Jan as a detective
Jan als Detektiv is a Danish book series for young people by the authors Knud Meister and Carlo Andersen . The series appeared in Denmark under the name Jan from 1942 to 1964 in 81 volumes.
The novels are about the 14 to 20 year old Jan Helmer and his friends who are involved in all kinds of adventures. They are often drawn into criminal machinations, the perpetrators of which they identify and hunt down with a detective's instinct.
The first volume in the series was published in 1942 under the title “En Detektiv paa fjorten” in Denmark by “Barfoeds Verlag”. The book was later published by Allers Verlag, Bøthners Verlag, Wangels Verlag, Grafisk Verlag and the Disneys Bogklub. The translation of the volumes into German was carried out by Ursula von Wiese (volumes 1-7, 27-33), Karl Hellwig (volumes 8-17) and Marlène Schwörer (volumes 18-26).
The protagonists
Jan Helmer
Jan Helmer is the son of Detective Inspector Mogens Helmer . He is portrayed as clever - even if he does not excel at school - courageous, enterprising and with a strong sense of justice. Jan assumes the status of a leader in the hierarchy of his circle of friends.
Erling Krag
The fat, somewhat greedy Erling Krag is quite unsportsmanlike and sluggish, but equipped with a sharp mind. He is best in class and Jan Helmer's best friend . He has precocious, ironic - mocking comments in store for almost everything .
Jesper
The somewhat small Jesper has not had any particular school or sporting successes. He has a big heart for that. He is called "Krümel" by his friends. He is known for his cheeky mouth and for his loving enmity with Erling Krag .
Jack
Jack Morton from England is a good classmate of Jan. He plays in the school team as a goalkeeper. Like Jan, he is very sporty and brave.
Carl
The strong as a bear but good-natured Carl Jensen grew up in very poor circumstances. He often avenges himself for his friends by giving the culprit a beating.
Hanne Beyer
Jan Helmer gets to know her in volume 28. She is a sporty and pretty girl. She is very brave and is not afraid of anything but mice and thunderstorms. In the volumes it is unknown whether there is a “deep friendship” between Jan and her. But you can imagine, because they get engaged in the last volume of the series (Volume 33: Jan and the Mail Robbers)!
Lis
She is the sister of Jan Helmer. She is a year older than her brother. She has blond, curly hair, bright blue eyes and a snub nose. In volume 30 she marries Jens Bach.
Jens Bach
He is the husband of Jan's sister and brother-in-law. He got to know Lis in volume 16. After initial "problems", he and Jan became good friends. Much to Lis's discomfort, he helps Jan a lot in his adventures.
Volumes in German translation
33 volumes in German have been published by Albert Müller Verlag, Rüschlikon (Switzerland). Some volumes have also been published as licensed editions by Bertelsmann Verlag , Gütersloh (Germany).
- 1 Jan becomes a detective (En detective på fjorten)
- 2 Jan and the jewel thieves (Jan and Co. folder old)
- 3 Jan and the child robbers (Jan-Klubben)
- 4 The secret of the "Oceanic" (Mysteriet på 'Oceanic')
- 5 Jan and the counterfeiters (Journalist Jan)
- 6 tracks in the snow (Sporet i Sneen)
- 7 the disappeared film (den forsvundne film)
- 8 Jan on the trail (Jan på sporet / Jan får travlt igen)
- 9 Jan really big! (Jan gør sit store kup / Jan og de forsvundne perler / Jan ved microphones)
- 10 Jan asks 20 questions (20 spørgsmål til Jan / Jan bliver slået ud)
- 11 Jan wins the third round (Jans store bedrift / Jan vinder 3rd omgang)
- 12 Jan packs up (Jan og piraterne / Jan og frømændene)
- 13 Jan calls SOS (Jan sender SOS / Hænderne op, Jan!)
- 14 Jan is lucky (Jan slår til!)
- 15 Jan and the smugglers (Jan og havnemysteriet)
- 16 Jan, we are coming! (Jan overgiver sig aldrig)
- 17 Jan wins twice (Jan i kamp)
- 18 Jan in the trap (Jan går i fælden)
- 19 Jan watch out! (Vogt dig, Jan!)
- 20 Jan and the master spy (Jan og mesterspionen)
- 21 Jan is suspicious (Jan og diamantsmuglerne)
- 22 Jan moves into the world (Jans hårdeste kamp / På gensyn, Jan! / Jan stævner ud)
- 23 Jan on a long journey (hurricanes)
- 24 Jan and the Moroccans (Bravo, Jan!)
- 25 Jan and the Leopard People (Jan i Urskoven)
- 26 Jan shows courage (Nu går det løs, Jan!)
- 27 Jan and the fateful telegram (Fuld Kraft Fremdad, Jan! / Nu eller aldrig, Jan!)
- 28 Jan is threatened (Jan and stemmen i mørket / Jan and fjernsynsmysteriet)
- 29 Jan in the line of fire (Jan i skudlinjen / Jan går til angreb)
- 30 Jan and the gold (Jans største sejr / Jan møder "Hævneren")
- 31 Jan and the dark men (Hævnens ryttere / Med flyvende start)
- 32 Jan and the spirits of revenge (Luftens pirater / Nattens mysterier)
- 33 Jan and the mail robbers (Det store postrøveri / Læderjakkernes hævn)
Mistakes in the books
- Volume 1: Jan's father is referred to as Detective Inspector "Hans" Helmer. But in all other volumes he is called “Mogens” Helmer.
- Volume 19 and 31: The leader of a gang of thugs is referred to in volume 19 as Walther "Clausen", but in volume 33 as Walther "Classen". This is likely due to a typographical error.
Information about the volumes
| tape | Season when | Age | School class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | summer holidays | 14th | 2nd advanced level |
| 2 | Autumn break | 14th | 2nd advanced level |
| 3 | Easter, spring | 14th | 2nd advanced level |
| 4th | spring | 15th | 2nd advanced level |
| 5 | summer | 15th | 3rd advanced level |
| 6th | Winter, christmas | 15th | 3rd advanced level |
| 7th | Spring Summer | 16 | 3rd advanced level |
| 8th | summer holidays | 16 | 4th advanced level |
| 9 | summer holidays | 16 | 4th advanced level |
| 10 | approx spring | 17th | 4th advanced level |
| 11 | summer holidays | 17th | 5th advanced level |
| 12 | Summer holidays** | ||
| 13 | Summer holidays** | ||
| 14th | summer holidays | 17th | 6th advanced level |
| 15th | autumn | 17th | 6th advanced level |
| 16 | summer holidays | 18th | 7th advanced level |
| 17th | summer holidays | 18th | 7th advanced level |
| ** 12 | |||
| ** 13 | |||
| 18th | During school days | 18th | 7th advanced level |
| 19th | During school days | 18th | 7th advanced level |
| 20th | During school days | 18th | 7th advanced level |
| 21st | End of school (Matura), summer vacation | 18th | 7th advanced level |
| 22nd | World Travel | 19th | |
| 23 | World Travel | 19th | |
| 24 | World Travel | 19th | |
| 25th | World Travel | 19th | |
| 26th | World Travel | 19th | |
| 27 | spring | 19th | |
| 28 | summer | 20th | |
| 29 | summer | 20th | |
| 30th | late summer | 20th | |
| 31 | late summer | 20th | |
| 32 | Summer autumn | 20th | |
| 33 | Autumn / Winter (Christmas, New Year's Eve) | 20th |