Emil and the Detectives

There is a lot to like about this new edition of the classic story: the binding is handsome, the charming original illustrations are included, and the introduction by Maurice Sendak provides some historical perspective. The story itself is a terrific example (and perhaps the original) of the ever popular genre of children's literature in which kids, through their natural resourcefulness and wits, triumph over the bumbling adults.

However, I can't recommend this edition, for two reasons, both having to do with the text of the new translation. First, some of the proper names are "translated" into English, e.g., Emil Tischbein becomes Emil Tabletoe, the town of Neustadt becomes New Town, and so on, although most geographical locations and some characters' names remain in German. According to the translator, these lighthearted and absurdist names (Truegut, Groundsnow, Crumbagel) are true to the spirit of Kastner's original text. However, the effect -- particularly when mixed with proper German names -- is jarring. This misstep would have been forgivable, however, were it not for a worse problem: all of the children in the story speak in a jumble of late 20th/early 21st Century slang. The setting of the book, the illustrations, and the storyline all clearly belong to an earlier time, and the rest of the text is clean and straightforward, so having characters regularly spout lines like "Get outa here!", "You dork!", "Berlin parents are so cool!" is gratingly anachronistic. This may pose no problem for children who have grown up on modern animated films, where characters who are ostensibly Vikings may talk like California surfers, but for an adult reader with a sense of history it just doesn't work. The text doesn't benefit from this "modernization" any more than Little Women would be improved by having characters greet one another with "What's hanging, Dude?".

This translation by W. Martin was very disappointing. We wanted to hear a book written about a German boy in 1929. Instead it sounded like a disrespectful modern American kid. Multiple times he uses the Lord's name in vain. I wish I could have read the "Translator's Note" before I bought the book. It says:

"This is at least the third translation of Emil and the Detectives into English, and the first to be commissioned for a twenty first century American reader. To that end I have attempted to render the story - which is as universal as it is local - into contemporary, colloquial American idiom. It was at times quite challenging, given that the language and details of the original are so tightly woven into the fabric of everyday life in German in the 1920s. So if sometimes the characters do things that seem odd, keep in mind that they were doing them over seventy years ago."

Yuck! I wanted us to learn something about German culture. So much of the value of literature is to help us get out of my own heads and into someone else's. Translations like this don't help at all. They render the book useless to confer that benefit and they change it completely as a work of art. There was no "Herr" So and So. It was Mr. and Mrs. There was even a reference to 30 cents. Did Germans use US currency then?
Very frustrating since the first time when I borrowed this book from the library the translation that I got included all those wonderful German details and that oldest child learned so much.

I have read and enjoyed this book as a child and wanted my son to enjoy it too.
The translation is good and the illustrations minimal, but funny. Erich Kaestner's happy inner child is as fresh as ever. The book's setting is pre-war Berlin and the city plays a big role in the story.
My son was a bit impatient when I started reading it aloud to him. It is probably better for kids slightly older than seven.
The book is compact and light, with good binding and a dust-jacket.

Emil and the Detectives is a sweet, witty, well written children's book. Great for adults, too.

What a sweet kid.

JGR

I don't remember much about this book, except that it was brilliant when I read it, over and over, almost 40 years ago. Now, I bought it for my 6-year-old daughter who inhaled it. She was critical of it, though. "Too many boys in this book."

ISBN 1585675865, ISBN 0582426995, ISBN 0099413124, ISBN 0760706387, ISBN 0590405713, ASIN B000NPWQG8, ASIN B000L2NWZM, ASIN B000SICR8C, ASIN B000T7OFWS, ISBN 058244831X, ASIN B000IR1M7A, ASIN B001CHOGC8, ASIN B0007FDV3G, ASIN B0014CAK26, ISBN 0582541530, ISBN 0140301267, ASIN B000S5NIE2, ASIN B000HHXHVK, ASIN B000S9KNUA, ASIN B000J5NVD4, ASIN B001B3U6Y0, ASIN B0000CKAE8, ASIN B001N22EG2, ASIN B000KHU4VS, ISBN 0590334344, ISBN 1856931455, ASIN B000GOI3NQ, ASIN B0016P9694, ASIN B0000CP6D9, ASIN B000KKAMGM, ISBN 0174432208, ISBN 071351941X, ASIN B000H0PKNK, ASIN B001J5XI5O, ISBN 0573050082, ASIN B000KRZ2ME, ASIN B000NPLTT8, ASIN B001GUZUBC, ASIN B000J16W52, ISBN 0590405713 (as you can see, Amazon's got a bit of house-cleaning to do with merging the duplicate listings)

- Emil is going on the train to visit relatives in Berlin. His mother puts an envelope of money in his care, to deliver along with some flowers when he arrives. Things go wrong when he dozes off, only to awaken and discover that his car-mate and his money are gone. Determined to get his money back, Emil stumbles upon a group of boys in Berlin who quickly organize to capture the thief.

Hardly dated at all, this is a light, fun story. The author had some fun with naming characters, which are listed in the beginning of the book. Kids will enjoy Emil's and the detectives' triumph over the thief. A great read for boys, in particular, if only because there aren't enough books out there for boys! The edition I've read for this review is translated by May Massee.

- AnnaLovesBooks

In high school we had to translate this novel from the original German (in tiny archaic print). Seeing it here was like encountering a time warp.

This is obviously a true classic that requires no introduction. I was delighted to find it in this modern form. clear translation and clean line illustration. I was also delighted that my daughter (8) got hooked on this charming story and book in the age of multi-color multi-media distractions. Highly recommended.

Excellent condition - as good or better than described.