Rosel from Melaten
Rosel von Melaten is an illustrated children's book by the German writer and illustrator Nikolaus Heidelbach . The book deals with the subject of child abuse by telling the story of the friendship between the late Rosel and Georg, who lives across from the cemetery where she lies.
Rosel von Melaten was published in September 2015 by the German publisher Hoffmann und Campe in German and comprises 66 pages. It is Heidelbach's first book as an author - he has already illustrated several titles, including a book of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen published by Beltz & Gelberg .
Rosel von Melaten is an illustrated children's book that has the features of a fairy tale . Rosel von Melaten deals with the topic of violence against children and child abuse and refers to real events. The target group is not limited to children - the Hoffmann & Campe publishing house published it as a book for adults due to its depth and the explosive nature of the subject.
In the feature pages it was described, among other things, as "a poetic epitaph for children" (Eva-Maria Magel, FAZ from January 22, 2016).
content
Bad things happen in the big city. Three children die, and each time someone claims to have seen a girl in a white dress hovering over the scene of the accident screaming. After people puzzled for a while, the girl is forgotten again. But one person cannot forget it: Georg, who lives across from the Melatenfriedhof. At night he hears noises in the cemetery and he quickly discovers Rosel's secret: once a month she comes out of her grave and makes her way to a child who is in danger. At the scene of the accident she screams loudly in the hope of saving the child, but unfortunately she always comes too late. Georg dares to go to her grave and Rosel pulls him down with her. Although it is very scary there, Georg comes back several times and even spends the night there. He and Rosel become friends and she lets him in on her secret. Georg decides to come with Rosel's next rescue attempt and help. And indeed: this time they won't be late. Georg's neighbor boy Wilfried is thrown out the window, but Georg jumps out, catches Wilfried and throws him into the bushes, where he lands softly. However, Georg himself lands on the pavement - and when he wakes up he finds himself in Rosel's grave. From now on, two of them float once a month, under the full moon, through the city and try to protect children from violence and brutality.
characters
main characters
Rosel from Melaten
Rosel von Melaten is the ghost of a girl in a white dress and tied with a red tie. Her hair is black and tousled and tied in two braids. She lies in the Melatenfriedhof, but once a month - always with a full moon - she leaves her grave to save children who have been subjected to violence. For this she screams at the top of the disaster while floating at the top of her neck. Unfortunately she is always late and does not manage to save the children. She herself describes her death as follows: “Apparently I was stubborn. My mother didn't like that, or someone I didn't know. It made me get sick and die quickly. I was buried. ”But Rosel wanted to know why and tried to get out of the grave. In vain - the gravedigger kept pushing her arm back. She has been getting up every four weeks since then, feeling that something terrible is about to happen.
George
Georg lives with his parents across from the Melatenfriedhof. His parents don't find it particularly exciting and just joke about it. When Georg tells that he hears noises there, they only worry about his imagination, but they don't take him seriously. So he doesn't tell them anything about Rosel, with whom he befriends there. He wants to help her on her nightly forays and accompanies her one night. That night he becomes Wilfried's tragic savior and dies himself. From now on he lives with Rosel in her grave and floats with her through the nights.
Minor characters
Wilfried
Wilfried is Georg's boy next door. He always drives around outside on his green tricycle. Georg often noticed injuries on this one - scratches and a black eye - but he thought nothing of it. Nobody suspects that Wilfried is a victim of domestic violence, and so it happens that he is simply thrown out the window.
Literary genre, style and themes
Rosel von Melaten can be assigned to various literary genres. In addition to being classified as a picture book and children's book, it has the characteristics of a fairy tale. Rosel von Melaten negotiates the subject of child abuse and violence against children. Despite the fairytale elements, the book alludes directly to reality. It appears in the adult program at Verlag Hoffmann & Campe.
Literary criticism
Rosel von Melaten received an overall positive response from the press. The press also discussed the appropriate target group for this book. Due to the severity of the topic, some reviewers recommend setting this higher. The FAZ writes: "Heidelbach's story has a simple, fairytale-like and yet realistic tone." (Eva-Maria Magel, October 10, 2015). In a review by Christine Westermann and Andreas Wallentin published on the WDR homepage it says: »Rosel von Melaten tells a very quiet, fine, moving story of a little boy and a little girl. A careful love story. Maybe a little ghost story too. In any case, a story about life and death. «(October 28, 2015).
Public book presentations
The book was presented as a Berlin premiere in the presence of the writer at the children's and youth program at the 16th Berlin International Literature Festival in September 2016.
Web links
- Publishing website for the book
Individual evidence
- ^ Website for the book on the publisher's homepage
- ↑ Review on the FAZ website
- ↑ Review on the FAZ website
- ↑ Review on the WDR website ( Memento from August 7, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ http://www.literaturfestival.com/kjl