Literary Birthday – 12 November – Michael Ende

Michael Ende was born on 12 November 1929 and died on 28 August 1995.

Michael Ende Quotes

1. Every real story is a never ending story.
2. When it comes to controlling human beings there is no better instrument than lies. Because, you see, humans live by beliefs. And beliefs can be manipulated. The power to manipulate beliefs is the only thing that counts.
3. Time is life itself, and life resides in the human heart.
4. If you stop to think about it, you’ll have to admit that all the stories in the world consist essentially of twenty-six letters. The letters are always the same, only the arrangement varies. From letters words are formed, from words sentences, from sentences chapters, and from chapters stories.
5. Those who still think listening isn’t an art should see if they can do it half as well.
6. A story can be new and yet tell about olden times. The past comes into existence with the story.
7. Human passions have mysterious ways, in children as well as grown-ups. Those affected by them can’t explain them, and those who haven’t known them have no understanding of them at all.
8. Without a past you can’t have a future.
9. Calendars and clocks exist to measure time, but that signifies little because we all know that an hour can seem an eternity or pass in a flash, according to how we spend it.
10. But that’s another story and shall be told another time.

Michael Ende was a German writer best known for fantasy and children’s fiction. His most famous work is the epic fantasy, The Neverending Story. Ende became one of the most successful German authors of the post-war period. His books have sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. They have been translated into more than 54 languages. His stories have also been adapted for film, stage, opera, and audio. Ende’s writing often blended reality and fantasy. His work explored imagination, identity, time, and the power of storytelling. Ende believed that stories could open the door to different ways of seeing and experiencing life. His imaginative worlds continue to appeal to both children and adults.

Image of Michael Ende from publisher Thienemann

by Amanda Patterson
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