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Erich Kästner

エーリッヒ・ケストナー

Erich Kästner

Aliases: Emil Erich Kästner
Pen Names: Berthold Bürger（Pseudonym used for newspaper correspondence and some screenwriting）, Melchior Kurtz（One of several pen names used for reviews and contributions）, Peter Flint（Used for some newspaper pieces）, Robert Neuner（Another pseudonym used for contributions）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1899-02-23 （Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire）
Died
1974-07-29 （Munich, Bavaria, West Germany） age 75
Nationality
German
Languages
German
Residence History
Dresden → Leipzig → Berlin → Mayrhofen (Tyrol) → Munich

Career

Occupations
Writer, Poet, Screenwriter, Satirist, Children's author
Active Years
1928-1969
Affiliations
PEN Center of West Germany, Founding member of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People), Instrumental in founding the Internationale Jugendbibliothek (Munich)
Memberships
Member and President of PEN Center of West Germany (1951–1961), Founding member of IBBY
Influenced By
New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit), Berlin satirical and literary traditions
Influenced
Children's authors and filmmakers (modern urban children's stories), Subsequent generations of German children's literature
Nominations
Nobel Prize in Literature nominations (8 separate years)

Education

University of Leipzig
Faculty of Humanities / History, Philosophy, German Studies and Theatre
Degree: 博士号（文学）
Period: 1919–1925
Year of Graduation: 1925
Country: Germany
Received doctorate for a thesis on Frederick the Great and German literature

Awards

Hans Christian Andersen Award (for Writing)
1960
Work: When I Was a Little Boy (autobiography)
Organization: International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)
Result: 受賞
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
1961
Work: When I Was a Little Boy (English translation)
Organization: Lewis Carroll Shelf Award organization
Result: 受賞
Georg Büchner Prize
1957
Organization: Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung
Result: 受賞
Federal Cross of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz)
1959
Organization: Government of West Germany
Result: 受賞
Filmband in Gold (German Film Award)
1950
Work: Das doppelte Lottchen (screenplay for the German film version)
Category: 脚本
Organization: Deutscher Filmpreis (German Film Awards)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Emil and the Detectives

1929 Children's literature, novel

A children's detective story set in contemporary Berlin, in which Emil and a group of children pursue and outwit thieves.

FriendshipUrban lifeChildren's agency
Adaptations
  • [Film] Emil and the Detectives (1931 film) / Gerhard Lamprecht (1931)
  • [Film] Emil and the Detectives (1954 film) (1954)
Translations
  • Translated into many languages (over 50; historically cited as 59 languages)

Lisa and Lottie (The Parent Trap)

1949 Children's literature, family novel

Separated twin sisters meet and swap places to reunite their parents and restore their family.

FamilyIdentityHumor
Adaptations
  • [Film (USA)] The Parent Trap (1961) / David Swift (1961)
  • [Film (USA)] The Parent Trap (1998) / Nancy Meyers (1998)
Translations
  • Translated into English and multiple other languages

The Flying Classroom

1933 Children's literature

A boarding-school story about boys, friendship and growing up, mixing humor and human drama.

FriendshipComing of ageSchool life
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Flying Classroom (1954 film) / Kurt Hoffmann (1954)
  • [Film] The Flying Classroom (1973 film) / Werner Jacobs (1973)
Translations
  • Translated into multiple languages

Fabian: The Story of a Moralist

1931 Adult novel

Set in Weimar Berlin, the novel follows Fabian, an unemployed literary man, as he confronts the turmoil and moral collapse of the era.

MoralityUrban decayCollapse of an era
Adaptations
  • [Film] Fabian (1980 film) (1980)
Translations
  • Translated into English and other languages

When I Was a Little Boy

1957 Autobiography / Children's literature (autobiographical)

An autobiographical account of Kästner's childhood; its English translation and reception contributed to international recognition.

Childhood reminiscenceNostalgia
Translations
  • English translation by Florence and Isabel McHugh

Bibliography

  • Christmas Carol, Chemically Cleaned (1927)
  • Herz auf Taille (1928)
  • Emil and the Detectives (1929)
  • Dot and Anton (1931)
  • Fabian: The Story of a Moralist (1931)
  • The 35th of May (1932)
  • The Flying Classroom (1933)
  • Three Men in the Snow (1934)
  • Lisa and Lottie / The Parent Trap (1949)
  • The Animals' Conference (1949)
  • When I Was a Little Boy (1957)
  • The Little Man (1963)
  • The Little Man and the Little Miss (1967)
  • Mein Onkel Franz (1969)

Adaptations

  • Many children's books adapted for film, television and stage (e.g. Emil and the Detectives, Lisa and Lottie, The Flying Classroom)

Translations of Works

  • Works such as Emil and the Detectives have been translated into over 50 languages

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Humorous, ironic and colloquial poetic voiceMatter-of-fact, objective depiction (New Objectivity influence)Clear, contemporary style for children's fiction
Recurring Motifs
Children and friendshipAnti-militarism and pacifismObservations of urban lifeStrong attachment to mothers

Health

  • Chronic heart condition (attributed to military training)
    1917–終生
    Military training is said to have left a lifelong heart condition, which influenced his life and sometimes his writing
  • Tendency toward alcoholism
    1950年代–1960年代
    Contributed to reduced publishing activity and creative output in the 1950s–1960s
  • Esophageal cancer (cause of death)
    1974（死去）
    Died of esophageal cancer in 1974

Legacy

Kästner is one of the leading 20th-century German children's authors, known for combining humor and social critique. His works have been widely adapted and translated, and he is commemorated through street names, awards and cultural references.

Museums

  • Erich Kästner Museum (Villa Augustin) Dresden (near Königsbrücker Straße)

Academic Societies

  • IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People)

In Popular Culture

  • Lisa and Lottie inspired Disney's The Parent Trap and multiple film adaptations
  • Streets and memorials named after Erich Kästner in various German towns
  • Asteroid 12318 Kästner named in his honour

Quotes

  • I was born in the most beautiful city in the world. ... In a thousand years was her beauty built, in one night was it utterly destroyed.
    Source: When I Was a Little Boy (autobiography) (1957)

Trivia

  • Never married; had a son Thomas Kästner (born 1957)
  • Witnessed the Nazi book burnings in 1933 where his works were burned
  • Nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature eight times
  • Many works adapted to film and translated widely (Emil and the Detectives cited as translated into 59 languages)
  • Asteroid 12318 named Kästner