The Neverending Story
The endless story -considered a classic of youth literature is a novel written by Michael Ende, an author of German origin who was born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, on November 12, 1929. Michael was the only child of the marriage between the painter Edgar Ende (known for his surrealist work) and Luise Bartholomä (physiotherapist by profession), therefore that the author was always in an environment full of art.
Respected as an author of great weight for the fantasy genre, Ende began to write stories with children's narrative from the 50's. While all of his books were well received by critics and audiences, the writer truly achieved world fame when he produced: momo (1973) and The Neverending Story (1979). The latter is one of the best fantasy books ever.
Ende's initiation into the artistic medium: actor, playwright and writer
After studying acting for three years in different houses of study in Munich, Ende worked as a professional actor, screenwriter and film critic. His first play was It's time (1947), and this was inspired by the most historic atomic bombing of all time: that of Hiroshima.
With the arrival of the 60's, and after several rejections, Ende published his first award-winning novel: Jim Button and Lucas the Machinist (1960), with which he won the “German Children's Literature Prize.
The writer se married singer Ingeborg Hoffman in 1964. He lived with her in Rome until she died of lung cancer in 1985. Later, in 1989, he remarried Mariko Sato, of Japanese origin.
After debuting as a writer, Michael devoted himself fully to literature, maintaining the same fanciful style in most of his works. In 1979 he published what would probably be his most far-reaching novel: The Neverending Story. Due to its success, Ende received the Janusz Korczak Award.
In 1982 Ende signed the agreements to carry out the film production of The Neverending Story, but not before carefully reviewing the contract and discovering that they intended to change history. When he learned in depth the agreements of the legal document, he wanted to retract, but it was too late. He only managed to remove his name from the credits.
The film, directed by Wolfgang Petersen, was released on April 6, 1894. Despite its major differences from the book, the film was a huge box office success, grossing more than $ 20 million.
Due to public reception, the film had a sequel in 1990 and a third in 1994, but they did not cause the same impact and neither were they linked to the literary version.
Inspiration from Ende
A childhood marked by Nazism
The rise of Nazism in his childhood greatly influenced Ende's writing The Neverending Story. However, fearing reprisals, during that cold period of his life the author was forced to suppress much of his knowledge, his own dreams, imagination and creativity.
The influence of a good father
Michael End.
The long talks on philosophy, religion, and mystical literature that he secretly shared with his father also inspired him from a young age.
Lack of creativity and "nothingness"
In this work Ende incorporated some of his most personal ideologies. The author has declared that, for him, the lack of creativity and imagination has been translated as a disease of the soul; something he refers to in the book as "nothing".
In consecuense, The Neverending Story is a novel where two stories take place simultaneously, one real and the other fantastic, that little by little they are linking. It has two protagonists, both children, and, of course, a large number of characters that in real life are impossible.
Argument from The Neverending Story
Bastian and his encounter with the book
The plot of the novel begins with Bastian, a real world boy who recently lost his mother and is bullied.
One day he goes to hide in a bookstore and finds a book that, by its appearance and title (The endless story), called attention. The boy decides to take him away, after the store owner, Mr. Koreander, neglects himself.
The book and the real world
When he arrives at school, he goes up to the attic and being calmer, he prepares to read the book. As the reading progresses, Bastian feels that the novel becomes more and more real.. In this way, the second story begins to unfold, which takes place in the kingdom of Fantasy.
Atreyu, the young warrior
The protagonist of the fantastic world is Atreyu, a brave and young warrior. He has been appointed to search for a cure for the disease suffered by the Infant Empress, the ruler of Fantasia. The ailment is not only taking the life of the ruler, but also of her entire world.
"The nothing"
At the same time, and for unknown reasons, in Fantasy there is an evil force that they have called "nothingness", which is making everything and everyone disappear, leaving a void in its wake. The "nothing" is linked to the empress' illness and progresses as it worsens.
A world of fantastic creatures
Bastian is fascinated by the adventures of Atreyu, who in his journey has lost his talking horse, and faithful friend, Ártax. On his way the protagonist meets a giant tortoise named Morla, with the lucky dragon named Fújur, and eats them rocks (gigantic stone beings), to name some of the extraordinary characters.
An unconventional solution
Now, The strange thing about the plot occurs when Atreyu discovers that he can only save the kingdom and the Empress with the help of Bastian; yes, the human child who is reading history from the real world. At that moment, what is called a “breakdown of the fourth wall” occurs, that is, the characters in the book can interact with the reader, and, indeed, this is the case.
The child in the real world refuses to believe that the key is him. However, at the last moment, just when everything is about to disappear, Bastian enters the Fantasy universe and saves the kingdom and the Empress by giving it a new name: Daughter of the Moon.
Quote by Michael Ende - aquifrases.com.
The message of The Neverending Story
The Neverending Story is a novel full of messages that seek to make the reader reflect. He talks mainly about how important it is to develop the imagination, not to allow sadness to take over the being, to have courage and also confidence. Not for nothing is the book between the best works for children and young people in history.
Author Michael Ende made it clear in an interview for El País that his objective with this book was to convey that the best way to achieve something is to always go the opposite way. To find reality and find yourself, like Bastian, you must first go through the fantastic.
The Neverending Story: beyond the book
Despite being published with a children's book, The Neverending Story It is a work for all audiences, thanks to the message it transmits. So far the novel has been translated into more than 36 languages and has three films, two series, an opera and a ballet..