Emil and the Detectives

Emil and the Detectives is a 1929 novel for children published by Erich Kästner.

Action

The twelve- year-old Emil Tischbein arrived from his native town of Neustadt to Berlin for the first time, to visit relatives. His mother has given him 140 marks for the financial support of the grandmother. This money is in the railway compartment of a fellow who calls himself Grundeis, stolen from him. Since Emil itself has been up to something at home, he does not dare to turn to the police, and pursued the thief to the station on your own. He is approached by his peer Berlin boys Gustav with the horn: " You must be out of Wilmersdorf? " Gustav drummed some friends together that create a war chest and an intelligence service to organize ( "Parole Emil " ). The self-appointed detectives shade the thief through Berlin and collect evidence. This leads to controversy, because some boys do not want to fulfill their assigned task. Since Emil informed his relatives by messenger, also his cousin Ponyhütchen joins the detectives.

When the Flustered by tracking thief wishes to convert the stolen bills in a bank branch, it was made by the detectives and a large amount of children and handed over to the police. In the investigation initially come the wrong name of the thief on the table ( Grundeis - Müller - Kiessling ). Then the bills found him to be identified by the fact that they have fine holes, because Emil had pinned the money in his pocket with a needle. Further investigation revealed that ground ice is a wanted bank robber. Emil gets thousand marks as a reward.

Reception

In the book of humor, adventure and of milieu of Kästner be mixed. The novel tone of the story suggested children's literature. Prior books for children were almost continuously fairytale, preachy or both.

Genesis

Erich Kästner was inspired by Edith Jacobson, of Siegfried Jacob son's widow and publisher of the world stage for the Berlin children's publisher Williams & Co. to write a book. Up to this point Kästner had poems published ( heart on waist, 1928) and worked as an editor at daily newspapers, reviews and feature articles written. Within weeks, the story of Emil, the boy, who is successfully pursuing a thief through Berlin was born.

Kästner, who was even with the first name Emil, was inspired by his biography at the figures Emil and his mother, and also appeared himself in action on - in his real career as a newspaper journalist. For the history Kästner took up an experience from his childhood in Dresden back: pursued there and he made an impostor who had his mother, a hairdresser damaged. When a bank collapse that is mentioned in the book, it is probably the Diskonto intrusion of the brothers Sass.

The illustrations are by Walter Trier. The book was published in the fall of 1929 and was a huge success. It was first not indexed as a single work Kästner or burned at the book burning in Germany in 1933. Erich Kästner was personally present as the sole writer of the ostracized by the combustion of his own works. He was even recognized, but otherwise not bothered. 1936 however, Emil and the Detectives was banned by the Nazis.

A continuation Kästner wrote in 1934 under the title Emil and the three twins. The first edition appeared in 1935 in the Atrium Verlag Basel / Vienna / Ostrava, the successor to the publishing house of Williams & Co.

Adaptations

Films

Stage versions

Kästner taught the novel in 1930 for a theater. The piece is often seen as before, as the children 's and youth theater. Examples include the open-air theater performances in Hamm- Heessen (2005), Reutlingen (2003) or Sigmaringendorf ( 2001).

Musical settings

The Musical Emil and the Detectives, whose music comes from Marc Schubring and the libretto by Wolfgang Adenberg, premiered on 12 November 2001 at the Berlin Theater am Potsdamer Platz. On 6 October 2006, it had in the birthplace of the poet, at the Dresden State Operetta, Premiere. The leading roles were played by Dresdner children.

In 2008, the eastern Swiss theater was now a separate version, in which young people partly self- written scenes. Director had the theater-maker Oliver Kühn. 2013 brought the Zurich Bernhardtheater a Swiss German version of this children's musicals to the stage ( dialect processed by Erich Vock ), the plot was moved to Zurich and the first performance took place on 16 November 2013.

Games

Several times the book was also the subject of a board game for children:

• In 1931 appeared the publisher Josh. Scholz, Mainz, " Emil and the Detectives. A fascinating game for young and old "
• In 1969 Otto Maier Verlag under his former publishing director Erwin Glonnegger the game under the same title as the novel as a quest in Memoryart in which it applies to both thieves to collect and bills out.
• 2003 was published by Schmidt play and leisure from an imaginary author Helmut Walch breeze that runs similar to the famous Scotland Yard ( game ) and has additional deductive elements. It was also published under the title Emil and the Detectives.

Exhibitions

• 2014: All right, Mr. Commissioner? Knatterton, Kottan, Emil and other detectives., Caricature Museum Krems, 6 April to 16 November 2014.