A sensible animal

A rational animal (orig. Un animal doué de raison ) is the title of a 1967 novel by the French writer Robert Merle . The German edition was published in 1969. The book was published by Goldmann-Verlag under the title “ Der Tag der Delphine ”. The novel can be assigned to the categories science fiction and thriller . Its title goes back to a word by the philosopher Aristotle ( zoon logon echon ), which, actually referring to humans, alludes here in the literal sense to talking dolphins .

action

In a research laboratory in Florida, scientists are trying to teach dolphins to speak.

You work with two dolphins, named Ivan (Fa) and Bessie (Bi). After the scientists succeed in mating the two, the dolphins begin to speak. This is a huge step forward for the scientists, but the scientist Michael has moral concerns about the project. He fears that the dolphins could be used for military purposes and is of the opinion that the ongoing Vietnam War is unjustified, which is why he is called a communist .

There is a big press conference during which the dolphins talk to the reporters. Fa explains to reporters that he can read and that his favorite book is " The Jungle Book ." Fa compares himself to the character of Mowgli because he was raised by humans.

But one day Fa and Bi are kidnapped and an atomic bomb explosion destroys an American cruiser off the Chinese coast. World War III threatens to break out.

filming

The book was filmed in 1973 under the title The Day of the Dolphin . However, one can only speak of a film version of the work to a very limited extent, because the change in the plot results in a complete negation of the concern and the message of the original.

expenditure

The novel was published in German in a translation by Eduard Zak .

• Robert Merle: The Day of the Dolphins. Karlsruhe: Stahlberg, 1969.
• Robert Merle: A rational animal. Berlin: Aufbau Verlag, 1969.
• Robert Merle: The Day of the Dolphins. Munich: Goldmann Taschenbuch, 1987. ISBN 3-442-08863-1