Trixie Belden
Trixie Belden is a 39-part adventure series about a 13-year-old female detective by the same name, written between 1948 and 1986 . The book series was very successful in the USA and in other countries and has been translated into numerous languages. In Germany, the series was also released as a radio play . To this day Trixie Belden is considered one of the most successful children's and youth book series in the world.
Emergence
The figure of Trixie Belden was conceived by the American author Julie Campbell , who was born in Flushing ( New York ) in 1908 . However, the author did not write all 39 volumes, only volumes 1 to 6. Thereafter, the series was continued under the pseudonym Kathryn Kenny and written by several ghostwriters , because Campbell no longer continued the series and the publisher gave the permission to do so. However, she reserved the rights to the characters.
In Germany only 22 Trixie Belden volumes have been published by Franz Schneider Verlag , and that in an irregular order contrary to the English editions. The last volume "Trixie Belden - environmental sinners on the trail" was published in 1986 because Franz Schneider Verlag was bought by Egmont Verlag , which did not continue the series.
description
Trixie, Klaus, Martin, Uli, Dinah, Brigitte and Dan belong to a club called “Die Rotkehlchen” which has set itself the task of helping other people or collecting money for charitable institutions. In addition, the club solves the most puzzling cases, most of which are discovered and solved by Trixie. Trixie and her best friend Brigitte later want to found their own detective agency, the “Belden-Willer Detective Agency”.
Places of action USA / Germany
In the original editions, Trixie Belden and the other characters live in Sleepyside on the Hudson River , a fictional location in the US state of New York that Julie Campbell created. For the German market, Sleepyside was renamed to the also fictional Lindenberg and relocated to Germany. The exact location of Lindenberg varies from band to band. It stands to reason that this information was Germanized so as not to confuse childhood readers with difficult American names and places that are difficult or impossible to pronounce.
Similar changes from English designations and names to German can be seen in the Enid Blyton series Hanni and Nanni and Dolly , which, like the Trixie Belden series, were published by Franz Schneider Verlag.
people
The original names of the figures are in brackets.
- Trixie Belden , lively girl who loves to play detective for her life. She has blonde curly hair, blue eyes and freckles. Her character is very lively and she usually acts before she thinks about it. She has to assert herself against her brothers every day.
- Klaus Belden (Brian Belden) , Trixie's oldest brother. He has dark hair and brown eyes that he inherited from his father (Peter Belden). He is sensible and would like to become a doctor later, which is often mentioned in the books.
- Martin Belden (Mart Belden) , Trixie's brother, who could be her twin, is 11 months older than her. He loves to make Trixie white-hot with high-pitched speeches and pointed remarks, but he stands by her in every situation.
- Bobby Belden , Trixie's six-year-old brother, who wants to know everything and also has his little secrets.
- Brigitte Willer (Honey Wheeler), Trixie's best friend and first partner in all cases. She has long, dark hair and comes from a wealthy family. At first she was shy and thin, but after meeting Trixie, that changed.
- Uli Frank , (Jim Frayne) was adopted by Brigitte's parents and is Trixie's secret crush. His parents are dead and he was raised by a guardian who beat him and treated him very badly. One day he just ran away from home. The girls accidentally discover him in the old country house. He is the sole heir to a fortune of 500,000 DM . After school he wants to become a teacher and open a home / boarding school for orphan boys.
- Dinah Link (Diana "Di" Lynch) , nouveau riche pretty girl. It only appears in Volume 4, in which Trixie exposes her fake Uncle Tony (Original Uncle Monty) . She is a little vain and likes any good-looking boy. She has two siblings (twins).
- Dan Mangan , appears in Volume 8. He is a boy with a criminal past. He initially had his troubles with Trixie and her friends, but then saved her from a dangerous wildcat, which was the cornerstone of their friendship. Although he is a member of the Rotkehlchen Club, he rarely appears in the books and is never there when the whole club (in the German editions) is away.
- Reger (Bill Regan) is the horse landlord of the Willer family and the uncle of Dan Mangan. He's very fond of the whole Robin Club, but can get mad when Trixie and Brigitte neglect the horses.
- Mr. Lytell , is a grouchy shopkeeper in Lindenberg, but he is very interested in Miss Trasch.
- Fräulein Trasch (Miss Trask) was Brigitte's math teacher at boarding school and later her educator, she still works as a housekeeper for the Willers.
- Mr. Maipfennig (Mr. Maypenny) is the gamekeeper of the Willers and lives with Dan Mangan in a hut in the forest.
- Sergeant Weber is the police officer in Lindenberg. He actually likes Trixie and her club, but he can get really uncomfortable when he finds out that Trixie is investigating dangerous cases.
Trixie Belden - editing and furnishing of the German volumes
Machining
The series was largely Germanized for the German market - both the names of the protagonists and locations and names. The stories have been changed so that the American origin is no longer apparent. Here (especially in volumes 6 and 10) it is only described that the characters "travel" to the USA, but that they are not in the country. The first six volumes describe a seamless transition between the seasons and the protagonist's age from thirteen to fourteen; Such transitions are largely left out in the subsequent volumes.
In the German editing and translation, however, mistakes crept in in some volumes that are not significant, but will be noticed immediately by those familiar with the series. For example, in volume 11 “Trixie Belden discovers the house on the moor”, it was described on the last page that the protagonist is celebrating her fifteenth birthday.
Quotation on page 142: "It was a joyful, but tired Trixie who fell into bed on the evening of her fifteenth birthday."
In the follow-up volume “Trixie Belden and the Dangerous Lucky Charm”, however, the protagonist is back in her fourteenth year; this age continues in all subsequent volumes.
Further errors can be found in the description of the geographic location of Lindenberg. In Volume 9 Trixie's uncle explains that he is in the Lüneburg Heath , while Volume 13 explains that Lindenberg is almost 2 days away from Hamburg. Accordingly, Trixie and her friends spend the night in a motel on the drive there. Volume 14 explains that Lindenberg is near Heidelberg.
The Irish setter from the Belden family, who was given the name “Tobby” for the German editions, is suddenly called “Reddy” in two of the German editions, which in turn corresponds to the original American editions. These errors indicate that the publisher has processed poorly, as the series had great success and the publisher therefore relied on quick releases in order to continue the sales success. Another reason could be poor publisher research, as the German volume publication does not match the American one and intermediate volumes have been omitted for the German market.
The fact that Trixie's brother Klaus and Uli already had a driver's license at the age of 16 and the other Club members drive around in their own cars was also unusual for German conditions in the 1970s and 1980s - and it still is today. In those years there was no driver's license until the age of 18. So here was freely translated from the American, without worrying about the fact that a 16-year-old student in Germany could not possibly have a car driver's license - today this is possible at 17 at the earliest. In the USA, on the other hand, a driver's license was already possible at 16. The age at which a driver's license was acquired is also an indication of superficial processing.
In addition, parts of the plot were omitted in the German translation, so that the German editions have been reduced by about a fifth to a quarter. Actions in the American original editions have been partially rewritten or alienated for the German market. A comparison of the German-language text and the American version reveals a clear discrepancy between the exact and unabridged translation of the original text: a more detailed and somewhat different story emerged. That is why Trixie Belden fans are advised to read the American editions. Also, in the German editions, the friendly relationship between the protagonist and the character Uli (Jim Frayne) is not described as it actually is in the original.
Furnishing
All cover pictures were made by Kajo Bierl, the interior illustrations are by Werner Heymann with two exceptions. In the first volume “Trixie Belden and the secret of the country house”, the interior illustrations are by Bärbel Skarabela. For the second volume "Trixie Belden on the right track", the cover illustrator Kajo Bierl draws the interior illustrations. A fixed logo was used for all editions, which was usually also found on the spine of the book.
The inventor Julie Campbell was named as the author in all volumes, although she did not write the majority of the volumes herself. For the original editions, the Western Publishing Company decided on the pseudonym Kathryn Kenny. In volumes 1 to 6, Julie Campbell is given as the author, from volume 7 on, Kathryn Kenny.
Book series
English
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The series was reissued in the USA from 2003 to 2006 with a new cover and new, modern cover illustration, which was also advertised in newspapers. In 2006 the fifteenth and so far last volume "Trixie Belden and the Mystery on the Mississippi" was published. The cover image illustrations were made by Michael Koelsch. The interior illustrations, which are clearly reminiscent of the 1950s and 1960s due to the clothes and hairstyles of the protagonists, the vehicles and room furnishings, were made by the illustrator Haris Petie. Why the series was discontinued after volume fifteen has not yet been published. The publisher Random House , New York has not responded to other publications.
In addition to the new editions, the publisher offers an official Trixie Belden fan club. On the last page of the book, readers are asked to register for the fan club on the Internet. Members receive an official Trixie Belden club card. However, this service is reserved for American fans only. This service does not apply to Germany.
In addition, Trixie Belden fans can register for the annual Trixie Belden Camp , which takes place every year at a different location. It costs about $ 375 to stay there. Food, lodging and activities are included in the price, as is an official Trixie Belden shirt.
An activity plan and more information can be found on the Trixie Belden homepage (English only).
German
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The book Trixie Belden - Club Book for Detectives has also been published. Among other things, it contains puzzles and tips for detectives. The book was published in 1985 by Franz Schneider Verlag.
Radio plays
The following books were set to music by Label Europa , in the order of the German books:
- Trixie Belden and the secret of the country house
- Trixie Belden on the right track
- Trixie Belden solves the puzzle
- Trixie Belden exposes the wrong uncle
- Trixie Belden and the secret in the forest
- Trixie Belden and the Secret in Arizona
- Trixie Belden saves the secret club
- Trixie Belden was wrong
- Trixie chases the sheep thieves
- Trixie Belden is looking for the white ghost fish
The radio plays were produced in the late 1970s to early 1980s with well-known speakers such as Jürgen Thormann (narrator), Susanne Wulkow (Trixie Belden), Oliver Rohrbeck (Martin) and others. After the tenth episode, the series was discontinued.
The series was also set to music by another label, but less successfully. Here Trixie Belden was first spoken to by Inga Nickolai , then by actress Inez Günther . The other speakers were also different from those of Europe.