As of: February 24, 2024, 7:06 a.m
By: Kathrin Reikowski
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A hairline, normal lips and no more pipe for little Jim - a comparison of the new and old book cover of Michael Ende's classic © picture alliance/dpa/Thienemann-Verlag |
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Because children no longer know the N-word until they encounter it in a book: This is also why the Thienemann publishing house has revised the “Jim Knopf” books.
Stuttgart – The publishing house Thienemann has redesigned a new edition of “Jim Knopf and Lukas the Engine Driver” with the heir of author Michael Ende and illustrator FJ Tripp.
This was announced in a statement two days before publication.
The considerations were intensive, as publishing director Bärbel Dorweiler emphasized in an interview with Die
Zeit
: “We made very selective and careful changes.”
The new edition aims to no longer portray Jim Knopf in a racially exaggerated manner and to revise certain problematic portrayals.
One of the key changes involves the removal of the N-word, which appeared in one passage in the book.
Furthermore, the connection between Luke's "dirty white skin" and Jim's black skin color is no longer made, and stereotypical descriptions have been reduced.
Michael Ende's great adventure and narrative style remain intact even without racism
Jim Knopf no longer has “bulgy pink lips” in the colored illustrations.
“His facial features are recognizable and his skin tone is no longer the same as his hair,” explains Dorweiler.
She emphasizes that despite these changes, the characters, their personalities and the great adventure as well as Michael Ende's narrative style are retained in the new edition.
A hairline, no gay lips: More dignity for the children's book hero Jim Knopf.
The classic children's books about the boy Jim Knopf should in future be free of racist language.
© picture alliance/dpa/Thienemann-Verlag
The discussion about racism in the Jim Knopf editions had been going on for a while.
Christine Kassamma, an educator who deals with educational work critical of racism, commented on this in Die
Zeit
in 2020 .
“Unfortunately, Jim Knopf is still read too often,” was her verdict at the time.
Their criticism was particularly directed at the stereotypical portrayal of blacks that Jim Knopf reproduces.
She argued that the book used many clichés and conveyed an image that was shaped by the imagination of white people and had little correspondence with reality.
Jim Knopf: Arrangements with the heirs of Michael Ende and FJ Tripp
The changes were made in consultation with the heirs of author Michael Ende and illustrator FJ Tripp.
The publisher emphasizes that they act in the spirit of Michael Ende, who was known as cosmopolitan, respectful and child-friendly.
The publisher explains: “In these adventure stories, Michael Ende has drawn a counter-image to the National Socialist ideology that he himself was confronted with in his youth.” From the beginning of the 1960s, the N-word was deliberately only put into the mouth of the character Mr. Sleeve to point out its lack of cosmopolitanism.
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A decisive argument for the changes is the diversity of society today compared to the 1960s, said Dorweiler.
“In school classes and families there are many more children with a migrant background, many more children who are black themselves.
They should also be able to read Jim Knopf with pleasure and profit.” The stories are timeless and tell about the friendship of different people and about accepting what is strange or different.
N-word no longer in the text – “because children today no longer know it at all”
Jim Knopf's editions with the original black and white illustrations remain available unchanged and will contain an explanatory afterword in the future.
It remains to be seen whether all these changes will be enough to stop hurting anyone.
For a long time, the publisher insisted on leaving the N-word in the text.
Now a different conclusion has been reached, “also because many children today no longer know the N-word until they come across it in a book.”
Dorweiler tells of a young woman who, just this week, described to her how no one wanted to sit next to her in elementary school because of the color of her skin.
She doesn't believe such experiences can be prevented through book changes, but new editions like Jim Knopf's could help society become more open.
(dpa/kat)
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