The Center of the World (Book)
Encyclopedia
The Center of the World (original German title: Die Mitte der Welt) is a novel by Andreas Steinhöfel
from 1998. It is a story about the problems of growing up, puberty
, envy
and jealousy
, friendship
and love
. The novel was nominated for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
. The book has been translated into English by Alisa Jaffa and was edited by Jonas Sachwitz. It was published in the UK under the title Centre of My World.
With his mother and his sister, Phil lives in a huge mansion called 'Visible' which is located slightly remote from their city. The city's inhabitants barely have contact with this weird family. The main exception to this is Phil's best friend Kat, the daughter of their school's principal, who repeatedly violates her parents' interdiction of visiting Phil. Another important person is the lawyer Tereza, who is friends with the family and acts as a kind of mentor to Phil.
The story depicts the past of the family through emotional anecdotes, particularly through stories about the no longer existent father, an uncle as a compensating father figure and childhood memories of Phil and Dianne. Episodes in the presence deal with Phil's love for Nicholas, conversations with his mentor and disputes between his sister and his mother. The story is written in the first-person perspective.
, Konrad Heidkamp praised Steinhöfel for excelling himself: "The flashbacks from the children's point of view that allow room for Steinhöfel's deadpan humor, and the romantic fairytales - from the pond via the black wooden doll to the castle with royal children -, combined with the young literate author's smart way of introducing these two layers into the storyline, make this a book on the tenderness of reading and the risk inherent to strong feelings."
This book was also nominated for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
. It has not (yet) been translated into English.
Andreas Steinhöfel
Andreas Steinhöfel is a German author for children and young adult books, and a translator.- Biography :...
from 1998. It is a story about the problems of growing up, puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
, envy
Envy
Envy is best defined as a resentful emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another's superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it."...
and jealousy
Jealousy
Jealousy is a second emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, particularly in reference to a human connection. Jealousy often consists of a combination of presenting emotions...
, friendship
Friendship
Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...
and love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
. The novel was nominated for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
The Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's literature. It is Germany's only state-funded literary award. In the past, authors from many countries...
. The book has been translated into English by Alisa Jaffa and was edited by Jonas Sachwitz. It was published in the UK under the title Centre of My World.
Contents
Phil is seventeen years old, has a twin sister (Dianne), a best friend (Kat), a slightly crazy mother (Glass) with constantly changing male relationships and is in love – with Nicholas. The story does not primarily treat Phil's homosexuality, but rather stresses the difficulties he has to cope with in everyday life.With his mother and his sister, Phil lives in a huge mansion called 'Visible' which is located slightly remote from their city. The city's inhabitants barely have contact with this weird family. The main exception to this is Phil's best friend Kat, the daughter of their school's principal, who repeatedly violates her parents' interdiction of visiting Phil. Another important person is the lawyer Tereza, who is friends with the family and acts as a kind of mentor to Phil.
The story depicts the past of the family through emotional anecdotes, particularly through stories about the no longer existent father, an uncle as a compensating father figure and childhood memories of Phil and Dianne. Episodes in the presence deal with Phil's love for Nicholas, conversations with his mentor and disputes between his sister and his mother. The story is written in the first-person perspective.
Reception
In the nationwide German newspaper Die ZeitDie Zeit
Die Zeit is a German nationwide weekly newspaper that is highly respected for its quality journalism.With a circulation of 488,036 and an estimated readership of slightly above 2 million, it is the most widely read German weekly newspaper...
, Konrad Heidkamp praised Steinhöfel for excelling himself: "The flashbacks from the children's point of view that allow room for Steinhöfel's deadpan humor, and the romantic fairytales - from the pond via the black wooden doll to the castle with royal children -, combined with the young literate author's smart way of introducing these two layers into the storyline, make this a book on the tenderness of reading and the risk inherent to strong feelings."
Sequel: Defender – Geschichten aus der Mitte der Welt
The author continues the stories of some characters in 'Defender – Geschichten aus der Mitte der Welt' in several short stories.This book was also nominated for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
The Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's literature. It is Germany's only state-funded literary award. In the past, authors from many countries...
. It has not (yet) been translated into English.
External links
- Rufus BeckRufus BeckRufus Beck is a German theater, film, and voice actor.Besides his work on stage, on film, and on television, Beck is also a well known reader of audiobooks, having worked as the narrator of the German translations of the Harry Potter series...
: Rätselhafte Melancholie, Süddeutsche ZeitungSüddeutsche ZeitungThe Süddeutsche Zeitung , published in Munich, is the largest German national subscription daily newspaper.-Profile:The title literally translates as "South German Newspaper". It is read throughout Germany by 1.1 million readers daily and boasts a relatively high circulation abroad...
, 23. Februar 2006 - "Die Mitte der Welt" as a German theater play from Christian Kühn