At seven in the morning the world is still fine

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In the morning at seven the world is still in order (original edition: Morning's at seven ) is a novel by the English author Eric Malpass , published in 1965 . It was published in Germany in 1967 by Rowohlt Verlag and was translated by Brigitte Roeseler .

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The novel is about the boy Gaylord Pentecost and his family, which is very turbulent. In addition, a friend and his treasure put him in great danger, which causes further agitation in the family.

The novel begins on a foggy Sunday in November. Gaylord Pentecost, a young boy and the main character in the novel, was the first to wake up and set out to explore the house. The characters are gradually introduced: John Pentecost or Grandpa, the grumpy patriarch, the hard of hearing great-aunt Marigold, the grandfather's sister, his daughters Rose (Rosie) and Becky. Rosie is a teacher, not very attractive and is afraid of becoming an old maid. Becky, on the other hand, is very handsome and has a boyfriend, Peter. She works as a secretary. Finally there are Gaylord's parents, May, called Mummi by Gaylord, a feisty housewife, and Jocelyn (Paps), grandpa's son, whose job, namely a writer, is little recognized by his family.

Rose has invited a colleague, Mr. Roberts, whom she almost affectionately calls "Bobs", to dinner. But since it is so foggy, he does not come because he is afraid he could cause an accident. Peter, however, comes to dinner, which Rosie bitterly burdens. Meanwhile, Gaylord meets with Willie Foggerty, although Mummi expressly forbids him to interact with him, as she considers the meek boy to be dangerous. The next day, this gaylord shows a treasure that he has hidden in the old quarry of the village: a glass paperweight with a picture of the town hall of Leeds inside . Meanwhile, Rosie tries to arrange for Bobs to come over for dinner. Somewhat reluctantly, he agrees. In the evening, however, the family is already eating when he arrives. Grandpa is upset because he is disturbed while eating. Bobs is completely intimidated by John Pentecost's disapproval and the fact that he is known to the family as "Aunt Rosie's lover" or "Aunt Rosie's lover" puzzles him. Rosie is completely desperate when he is sitting next to Becky at the table, and soon gets the impression that he is more interested in Becky.

The next day Gaylord toyed with the idea of ​​stealing Willie's treasure, the paperweight, but he doesn't. Instead, he wants a paperweight for Christmas, even though Pop had hoped to get him a train. The next day, Uncle Ben and Aunt Bea also come to visit, which neither Pops nor Gaylord likes. In addition, Bobs wants to cancel his visit for Christmas because a friend of his has stopped by. Rosie finally convinces him to just bring the boyfriend along.

The next morning Gaylord did not see a paperweight in his present stocking. Although he received other gifts, such as a drum and a trumpet, he still bursts into tears. Pop finally explains to him that the thing Gaylord thought was an iron horse with two trees on its head is a paperweight in the shape of a deer. In the evening Bobs arrives with his friend, Stan Grebbie, an inconspicuous man around forty, who is also a teacher and is very similar in character to Rosie, which is why she immediately feels drawn to him. Gaylord meets again with Willie, who finds out that his treasure has been stolen. He therefore concludes that Gaylord must have taken it because no one else knew about the hiding place. Gaylord flees completely disturbed because Willie is suddenly completely changed. Mummi tries to talk to him after Gaylord's homecoming because she feels that something is bothering him, but Gaylord claims that everything is okay.

In the evening, board games are played, and Stan Grebbie Rose is supposed to kiss the postman's game. He compliments her that he thinks she is the greatest person he knows and kisses her - albeit formally - on the mouth. When you say goodbye, Bobs kisses her too.

On New Year's Eve, Mummi Paps announces that she is most likely pregnant.

At the beginning of the school year, Rosie receives a thank you letter from Stan Grebbie, which she delights. Bobs feels attacked because he hadn't sent one and Rosie holds that against him. Then he is offended. Since it is snowing heavily, there are no trains and Rose is stuck in Ingerby, where she works. Since she is not the only one who cannot go home, all hotel rooms are occupied. So, for better or worse, she goes to Mr. Roberts, who lives in Ingerby, who initially receives her very grudgingly. But then he finally puts on romantic music and even kisses her, whereupon Rosie believes that this is the end of her virginity, until Becky bursts into the middle of the action: She is there with Peter and wants to pick up Rosie, which this secretly acts as a nifty disturbance against their togetherness catches up with bobs. Back home, what happened in Bobs' apartment is of course immediately made public by Becky. Dim light, the sofa in front of the fireplace, the record “Tales from the Vienna Woods”: Becky proclaims that this would no longer have remained harmless, which sparked a discussion, with Rosie repeatedly assuring her that she was only looking for shelter there, nothing more. However, when the topic is further discussed, she goes to her room, offended.

While Rosie was with Bob's, Gaylord met Willie and his brother Bert on the way home, who threatened to "finish him off" if he didn't bring Willie's paperweight back. Gaylord assured me that he didn't steal it, but he realizes that Bert doesn't care. He reveals nothing to Mummi, who asks whether he is okay, and she is reassured.

The next day of school, Gaylord falls ill because he is afraid of meeting Bert on the way to school, but his parents send him there anyway. In the schoolyard, Gaylord sees that a classmate has Willie's paperweight. Now Gaylord wants to buy it, but another boy gets ahead of him so that Gaylord tries to steal the paperweight from his desk during the break, but the teacher catches him. She decides to speak to his parents and accompanies him home so that Gaylord is spared a confrontation with Bert. When his parents find out that Gaylord is a thief, they ask him why he wanted to steal the paperweight, whereupon Gaylord confides the whole story to them. Thereupon Mummi and Paps decide, when a conversation with Willie's mother remains unsuccessful, not to let Gaylord out of their sight for a while.

In the summer, Bobs would like to have a picnic with Rose. She is really looking forward to it, but then Grandpa announces the bad news that a thunderstorm is approaching. But Rose continues to hope and prepares everything. But Bobs doesn't arrive at the agreed time. When the thunderstorm actually starts, Gaylord sneaks into the barn to watch it. There Becky and Bobs meet, who, without noticing Gaylord, kiss passionately until Gaylord attracts attention. The two try to prevent him from revealing something to Rose, but unsuccessfully. He proudly announces the supposedly good news to the family that Bobs is doing well and lying in the hay with Becky. When Bobs hypocritically arrives, Rose becomes very angry and pounces on him with scissors, but without injuring him. Now Grandpa thinks Becky needs to get married as soon as possible. Becky's wedding to Peter takes place a little later.

During the summer holidays, Mummi, Paps and Gaylord go to Wales like every year , but this time they take the lonely Rosie with them. There she runs into Stan Grebbie by chance and they are very happy. But then they receive a telegram that Marigold has died. The four pack up and head back home. Rosie now has to assume that she will never see Stan again because he lives far away from her. On the way, Gaylord bought a glass paperweight similar to Willie's and is now at odds with himself whether to keep it or give it to Willie as a present.

Gaylord finally decides to give it to Willie. But he's ungrateful and doesn't find him nearly as beautiful as his old one. When Gaylord reclaims the paperweight, Willie keeps it. Then Gaylord discovers that Willie's brothers are all gathered there. They beat him up until he lies there, bleeding and passed out. Meanwhile, Stan Grebbie has stopped by to say hello again before heading home. He and Rosie take a walk where Stan discovers Gaylord and provides first aid. Rosie fetches Gaylord's parents and the ambulance. Right now, Mummi has to go to the hospital because she goes into labor. After Gaylord is hospitalized and the child is born, a girl named Amanda, Stan Grebbie Rose proposes marriage.

Now the family has shrunk. Only Grandpa, Mummi, Paps, Amanda and Gaylord are there. He's almost proud that he was beaten up. In the end he and Dad go for a walk, and Dad realizes that Gaylord will get through life well and that he is currently the happiest being in the world.

Title (quote)

The English as well as the German title of the novel refer to a poem by Robert Browning , which is also quoted in the novel:

"Pippas Lied" ("Song from PIPPA PASSES")

The year's at the spring
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven ;
The hillside's dew-pearled;

The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in his heaven--
All's right with the world !

filming

The novel was successfully filmed for the cinema in 1968 (see In the morning at seven the world is still okay ). The production, directed by Kurt Hoffmann and featuring the famous theme music by James Last , was awarded the Golden Screen in 1969 for more than three million viewers.

reception

The book received critical acclaim and was often described as warm and delightful.

“The novel is exciting, and the humor that sheds light on Gaylord's adventures comes from the heart, not the retort. A book as English as ginger beer, but at home in the universal realm of childhood. A book that can make even the worst curmudgeon laugh, light up gray hours and make a sunny day even more cheerful! "

- Joe Lederer in the world on Sunday

Book editions

Remarks

  1. ↑ Joe Lederer, Welt am Sonntag, to be read in the blurb of the German original edition of "In the morning at seven the world is still in order", Rowohlt Verlag, 1967