Michael Ende
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Biography
Michael Ende was born on November 12, 1929, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, the only son of Edgar Ende, a surrealist painter who was barred from painting by the Nazis in 1936, and his physiotherapist wife Luise. Ende went to the Waldorf school, but quit when he was drafted by the German Army in 1945. He attended Munich's Otto Falckenburg Drama School from 1947 to 1950 and then held various jobs as an actor, writer of cabaret scripts and plays, a director of the Volkstheater in Munich, and film critic for the Bavarian Broadcasting Company. His first novel for children, "Jim Knopf and Lukas the Engine Driver," was published in Germany in 1960 to great popular and critical acclaim, and both radio and television series based on the "Jim Knopf" books were produced. Although he was highly esteemed by fans and critics alike, Ende reportedly remained shy and modest about his success. He died of stomach cancer in Stuttgart, Germany on August 29, 1995, at the age of 65.
A German gymnasium (the equivalent of a U.S. high school) was renamed Michael Ende Gymnasium in the summer of 1996. The gymnasium's web site is currently in German only.
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Works
1960, "Jim Knopf and Lukas the Engine Driver"
(published in the United States as "Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver")
early 1960s, "Jim Knopf and the Wild 13"
(published in the United States as "Jim Button and the Wild 13")
1973, "Momo"
1979, "The Neverending Story"
1982, Juggler's Tale
1986, Mirror in the Mirror
1988, Ophelia's Shadow Theater
1990, Night of Wishes
Please note that these dates are the years in which the books were first published in Germany. I have included the years of the English translations that are still in print below. Unfortunately, a number of Ende's books are out of print in the United States. Your best bet for locating a copy in English is in a large public or university library. If you want to purchase one of the books still in print that are listed below, take the ISBN number (0-2343-5435-2, for example), the publisher's name, and the book title to a large bookstore in your area and ask them to order it for you. If, like me, you read one of Ende's out-of-print books and just have to have your own copy, try one of the following companies that specialize in locating rare or out-of-print books:
| The Advanced Book Exchange | Bibliofind | Alibris |
Keep in mind, however, that you may have to pay both for the cost of locating the book and the book itself if you choose this option. I strongly recommend buying the books in hardback if you do choose to buy because Ende's books are all printed in beautiful colors with lovely illustrations throughout. "Momo" is in brown, for example, while "The Neverending Story" alternates between red and green.
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Publishers
"The Grey Gentlemen," ("Momo") 1986, Viking Penguin Press, 0-14-009464-4, $14.95
"Jim Button," 1990, Overlook Press, 0-87951-391-8, $13.95
"The Neverending Story," 1997, NAL/Dutton, 0-52545758-5, $19.99
"The Neverending Story," 1993, Puffin Books, 0-14-038633-5, $5.99 (pap.)
"The Neverending Story," 1991, Buccaneer Books, 0-89966-807-0, $33.95
"The Neverending Story," 1979, Amereon Ltd., 0-8488-1306-5, $31.95
"Night of Wishes," 1992, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 0-374-19594-3, $16.00
"Night of Wishes," 1995, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 0-374-45503-1, $5.95 (pap.)
"Night of Wishes," 1995, Sunburst Press, 0-14-93759-4, $5.95 (pap.)
"Orphelia's Shadow Theater," 1989, Overlook Press, 0-87951-371-3, $14.95
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For suggestions or comments on this and all Michael Ende pages, e-mail Leah Sparks at LeahJ@aol.com
From here you may also go to:
"The Neverending Story"
"Momo"
The Little-Known Literaries Main Page
This page was last updated on July 3, 2006