girlfriend of mine. No way she could show some interest or appreciation for books I read, ever. Well, to my greatest satisfaction, when she grabbed this book from my library -- that was when she found me reading it for the third time -- and finished it, she was almost unable to speak and could only utter: terrific.

Book is in good condition.

Love reading about my NAME.

I thought this an excellent novel that I suspect will haunt me for a long time to come. Wolf dives deep into the Legend of Troy, researching back into the origins of the War long before Paris & Helen. At the same time she draws subtle parallels with her own experience of living in a police state, all seen through the memories of Cassandra, the prophet no one will believe.Other reviewers here have covered just about everything I planned to say, so I'll just voice a couple of grumbles about this Daunt Books edition:-Firstly, the translation....which others express doubts about...seems fine to me, except for the annoying & frequent use of the archaic word "gotten" which, unless you're American, really jars!Secondly, I'd like to know why the publisher has used as the cover illustration a Pre-Raphaelite painting of a luscious-lipped redhead (Jane Morris?) who bears no resemblance to Cassandra as described by the author of the novel!These quibbles apart, this is a good serious read, with contemporary parallels never far from the surface. Perhaps not quite as good as Wolf's other Ancient Greek novel, "Medea", it is still a fine & important work by an author who deserves to be better known outside Germany.

Set during the Trojan War, this book deals with the life of Cassandra, a seeress and daughter of King Priam, whose story hasn't been dealt with in such detail before (as far as I'm aware - correct me if I'm wrong!), and her thoughts as she comes to terms with the events and politics of the Trojan war. With loose chronology, she thinks back on her life and wonders how she will face the execution she knows awaits her.Christa Wolf has written an excellent book that deals with the issues of the East/West German divide in an Ancient Greek setting.From a Women's Studies point-of-view, this novel has a multitude of well-known female 'characters' from Greek mythology and Wolf has many new takes on what are considered the core facts of these myths.As for my rating, the German 'Kassandra' would receive 4/5 stars, I lowered the rating because I didn't think this English translation did the original full justice. That's just a very personal opinion though! I wouldn't want this to put a solely English speaker off reading this book.

It’s a very interesting take on the woman who wasn’t believed. I recently read The Trojan Women, which dealt more broadly with the effects of men’s notions of honour and desire for fame and enrichment through war, on their mothers, wives and daughters. It took up the story, where the Iliad and Odessa left off. I liked it, but I was more moved by this. It plays a bit fast and loose with the text of the Iliad, but it makes far less of a victim of Cassandra.Even more interesting, I found in the second half of the book several essays about Christa Wolf’s journey to writing the story. These are well worth a read, especially for the individual insight into political conditions in the mid-late part of the 20th century.

It's not to my taste

I found Cassandra rather wordy and densely written. The past tense is off putting, but the general idea is original.