Re: Emil and the Detectives and The Land of Cockaigne

On Sat, 24 Aug 2024 11:04:22 -0500, "Michael F. Stemper"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On 03/07/2024 13.51, jsmith wrote:
>> Steve Hayes wrote:
>> 
>>> 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.
>> 
>> I've not heard of the second one, but I remember the first one from my
>> own childhood! I'm still tremendously fond of it. Very vivid setting
>> (the plot actually pays attention to public transport and payphone
>> practicalities, can you imagine?)
>
>I first heard of Emil's author, Erich Kästner, when a classmate in sixth
>grade gave a book report on his _The 35th of May_, which led me to
>immediately check it out from our school library. Great fun!
>
>Speaking of phones and public transportation, in Chapter V, it portrayed
>a man on a moving walkway, who decided to make a call on his mobile phone.
>He got off the walkway to deal with it!
>
>I never read Emil until I checked it out (from a library in a different
>state) to read it to my son. For me, it was so-so.

For me too, but the "Emil and the Detectives" seems to be better known
than "The Land of Cockaign", though I found that story more
interesting and would like to read it again. I remember it had hens
with frying  pans tied to them so they could lay fried eggs. 


-- 
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
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