The woman of Andros, Thornton Wilder

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by Thornton Wilder · 1897–1975

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The Woman of Andros is a 1930 novel by Thornton Wilder. Inspired by Andria, a comedy by Terence, it was the third-best selling book in the United States in 1930. The novel is set on the fictional Greek island of Brynos in the pre-Christian era, probably around 200 B.C. (i.e., in the decline of Greece's golden age though the novel does not give an explicit date) The book examines conflicts between Christian and pre-Christian morality. Though some reviews considered the novel a masterpiece, others were more critical. This was the first time that Wilder's work received any significant negative critical response. Mike Gold's review in The New Republic faulted Wilder for not addressing modern social issues. (This summary is from Wikipedia.)

Summary generated automatically by Project Gutenberg.

Read time
101 min
Words
22,149
Chapters
1
Paragraphs
346
Price
Free
  • Courtesans -- Fiction
  • Greece -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
  • Historical fiction
  • Man-woman relationships -- Fiction
  • Shepherds -- Fiction
The woman of Andros

Simo’s slightly cynical superiority over the rest of the world reposed on the fact that he had gone through life without ever having been surprised as unjust, untruthful, or ungenerous.

Simos leicht zynische Überlegenheit gegenüber dem Rest der Welt beruhte auf der Tatsache, dass er durchs Leben gegangen war, ohne je als ungerecht, unehrlich oder unedel überrascht worden zu sein.

Angry, but with himself, for having been caught at this disadvantage, he replied: “That is not necessary.

Wütend auf sich selbst, weil er in diese missliche Lage geraten war, antwortete er: „Das ist nicht nötig.

It would be quite simple for your servant to tell him that you do not wish him to come into the house.”

Es wäre ganz einfach, wenn dein Diener ihm sagte, dass du nicht möchtest, dass er ins Haus kommt.“

“I could not do that.

„Das könnte ich nicht tun.

There are several young men on the island to whom my door, for one reason or another, is closed.

Es gibt mehrere junge Männer auf der Insel, denen meine Tür aus dem einen oder anderen Grund verschlossen ist.

I cannot do that to Pamphilus without giving him a reason.

Ich kann das Pamphilus nicht antun, ohne ihm einen Grund zu nennen.

If you understood the spirit of our group you would not wish me to do that; I think that there we are not lacking in respect for one another.

Wenn du den Geist unserer Gruppe verstehen würdest, möchtest du das nicht; ich glaube, da fehlt es uns nicht an Respekt füreinander.

I hardly know your son; I have scarcely exchanged twenty words with him; but I know that he is by far the first young man among my guests.”

Ich kenne deinen Sohn kaum; ich habe kaum zwanzig Worte mit ihm gewechselt; aber ich weiß, dass er bei weitem der erste junge Mann unter meinen Gästen ist.“

Suddenly the image of Pamphilus rose up before her and she was filled with an excitement and joy in praising him,

Plötzlich erhob sich das Bild des Pamphilus vor ihr, und sie wurde erfüllt von einer Aufregung und Freude, ihn zu loben,

and for that very reason she subdued herself and added in a lower voice: “He is old enough to make decisions for himself.

und aus diesem Grund zügelte sie sich und fügte mit leiserer Stimme hinzu: „Er ist alt genug, um selbst Entscheidungen zu treffen.

And if I do this, he must understand.”

Und wenn ich das tue, muss er es verstehen.“

Simo was aware that some strange wise praise of his son hovered between them and his heart almost stopped beating for pleasure,

Simo war sich bewusst, dass eine seltsame, weise Lobpreisung seines Sohnes zwischen ihnen schwebte, und sein Herz fast aufhörte vor Freude zu schlagen,

but from his lips there rushed the brutal phrase he had prepared a moment before: “Then you must send your money to Andros some other way.”

aber aus seinen Lippen eilte die brutale Phrase, die er einen Moment zuvor vorbereitet hatte: „Dann musst du dein Geld auf eine andere Weise nach Andros schicken.“

About the author

Thornton Wilder1897–1975

Thornton Wilder was an American playwright and novelist, born in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1897, and died in Hamden, Connecticut, in 1975.

The Thornton Wilder page, and where to start →

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Questions about The woman of Andros

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Yes. It is also published in Spanish, and switching keeps your place, because both columns share one paragraph numbering.

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About 2 hours at a normal pace, longer if you stop to look at the alignment, which is rather the point.

Book details

Original language
English
Translation
German, machine translation
Source text
Project Gutenberg #78024
Licence
Public domain in the United States

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