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Illustration from the Janosch book »I love a tiger duck«
Photo: Illustration: Janosch
The little yellow elevates literature to the status of a classic.
Goethe, Schiller, Lessing, also Büchner and Kafka, Shakespeare of course, Sophocles and Euripides: they all have their works published in Reclam's universal library, compact and for little money, they all wear yellow.
Generations of schoolchildren have grown up with the booklets and have become a little wiser since the first two works in the series appeared in 1867, »Faust I« and »Faust II«, the price at the time: two silver groschen per volume.
Janosch overtakes Goethe and Lessing
There is now a new name in the illustrious line of ancestors: Janosch, best known as an author of children's books.
And it is not just anywhere, but number 1 in the best-selling Reclam booklet of 2021. It is followed by Goethe with his »Faust«, Lessing with »Nathan the Wise« and Büchner with »Woyzeck« and »Leonce und Lena«.
"Wondrak for all situations in life" is the top title, a collection of columns that are as funny as they are lively and that Janosch drew and wrote for "Zeit-Magazin" a few years ago.
Reclam has now sold around 200,000 copies, so it is not surprising that the publisher is now entering the next Janosch title in the classic race, »I love a tiger duck«, which is also a Janosch work more for adults than for children.
A relationship guide.
In the story, the big-mouthed Günter box frog falls in love with the mute, unfathomable tiger duck – not least because it follows him wherever he draws her.
Love wants to own.
And because she is silent while he talks incessantly and explains the world to her.
»We frogs love silence so that we can be heard croaking«.
We are, of course, dealing with a persistent case of frogsplaining.
Incidentally, also with self-suggestion, as is so often the case in love.
Günter box frog talks the tiger duck nice until he is completely seized by his own feelings;
his love intoxicates itself. In the subtitle, Janosch calls the story a “little relationship guide”, with the advisory power arising from the negative role model: “But if you want to keep your box frog love forever, you people, you have to talk to each other without a break .
About everything that happens or doesn't happen in life, day and night, because everything has to be discussed.
There must be no more secrets between lovers.
Is that clear now?
So what!"
Humor makes love bearable
Janosch first published the story in 1999.
Reclam is now adding an afterword by the well-known psychoanalyst and couples therapist Wolfgang Schmidbauer, which makes the booklet the ideal gift for those who have just fallen in love – and perhaps even more so for those who have recently separated.
A parting gift, cheap to have, as the titles of the universal library have always been.
Schmidbauer's central thought: romantic love only becomes bearable, if at all, through humor and irony.
Incidentally, Schmidbauer reveals his own talent for caricature.
To illustrate a dilemma of modern love, he says, years ago he drew two wooden ducks connected with a string.
"I'd love to have an amazing relationship!" said one.
"Me too!" the other.