XPost: rec.arts.books.childrens, alt.books, alt.literature

When I was at school I read a book containing two stories:

Emil and the Detectives
and
The Land of Cockaigne

Both were, I believe, written by German authors between the world
wars, and I wonder whether anyone else remembers reading them.

Just about the only thing I remember about "The Land of Cockaigne" was
that it had hens going about dragging frying pans, and laying eggs
that were immediatelt friend and ready to eat.

A few years later I read the song "Big Rock Candy Mountain" which
seemed to embody the same concept, though it was of American rather
than German origin.


--
Stephen Hayes, Author of The Year of the Dragon
Sample or purchase The Year of the Dragon: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/907935
Web site: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail: shayes@dunelm.org.uk or if you use Gmail hayesstw@telkomsa.net

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XPost: rec.arts.books.childrens, alt.books, alt.literature

Steve Hayes wrote:

Emil and the Detectives
and
The Land of Cockaigne

Both were, I believe, written by German authors between the world
wars, and I wonder whether anyone else remembers reading them.

I only know Emil und die Detektive, written by Erich Kästner. In fact,
this one is still very popular in Germany and I have read it more than
once with my 5th graders. It has been turned into a film 3 times, the
oldest one is from 1931 and the script was written by Billy Wilder, who
later made it big in Hollywood. I would definitely recommend this for
watching, it's so lovingly made and it shows the old Berlin from before
the war but I do not know if an English version, whether synchronized or subtitled, is available.

-jw-
--
And now for something completely different...

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XPost: rec.arts.books.childrens, alt.books, alt.literature

Steve Hayes wrote:

Just about the only thing I remember about "The Land of Cockaigne" was
that it had hens going about dragging frying pans, and laying eggs
that were immediatelt friend and ready to eat.

OK, I found it, it is a fairy tale by Ludwig Bechstein, it is called "Im Schlaraffenland" (Land of Plenty or Cockaigne), you can find the German
version here: https://www.maerchenstern.de/maerchen/schlaraffenland.php
and if you do not speak German let Google translate it for you. :)

-jw-
--
And now for something completely different...

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XPost: rec.arts.books.childrens, alt.books, alt.literature

On Wed, 03 Apr 2024 18:58:25 +0200, Joerg Walther
<joerg.walther@magenta.de> wrote:

Steve Hayes wrote:

Emil and the Detectives
and
The Land of Cockaigne

Both were, I believe, written by German authors between the world
wars, and I wonder whether anyone else remembers reading them.

I only know Emil und die Detektive, written by Erich Kästner. In fact,
this one is still very popular in Germany and I have read it more than
once with my 5th graders. It has been turned into a film 3 times, the
oldest one is from 1931 and the script was written by Billy Wilder, who
later made it big in Hollywood. I would definitely recommend this for >watching, it's so lovingly made and it shows the old Berlin from before
the war but I do not know if an English version, whether synchronized or >subtitled, is available.

Thanks very much. Good to see that it is still popular with today's
kids. Some say that they won't like it because there are no cell
phones etc.


--
Stephen Hayes, Author of The Year of the Dragon
Sample or purchase The Year of the Dragon: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/907935
Web site: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail: shayes@dunelm.org.uk or if you use Gmail hayesstw@telkomsa.net

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XPost: rec.arts.books.childrens, alt.books, alt.literature

Steve Hayes wrote:

Thanks very much. Good to see that it is still popular with today's
kids. Some say that they won't like it because there are no cell
phones etc.

I've never noticed this, probably because the story is both suspenseful
and funny.

-jw-
--
And now for something completely different...

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