Michael Ende
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Michael Andreas Helmuth Ende (12 November 1929 – 28 August 1995) was a German writer of
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
and children's fiction. He is known for his epic fantasy ''
The Neverending Story ''The Neverending Story'' (german: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. The novel was later adapted into several ...
'' (with its 1980s film adaptation and a 1995 animated television adaptation); other well-known works include ''
Momo Momo may refer to: Geography * Momo (department), a division of Northwest Province in Cameroon * Momo, Gabon, a town in the Woleu-Ntem province of Gabon * Momo, Piedmont, a town in the province of Novara, in northern Italy * Joffrey Tower, in ...
'' and '' Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver''. His works have been translated into more than 40 languages, sold more than 35 million copies.


Early life

Ende was born 12 November 1929 in
Garmisch Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the Ob ...
,
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
, the only child of the
surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...
painter
Edgar Ende Edgar Karl Alfons Ende (23 February 1901 – 27 December 1965) was a German surrealist painter and father of the children's novelist Michael Ende. Ende attended the Altona School of Arts and Crafts from 1916 to 1920. In 1922 he married Gertr ...
and Luise Bartholomä Ende, a physiotherapist. In 1935, when Michael was six, the Ende family moved to the "artists' quarter of
Schwabing Schwabing is a borough in the northern part of Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria. It is part of the city borough 4 (Schwabing-West) and the city borough 12 (Schwabing-Freimann). The population of Schwabing is estimated about 100 ...
" in Munich (Haase). Growing up in this rich artistic and literary environment influenced Ende's later writing. In 1936, his father's work was declared "
degenerate art Degenerate art (german: Entartete Kunst was a term adopted in the 1920s by the Nazi Party in Germany to describe modern art. During the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler, German modernist art, including many works of internationally renowned artists, ...
" and banned by the
Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...
, so Edgar Ende was forced to draw and paint in secret.


Second World War

The horrors of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
heavily influenced Ende's childhood. He was twelve years old when he witnessed the first Allied bombing raid on Munich. He reflected:
Our street was consumed by flames. The fire didn't crackle; it roared. The flames were roaring. I remember singing and careering through the blaze like a drunkard. I was in the grip of a kind of euphoria. I still don't truly understand it, but I was almost tempted to cast myself into the fire like a moth into the light.
He was horrified, however, by the 1943 Hamburg bombing, which he experienced while visiting his paternal uncle. At the first available opportunity his uncle put him on a train back to Munich. There, Ende attended the Maximillians Gymnasium in Munich until schools were closed as the air raids intensified and pupils were evacuated. Ende returned to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where he was billeted in a boarding-house, Haus Kramerhof and later in Haus Roseneck. It was there that his interest in
German poetry German literature () comprises those literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German parts of Switzerland and Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, South Tyrol in Italy and to a les ...
was awakened. As well as writing his own poetry, he began to study various
literary movement Literary movements are a way to divide literature into categories of similar philosophical, topical, or aesthetic features, as opposed to divisions by genre or period. Like other categorizations, literary movements provide language for comparing ...
s and styles. As most recent German poetry was banned as part of
censorship in Nazi Germany Censorship in Nazi Germany was extreme and strictly enforced by the governing Nazi Party, but specifically by Joseph Goebbels and his Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Censorship within Nazi Germany included control of all ...
, he instead studied the German Romantic poet
Novalis Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (2 May 1772 – 25 March 1801), pen name Novalis (), was a German polymath who was a writer, philosopher, poet, aristocrat and mystic. He is regarded as an idiosyncratic and influential figure of ...
, whose ''
Hymns to the Night ''Hymns to the Night'' is a set of six poems written by the German Romantic poet Novalis between 1797 and 1800, often considered to be the climax of Novalis’ lyrical works and among the most important poetry of early German Romanticism. A revised ...
'' made a great impression on him. In 1944, Edgar Ende's studio at no. 90 Kaulbachstraße, Munich went up in flames and over two hundred and fifty paintings and sketches were destroyed, as well as all his prints and etchings. , Director of Public Art for Bavaria, was still in possession of a number of Ende's paintings, which survived the raids. After the bombing, Luise Ende was relocated to the Munich district of Solln. In 1945, Edgar Ende was taken as a
prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...
by American GIs, but was released soon after the end of the war. In 1945, German youths as young as fourteen were drafted into the ''
Volkssturm The (; "people's storm") was a levée en masse national militia established by Nazi Germany during the last months of World War II. It was not set up by the German Army, the ground component of the combined German ''Wehrmacht'' armed forces, ...
'' and sent to war against the advancing Allied armies. Three of Michael Ende's classmates were killed on their first day of combat. Ende was also drafted, but tore up his call-up papers and joined a secret German resistance group founded to sabotage the SS's declared intention to defend Munich until the "bitter end". Ende served the group as a courier for the remainder of the war. In 1946, Michael Ende's grammar school re-opened, and he attended classes for a year, following which the financial support of family friends allowed him to complete his high-school education at a
Waldorf School Waldorf education, also known as Steiner education, is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Its educational style is holistic, intended to develop pupils' intellectual, artistic, and practical ...
in Stuttgart. This seemingly charitable gesture was motivated by more self-interest: Ende had fallen in love with a girl three years his senior, and her parents funded his two-year stay in Stuttgart to keep the pair apart. It was at this time that he first began to write stories ("Michael," par. 3). He aspired to be a "
dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
," but wrote mostly short stories and poetry (Haase).


Career


Early career

During his time in Stuttgart, Ende first encountered
Expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...
and
Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Pari ...
ist writing and began schooling himself in literature. He studied
Theodor Däubler Theodor Däubler (17 August 1876 – 13 June 1934) was a poet and cultural critic in the German language. He was born in Trieste, then part of Austro-Hungary and has been described as "Trieste's most important German-speaking writer". Early life ...
,
Yvan Goll Yvan Goll (also: Iwan Goll, Ivan Goll; born Isaac Lang; 29 March 1891 – 27 February 1950) was a French-German poet who was bilingual and wrote in both French and German. He had close ties to both German expressionism and to French surrealism ...
,
Else Lasker-Schüler Else Lasker-Schüler (née Elisabeth Schüler) (; 11 February 1869 – 22 January 1945) was a German-Jewish poet and playwright famous for her bohemian lifestyle in Berlin and her poetry. She was one of the few women affiliated with the Expressi ...
and Alfred Mombert, but his real love was the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke,
Stefan George Stefan Anton George (; 12 July 18684 December 1933) was a German symbolist poet and a translator of Dante Alighieri, William Shakespeare, Hesiod, and Charles Baudelaire. He is also known for his role as leader of the highly influential literary ...
and
Georg Trakl Georg Trakl (3 February 1887 – 3 November 1914) was an Austrian poet and the brother of the pianist Grete Trakl. He is considered one of the most important Austrian Expressionists. He is perhaps best known for his poem " Grodek", which he wr ...
. He also made his first attempts at acting, performing with friends in Stuttgart's America House. He was involved in productions of
Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...
's one-act comedy "The Bear", in which he played the principal role, and in the German premiere of
Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...
's ''
Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with J ...
''. Ende's first play "Denn die Stunde drängt (As Time is Running Out)" dates to this period. It was dedicated to Hiroshima, and was never performed. Ende decided that he wanted to be a playwright, but financial considerations ruled out a university degree, so in 1948 he auditioned for the Otto Falckenberg School of the Performing Arts in Munich and was granted a two-year scholarship (Haase). On leaving drama school, his first job as an actor took him to a provincial theatre company in Schleswig-Holstein. The troupe travelled from town to town by bus, usually performing on makeshift stages, surrounded by beer, smoke and the clatter of skittles from nearby bowling alleys. The acting was a disappointment, he usually had to play old men and malicious schemers, and had barely enough time to memorize his lines. Despite the frustrations and disappointments of his early acting career, Ende came to value his time in the provinces as a valuable learning experience that endowed him with a practical, down-to-earth approach to his work: "It was a good experience, a healthy experience. Anyone interested in writing should be made to do that sort of thing. It doesn't have to be restricted to acting. It could be any kind of practical activity like cabinet making—learning how to construct a cabinet in which the doors fit properly." In Ende's view, practical training had the potential to be more useful than a literary degree. Thanks to the numerous contacts of his girlfriend Ingeborg Hoffmann, Michael Ende was introduced to a variety of cabaret groups. In 1955, , head of (the 'Little Fish' cabaret), commissioned Ende to write a piece in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Friedrich Schiller's death. Ende produced a sketch in which a statue of Schiller was interviewed about newsworthy issues, and replied with quotes from Schiller's work. "There was rapturous applause, and commissions arrived from other cabarets too." Michael Ende began to compose sketches, chansons and monologues. He also worked as a film critic during the 1950s.


Commercial success: writing ''Jim Knopf''

In the late 1950s, Ende wrote his first novel ''Jim Button''. Michael Ende always said that ideas only came to him when the logic of the story required them. On some occasions he waited a long time for inspiration to arrive. At one point during the writing of ''Jim Button'' the plot reached a dead end. Jim and Luke were stuck among black rocks and their tank engine couldn't go any further. Ende was at a loss to think of a way out of the adventure, but cutting the episode struck him as disingenuous. Three weeks later he was about to shelve the novel when suddenly he had an idea—the steam from the tank engine could freeze and cover the rocks in snow, thus saving his characters from their scrape. "In my case, writing is primarily a question of patience," he once commented. After nearly a year the five hundred pages of manuscript were complete. Over the next eighteen months he sent the manuscript to ten different publishers, but they all responded that it was "Unsuitable for our list" or "Too long for children". In the end he began to lose hope and toyed with the idea of throwing away the script. He eventually tried it at a small family publishing-house, K. in Stuttgart. Michael Ende's manuscript was accepted by company director Lotte Weitbrecht who liked the story. Her only stipulation was that the manuscript had to be published as two separate books. The first of the ''Jim Button'' novels was published in 1960. About a year later, on the morning of the announcement that his novel, ''Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver'', had won the German Prize for Children's Fiction, Ende was being sued by his landlady for seven months' rent backpayment. With the prize money of five thousand marks, Michael Ende's financial situation improved substantially and his writing career began in earnest. After the awards ceremony, he embarked on his first reading tour, and within a year, the first ''Jim Knopf'' book was also nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award and received the Berlin Literary Prize for Youth Fiction. The second ''Jim Knopf'' novel, ''Jim Button and the Wild Thirteen'', was published in 1962. Both books were serialized on radio and TV, and the
Augsburger Puppenkiste The Augsburger Puppenkiste (German for: Augsburg Puppetchest) is a marionette theater in Augsburg, Germany. It is located at the former Heilig-Geist-Spital in the historic center of Augsburg. Since 1948, the "Augsburger Puppenkiste" had been pro ...
famously adapted the novels in a version filmed by Hesse's broadcasting corporation. The print-runs sold out so rapidly that K. Thienemanns could barely keep up. Translations into numerous foreign languages soon followed.


Writing style and themes

Ende claimed, "It is for this child in me, and in all of us, that I tell my stories", and that "
y books are Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or sevent ...
for any child between 80 and 8 years" (qtd. Senick 95, 97). He often expressed frustration over being perceived as a children's writer exclusively, considering that his purpose was to speak of cultural problems and spiritual wisdom to people of all ages. Especially in Germany, Ende was accused by some critics of
escapism Escapism is mental diversion from unpleasant or boring aspects of daily life, typically through activities involving imagination or entertainment. Escapism may be used to occupy one's self away from persistent feelings of depression or gener ...
. He wrote in 1985:
One may enter the literary parlor via just about any door, be it the prison door, the madhouse door, or the brothel door. There is but one door one may not enter it through, which is the nursery door. The critics will never forgive you such. The great
Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...
is one to have suffered this. I keep wondering to myself what this peculiar contempt towards anything related to childhood is all about.
Ende's writing could be described as a surreal mixture of reality and
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
. The reader is often invited to take a more interactive role in the story, and the worlds in his books often mirror our reality, using fantasy to bring light to the problems of an increasingly technological modern society. His writings were influenced by
Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (27 or 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as ...
and his
anthroposophy Anthroposophy is a spiritualist movement founded in the early 20th century by the esotericist Rudolf Steiner that postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world, accessible to human experience. Follower ...
. Ende was also known as a proponent of economic reform, and claimed to have had the concept of aging money, or
demurrage The term "demurrage" from Old French ''demeurage'', from ''demeurer'' – to linger, tarry – originated in vessel chartering and referred to the period when the charterer remained in possession of the vessel after the period normally allowed ...
, in mind when writing ''Momo''. A theme of his work was the loss of fantasy and magic in the modern world.


Japan

Michael Ende had been fascinated by Japan since his childhood. He loved Lafcadio Hearn's Japanese legends and ghost stories, and in 1959 he wrote a play inspired by Hearn's material. ''Die Päonienlaterne'' (The Peony Lantern) was written for radio, but never broadcast. Ende was primarily interested in Japan because of its radical otherness. The Japanese language and script were so different from Ende's native German that it seemed they were grounded in a different kind of consciousness—an alternative way of seeing the world. He was particularly intrigued by the way in which everyday circumstances were shaped into intricate rituals, such as the tea ceremony. There was, he realized, a sharp contrast between the traditions of ancient Japan and its industry-oriented modern-day society. Ende won a devoted following in Japan, and by 1993 over two million copies of ''Momo'' and ''The Neverending Story'' had been sold in Japan. In 1986 Michael Ende was invited to attend the annual congress of the JBBY (Japanese Committee for International Children's Literature) in Tokyo. He gave a lecture on "Eternal Child-likeness"—the first detailed explanation of his artistic vision. 1989 marked the opening of the exhibition ''Michael and Edgar Ende'' in Tokyo. The exhibition was subsequently shown in Otsu, Miyazaki,
Nagasaki is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...
,
Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
,
Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...
and Fukuyama. At the invitation of ''Shimbun'', a Japanese newspaper, Michael Ende attended the opening and spent two months touring Japan. It was his third trip accompanied by the Japanese-born Mariko Sato, whom he married in September 1989. The following year an archive devoted to Michael Ende was established at Kurohime Dowakan, a museum in the Japanese city of Shinano-machi. Ende donated letters and other personal items to the collection. On 23 October 1992 Michael Ende made his final trip to Japan. In the course of their three-week visit Michael Ende and Mariko Sato-Ende visited the Dowakan museum, joined Ende's Japanese publishers, Iwanami, in celebrating the millionth sale of Momo, and travelled to Kanazawa and Hamamatsu and a number of other cities that were new to Ende.


Personal life

On New Year's Eve 1952, Michael Ende met the actress Ingeborg Hoffmann during a party with friends. According to Ende, he was standing at an ivy-covered counter serving as barman, when Hoffmann strode towards him, looking "flame-haired, fiery and chic". She declaimed: "Leaning up against the ivy-covered wall / Of this old terrace"; " Mörike", Ende said instantly, recognizing the quote. Hoffmann, eight years his senior, made a big impression on Ende. She in turn was intrigued by his literary cultivation and artistic inclinations. They began a relationship that led to their marriage in 1964 in Rome, Italy, and ended with Ingeborg Hoffmann's sudden and unexpected death in 1985 from a
pulmonary embolism Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream ( embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include shortness of breath, chest pain particularly upon breathin ...
; she was 63 years old. Hoffmann influenced Ende profoundly. In addition to assisting with getting his first major manuscript published, Hoffmann worked with him on his others, reading them and discussing them with him. Hoffman also influenced Ende's life in other ways. She encouraged Ende to join the Humanist Union, an organization committed to furthering humanist values. Together they campaigned for human rights, protested against West German rearmament, and worked towards
peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...
. Thanks to Ingeborg Hoffmann's numerous contacts, Michael Ende was introduced to a variety of cabaret groups. In 1955, Therese Angeloff, head of ''Die kleinen Fische'' (the 'Little Fish' cabaret), commissioned Ende to write a piece in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Friedrich Schiller's death. Ende produced a sketch in which a statue of Schiller is being interviewed about current events, and replies with quotes from Schiller's writings. "There was rapturous applause, and commissions arrived from other cabarets too." Michael Ende began to compose sketches, chansons and monologues. For fourteen years, Ende and Hoffmann, who were both Italophiles, lived just outside
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
in Genzano, in a house they called Casa Liocorno ("The Unicorn"). It was there that Ende wrote most of the novel ''Momo''. Following the death of his wife, Ende sold the home in Genzano and returned to Munich. He married a second time in 1989, to Japanese woman Mariko Sato, and they remained married until his death. He first met Mariko Sato in 1976. Sato had emigrated from Japan to
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
in 1974 and was working at the time for the
International Youth Library The International Youth Library (IYL) (, IJB) in Munich is a library that specializes in the collection of children and youth literature from around the world in order to make them available to the public, focusing on the international community. ...
in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
. After their first meeting at the
Bologna Children's Book Fair The Bologna Children's Book Fair or La fiera del libro per ragazzi is the leading professional fair for children's books in the world. Since 1963, it is held yearly for four days in March or April in Bologna, Italy. It is the meeting place for al ...
, Sato translated some of Ende's books into
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
and helped answer his questions about Japanese culture. From 1977 to 1980 Michael Ende and Mariko Sato worked together to produce a translation into German of ten fairy tales by Japanese writer
Kenji Miyazawa was a Japanese novelist and poet of children's literature from Hanamaki, Iwate, in the late Taishō and early Shōwa periods. He was also known as an agricultural science teacher, a vegetarian, cellist, devout Buddhist, and utopian social act ...
. The German text was never published, but their working partnership turned into a friendship. Mariko Sato accompanied him on a number of trips to Japan. The first trip took place in 1977 and included visits to
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
and
Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...
. For the first time Ende was able to experience
Kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is though ...
and
Noh theatre is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and ...
, and was greatly impressed by traditional Japanese drama. Michael Ende had no children.


Death

In June 1994, Ende was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Over the next few months he underwent various treatments, but the disease progressed. He ultimately succumbed to the disease in Filderstadt, Germany, on 28 August 1995.


Works


Children's novels

''Jim Button'' (''Jim Knopf'') series: # '' Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver'' (''Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer'') (1960), #: Winner of the
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis The (German Youth Literature Award) is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's and young adult literature. It is Germany's only ...
in 1961. # '' Jim Button and the Wild 13'' (''Jim Knopf und die Wilde 13'') (1962), Stand-alones: * ''
Momo Momo may refer to: Geography * Momo (department), a division of Northwest Province in Cameroon * Momo, Gabon, a town in the Woleu-Ntem province of Gabon * Momo, Piedmont, a town in the province of Novara, in northern Italy * Joffrey Tower, in ...
'', or ''The Grey Gentlemen'', or ''The Men in Grey'' (''Momo'', or ''Momo oder Die seltsame Geschichte von den Zeit-Dieben und von dem Kind, das den Menschen die gestohlene Zeit zurückbrachte'') (1973), *: Winner of the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 1974. * ''
The Neverending Story ''The Neverending Story'' (german: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. The novel was later adapted into several ...
'' (''Die unendliche Geschichte'') (1979), * '' The Night of Wishes: Or the Satanarchaeolidealcohellish Notion Potion'' (''Der satanarchäolügenialkohöllische Wunschpunsch'') (1989), * ''Rodrigo Raubein und Knirps, sein Knappe'' (2019), with Wieland Freund, ; novel initiated by Ende and developed and concluded by Freund


Children's short stories


All short stories

* "Tranquilla Trampeltrue — the Persistent Tortoise" ("Tranquilla Trampeltreu, die beharrliche Schildkröte") (1972), * "The Little Rag Puppet" ("Das kleine Lumpenkasperle") (1975), * "Lirum Larum, Willi Why" ("Lirum Larum Willi Warum") (1978), * "The Dream Eater" ("Das Traumfresserchen") (1978), * "The Lindworm and the Butterfly", or "The Strange Swap" ("Der Lindwurm und der Schmetterling oder Der seltsame Tausch") (1981), * "Filemon Foldrich" ("Filemon Faltenreich") (1984), * "Norbert Fatnoggin, or The Naked Rhinoceros" ("Norbert Nackendick oder Das nackte Nashorn") (1984), , based on his play ''Die Ballade von Norbert Nackendick; oder das nackte Nashom'' * "Ophelia's Shadow Theatre" ("Ophelias Schattentheater") (1988), * "The Story of the Bowl and the Spoon" ("Die Geschichte von der Schüssel und vom Löffel") (1990), * "Lenchen's Secret" ("Lenchens Geheimnis") (1991), * "The Long Way to Santa Cruz", or "The Long Road to Santa Cruz" ("Der lange Weg nach Santa Cruz") (1992), * "The Teddy Bear and the Animals" ("Der Teddy und die Tiere") (1993), * "A Bad Night" ("Eine schlimme Nacht") (1994) * "A Tongue Twister Story" ("Eine Zungenbrechergeschichte") (1994) * "Instead of a Preface; To Be Precise" ("Anstelle eines Vorworts: Genau genommen") (1994) * "Moany Parker and Nosy-Kissy" ("Nieselpriem und Naselküss") (1994) * "Moni Paints a Masterpiece" ("Moni malt ein Meisterwerk") (1994) * "Never Mind" ("Macht nichts") (1994) * "The School of Magic", or "The School of Magic in the Realm of Wishes" ("Die Zauberschule im Wünschelreich") (1994) * "The Story of the Wish of Wishes" ("Die Geschichte vom Wunsch aller Wünsche") (1994)


Collections

* ''The School of Magic and Other Stories'' (''Die Zauberschule und andere Geschichten'') (1994), collection of 20 short stories: *: "Anstelle eines Vorworts: Genau genommen", "Die Zauberschule im Wünschelreich", "Tranquilla Trampeltreu, die beharrliche Schildkröte", "Das kleine Lumpenkasperle", "Lenchens Geheimnis", "Die Geschichte vom Wunsch aller Wünsche", "Norbert Nackendick oder Das nackte Nashorn", "Macht nichts", "Nieselpriem und Naselküss", "Eine Zungenbrechergeschichte", "Lirum Larum Willi Warum", "Moni malt ein Meisterwerk", "Die Geschichte von der Schüssel und vom Löffel", "Der Teddy und die Tiere", "Der lange Weg nach Santa Cruz", "Der Lindwurm und der Schmetterling oder Der seltsame Tausch", "Filemon Faltenreich", "Eine schlimme Nacht", "Das Traumfresserchen", "Ophelias Schattentheater"


Adult short stories

Collections: * '' Mirror in the Mirror: A Labyrinth'', or ''The Mirror in the Mirror: A Maze'' (''Der Spiegel im Spiegel. Ein Labyrinth'') (1984), collection of 30 short stories, : *: "Verzeih mir, ich kann nicht lauter sprechen", "Der Sohn hatte sich unter der kundigen Anleitung", "Die Mansarde ist himmelblau", "Die Bahnhofskathedrale stand auf einer großen Scholle", "Schweres schwarzes Tuch", "Die Dame schob den schwarzen Vorhang ihres Kutschenfensters beiseite", "Der Zeuge gibt an, er habe sich auf einer nächtlichen Wiese befunden", "Der marmorbleiche Engel saß unter den Zuhörern im Gerichtssaal", "Moordunkel ist das Gesicht der Mutter", "Langsam wie ein Planet sich dreht, dreht sich der große runde Tisch", "Das Innere eines Gesichts mit geschlossenen Augen, sonst nichts", "Die Brücke, an der wir schon seit vielen Jahrhunderten bauen", "Es ist ein Zimmer und zugleich eine Wüste", "Die Hochzeitsgäste waren tanzende Flammen", "Über die weite graue Fläche des Himmels glitt ein Schlittschuhläufer dahin", "Dieses Heer besteht nur aus Buchstaben", "Eigentlich ging es um die Schafe", "Mann und Frau wollen eine Ausstellung besuchen", "Dem jungen Arzt war gestattet worden", "Nach Bureauschluss", "Der Bordellpalast auf dem Berge erstrahlte in dieser Nacht", "Der Weltreisende beschloß seine Wanderung", "An diesem Abend konnte der alte Seefahrer den ununterbrochenen Wind nicht mehr ertragen", "Unter einem schwarzen Himmel liegt ein unbewohnbares Land", "Hand in Hand gehen zwei eine Straße hinunter", "Im Klassenzimmer regnete es unaufhörlich", "Im Korridor der Schauspieler trafen wir einige hundert Wartende", "Das Feuer wurde von neuem eröffnet", "Der Zirkus brennt", "Ein Winterabend" * ''The Prison of Freedom'' (''Das Gefängnis der Freiheit'') (1992), collection of 8 short stories, : *: "Einer langen Reise Ziel", "Der Korridor des Borromeo Colmi", "Das Haus an der Peripherie", "Zugegeben etwas klein", "Die Katakomben von Misraim", "Aus den Aufzeichnungen des Traumweltreisenden Max Muto", "Das Gefängnis der Freiheit", "Die Legende vom Wegweiser" Uncollected short stories: * "The Legend of the Full Moon" ("Die Vollmondlegende") (1993)


Plays

* ''The Spoilsports, or The Fools' Inheritance'' (''Die Spielverderber oder: Das Erbe der Narren'') (1967) * ''Ein sehr kurzes Märchen'' (1976), based on short story ''
Hansel and Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; german: Hänsel und Gretel ) is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister. Hansel ...
'' * ''Momo und die Zeitdiebe'' (1978), opera based on novel ''Momo'' * ''The Entertainer's Tale'' (''Das Gauklermärchen'') (1982) * ''Die Ballade von Norbert Nackendick; oder das nackte Nashom'' (1982) * ''Die zerstreute Brillenschlange'' (1982) * '' The Goggolori'' (''Der Goggolori'') (1984), opera * ''The Hunting of the Snark'' (''Die Jagd nach dem Schlarg'') (1988), opera based on poem "
The Hunting of the Snark ''The Hunting of the Snark'', subtitled ''An Agony in 8 Fits'', is a poem by the English writer Lewis Carroll. It is typically categorised as a nonsense poem. Written between 1874 and 1876, it borrows the setting, some creatures, and eight por ...
" by
Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequ ...
* ''Das Traumfresserchen'' (1991), opera based on short story "The Dream Eater" * ''The Pied Piper'' (''Der Rattenfänger: ein Hamelner Totentanz. Oper in elf Bildern'') (1993), opera * ''Die Geschichte von der Schüssel und vom Löffel'' (1998), opera based on short story "The Story of the Bowl and the Spoon"


Poems

* ''The Nonsense Book'' (''Das Schnurpsenbuch'') (1969), * ''The Shadow Sewing Machine'' (''Die Schattennähmaschine'') (1982), * ''Flea Market of Dreams: Songs to be Sung at Midnight and Quiet Ballads'' (''Trödelmarkt der Träume: Mitternachtslieder und leise Balladen'') (1986), collection of poetry and lyrics,


Non-fiction

* ''Edgar Ende'' (1971) * ''Phantasie / Kultur / Politik. Protokoll eines Gesprächs'' (1982), with Erhard Eppler and Hanne Tächl, , opinion * ''Archaeology of Darkness. Discussions about Art and the Work of Painter Edgar Ende'' (''Die Archäologie der Dunkelheit. Gespräche über Kunst und das Werk des Malers Edgar Ende'') (1985), with Jörg Krichbaum, , art * ''Art and Politics. A Conversation'' (''Kunst und Politik – ein Gespräch'') series (art): *# ''Kunst und Politik – ein Gespräch'' (1989), with
Joseph Beuys Joseph Heinrich Beuys ( , ; 12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German artist, teacher, performance artist, and art theorist whose work reflected concepts of humanism, sociology, and anthroposophy. He was a founder of a provocative art mov ...
, *# ''Kunst und Politik – Gesprächsfortsetzung'' (2011), with Joseph Beuys, * ''Michael Ende's File-Card Box. Sketches and Notes'' (''Michael Endes Zettelkasten: Skizzen und Notizen'') (1994), , collection of short stories, poems, essays, aphorisms, notes, letters, drafts, meditations and curiosities * ''Monogatari no yohaku (The White Rim of a Story) – a Conversation between Michael Ende and Toshio Tamura'' (''Monogatari no yohaku (Der weiße Rand einer Geschichte) - ein Gespräch von Michael Ende/Toshio Tamura'') (2000), with Toshio Tamura, opinion, published posthumously * ''The School for Louts'' (''Die Rüpelschule'') (2002), with Volker Fredrich, , guide published posthumously * ''The Big Michael Ende Reader'' (''Das große Michael Ende Lesebuch'') (2004), literature, published posthumously


Adaptations

* ''Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer'' (1961), animated series directed by Harald Schäfer, based on children's novel '' Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver'' * ''Jim Knopf und die wilde 13'' (1962), animated series directed by Harald Schäfer, based on children's novel '' Jim Button and the Wild 13'' * ''Jim Knopf und Lukas, der Lokomotivführer'' (1970), TV movie directed by Günther Meyer-Goldenstädt and Eberhard Möbius, based on children's novel ''Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver'' * ''Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer'' (1977), animated series directed by Manfred Jenning, based on children's novel ''Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver'' * ''Jim Knopf und die wilde 13'' (1978), animated series directed by Manfred Jenning, based on children's novel ''Jim Button and the Wild 13'' * ''
The NeverEnding Story ''The Neverending Story'' (german: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. The novel was later adapted into several ...
'' (1984), film directed by
Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for the World War II submarine warfare film '' Das Boot'' (1981). His other films include '' The ...
, based on children's novel ''
The Neverending Story ''The Neverending Story'' (german: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. The novel was later adapted into several ...
'' * ''
Momo Momo may refer to: Geography * Momo (department), a division of Northwest Province in Cameroon * Momo, Gabon, a town in the Woleu-Ntem province of Gabon * Momo, Piedmont, a town in the province of Novara, in northern Italy * Joffrey Tower, in ...
'' (1986), film directed by
Johannes Schaaf Johannes Schaaf (7 April 1933 – 1 November 2019) was a German film, theatre and opera director and actor. Several of his films have been internationally recognized. His focus shifted to opera in the 1980s and he worked with many of the leading i ...
, based on children's novel ''
Momo Momo may refer to: Geography * Momo (department), a division of Northwest Province in Cameroon * Momo, Gabon, a town in the Woleu-Ntem province of Gabon * Momo, Piedmont, a town in the province of Novara, in northern Italy * Joffrey Tower, in ...
'' * '' The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter'' (1990), film directed by
George T. Miller George Trumbull Miller (born 28 November 1943) is a Scottish-Australian film and television director and producer. He has directed '' The Man from Snowy River'', '' The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter'' and ''Zeus and Roxanne''. He sta ...
, based on children's novel ''The Neverending Story'' * '' The Neverending Story III: Escape from Fantasia'' (1994), film directed by Peter MacDonald, based on children's novel ''The Neverending Story'' * ''
The Neverending Story ''The Neverending Story'' (german: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. The novel was later adapted into several ...
'' (1995-1996), animated series directed by Marc Boreal and Mike Fallows, based on children's novel ''The Neverending Story'' * ''Jim Button'' (1999-2001), animated series directed by Bruno Bianchi, André Leduc, Jan Nonhof and Jean-Michel Spiner, based on series of children's novels ''Jim Button'' * '' Wunschpunsch'' (2000-2002), animated series directed by Philippe Amador, based on children's novel '' The Night of Wishes: Or the Satanarchaeolidealcohellish Notion Potion'' * ''
Momo Momo may refer to: Geography * Momo (department), a division of Northwest Province in Cameroon * Momo, Gabon, a town in the Woleu-Ntem province of Gabon * Momo, Piedmont, a town in the province of Novara, in northern Italy * Joffrey Tower, in ...
'' (2001), animated film directed by
Enzo D'Alò Enzo D'Alò (born 7 September 1953) is an Italian animator and director. Life and career Born in Naples, D'Alò moved to Turin in 1979 and there he started his career as animator working with the group "La Lanterna Magica". In 1983 he debuted ...
, based on children's novel ''Momo'' * ''
Tales from the Neverending Story ''Tales from the Neverending Story'' is a single-season TV series that is loosely based on Michael Ende's 1979 novel ''The Neverending Story'', produced (in Montreal, Quebec, Canada during December 2000-August 2002) and distributed by Muse Entert ...
'' (2001-2004), series directed by Giles Walker and
Adam Weissman Adam Weissman is an American television director. Career Weissman is from New York City, beginning his career as a production assistant in the 1980s before directing television commercials. In 1990, Weissman wrote, produced, directed and fina ...
, based on children's novel ''The Neverending Story'' * ''
Momo Momo may refer to: Geography * Momo (department), a division of Northwest Province in Cameroon * Momo, Gabon, a town in the Woleu-Ntem province of Gabon * Momo, Piedmont, a town in the province of Novara, in northern Italy * Joffrey Tower, in ...
'' (2003), animated series directed by Cohem Burke and Colum Burke, based on children's novel ''Momo'' * ''Cathedrals'' (2013), short documentary directed by Konrad Kästner, based on short story "The Station's Cathedral was Built on a Large Clod of Earth" * ''Legend of Raana'' (2014), animated miniseries directed by Majid Ahmady, based on children's novel ''Momo'' * '' Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver'' (2018), film directed by Dennis Gansel, based on children's novel ''Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver'' * '' Jim Button and the Wild 13'' (2020), film directed by Dennis Gansel, based on children's novel ''Jim Button and the Wild 13''


References

Other sources * Colby, Vineta, ed. "Michael Ende". ''World Authors 1980–1985.'' New York, New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1991. * Haase, Donald P. "Michael Ende". Dictionary of Literary Biography: Contemporary German Fiction Writers, Second Series. Eds. Wolfgang D. Elfe and James Hardin. Vol. 75. Detroit Michigan: Gale Research Inc, 1988. * Hilbun, Janet. "Ende, Michael". The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. Eds. Bernice E. Cullinan and Diane G. Person. New York, New York: Continuum International Publishing Group Inc, 2001.
"Michael Ende."
Contemporary Authors Online. Farmington Hills, Michigan: The Gale Group, 2003. 3 February 2003. * Senick, Gerard J., ed. "Michael Ende". Children's Literature Review. Vol. 14. Detroit, Michigan. Gale Research Company, 1988. * Zipes, Jack, ed. "Ende, Michael". Donald Haase. The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales. New York, New York: Oxford University Press Inc, 2000.


External links

* with extensive biographical information and photos
Michael Ende
at the
Encyclopedia of Fantasy ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' is a 1997 reference work concerning fantasy fiction, edited by John Clute and John Grant. Other contributors include Mike Ashley, Neil Gaiman, Diana Wynne Jones, David Langford, Sam J. Lundwall, Michael Scot ...

Multi-lingual bibliography of Michael Ende


* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ende, Michael 1929 births 1995 deaths People from Garmisch-Partenkirchen German writers German fantasy writers German children's writers German-language writers Writers from Bavaria German male writers Mythopoeic writers The Neverending Story Waldorf school alumni Anthroposophists Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Deaths from stomach cancer Deaths from cancer in Germany Burials at Munich Waldfriedhof German resistance members