Sounds my linden tree
Sounds my linden tree ( Swedish Spelar min lind, sjunger min Näktergal ) is a fairy tale by Astrid Lindgren .
action
When Malin was eight years old, her parents died of consumption ( tuberculosis ). Therefore Malin is taken to a poor house . The people there lead a bleak life. There is nothing beautiful and no joy here.
Pompadulla is the manager of the poor house. Since she expects to get more things from begging if she takes a child with her, she declares Malin to be her little maid. From now on, Malin accompanies Pompadulla on the begging trains. The two are very successful in this.
But Malin also supports the other residents. She helps Hühner-Hilmer tie his shoes or comforts Jocke Kis when he gets scared again because he hears voices. But at first she finds no consolation, because Malin does not discover anything beautiful.
On one of her begging trains, however, she hears a story that gives her strength and consolation. She decides to keep the story in her heart forever. But the only thing she can remember is the line of text "Does my linden tree sound, does my nightingale sing?" First of all, just by saying these words, all misery and grief in the poor house disappear. But the words are only enough for Malin for a short time, then she would like a real linden tree with a real nightingale.
One day Malin sees a pea lying on the ground. She plants them in the potato field of the poor house and hopes and prays that they will turn into a linden tree. She tells Jocke Kis that as soon as the linden tree rings and the nightingale sings, he won't hear any more voices.
In fact, the next morning there is a linden tree in the field. But it doesn't sound and there is no nightingale sitting on the tree. The linden tree is unable to comfort the residents of the house. During the night Malin runs to the linden tree. She feels that the linden tree is dead, that there is no life in it and that there is no soul in it. Then Malin decides to give the tree her own soul. She then lives on in the linden tree and hears the nightingale sing every evening.
The next morning Malin disappeared. But the linden tree is full of life. The most beautiful music sounds from her and a nightingale sits on her. So it suddenly becomes beautiful and happy in the poor house. The residents often ask about Malin. Only Jocke Kis hears the linden tree whisper "It's me, Malin".
characters
Astrid Lindgren's characters describe the kind of people who were housed in poor houses at that time. They were old, poor, frail, sick, had mental illnesses, could no longer work, were starving or were orphans.
- Malin, is eight years old. Her parents died of consumption. Since people are afraid of being infected, no one takes care of them. Malin has to live in the poor house.
- Pompadulla is the manager of the poor house. She is the only one who has her own room that she only shares with the bedbugs.
- Jocke Kis is an old man who has lost his mind. He hears voices and then often hits his head against the wall.
- Crookedmouth is the ugliest in the whole village, with whom people scare children. He is actually harmless and very nice. He would never harm anyone.
- Ola auf Jola can eat ten rolls without being full.
- Summer Nisse has a wooden leg.
- Hühner-Hilmer has a pliera eye (a watery eye with swollen, sticky or inflamed eyelids) and crooked fingers.
- Crutch-Anna walks on crutches.
- Dear kindness is old and often drops its tangle. She winds their yarn from one skein to the next. It is their only occupation.
- Keif-Marja
background
In 1984 the book was published as a picture book, illustrated by Svend Otto S. , by Rabén & Sjögren . English-language, Danish-language and German-language editions of the book followed later.
The lines “Does my linden tree sound, does my nightingale sing?” That make Malin so happy come from a Swedish folk tale. In the fairy tale, a woman is separated from her husband and child. Full of longing, she looks for her family and asks plaintively: “Does my linden tree sound? Does my nightingale sing? Is my little child crying? Will my master ever be happy in his life? "
In 1995 Jörn Arnecke wrote a children's and youth opera on the story. Between 1995 and 1998 the prologue, the final scene and other parts of the opera were performed. There was a musical for the book in Denmark.
reception
In the My Favorite Fairy Tales series , FAZ author Monika Osberghaus introduces Sounds of My Linden Tree . She thinks , Sounds my linden tree is the saddest of all Lindgren fairy tales. It allows the reader "to mourn unrestrainedly and to pity the characters with great and serious devotion". However, it also tells of the consolation literature can give.
Søren Fanø wonders who should be the target audience for the book. Svend Otto S. drawings clearly appeal to children, while Astrid Lindgren's text is more suitable for a more adult target group. In any case, he wouldn't recommend the book to children under nine.
As a child, Danish crime writer Lotte Hammer felt deeply touched by the story and the words "Does my linden tree sound, does my nightingale sing?" As a child, the story showed her "how far hope and faith can take you".
expenditure
- Spelar min lind sjunger min Näktergal, Rabén & Sjögren 1984, original Swedish edition, ISBN 91-29-65742-3 . (Illustrated by Svend Otto S. )
- Sounds my linden tree, Oetinger 1985, ISBN 978-3-7891-6036-3 . (Illustrated by Svend Otto S.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Spelar min lind, sjunger min Näktergal ( Swedish ) Astrid Lindgren Company.
- ↑ a b Monika Osberghaus: Astrid Lindgren: "Sounds my linden tree" . Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. February 1, 2006.
- ↑ Jörn Arnecke: Klingt meine Linde (1995/98) .
- ↑ Jørgen Rønsbo: Suser min lind, synger min nattergal ( Danish ) folkeskolen.dk. October 5, 2006.
- ↑ Søren Fano: Suser min lind, synger min nattergal ( Danish ) bogbotten.dk. 2nd June 2016.
- ↑ Lea Holtze: Suser min lind, synger min nattergal ( Danish ) Kristeligt Dagblad. 15th September 2015.