The Neverending Story

Lore & Background

The Neverending Story was first published in West Germany by Thienemann Verlag in 1979. It spent 113 weeks at number one on Der Spiegel bestseller list and remained on the list for 332 weeks. The original edition used red text for human-world events and green text for Fantastica events, with chapter illustrations by Roswitha Quadflieg in both colors. Ende insisted on a hardcover format to resemble the book Bastian steals. The English translation by Ralph Manheim appeared in 1983 in the UK and US. As of 2010, the novel had been translated into 36 languages and sold over eight million copies worldwide.

Reader's Guide

The Neverending Story has been adapted into a film series and a television series. The first film adaptation, released in 1984 and directed by Wolfgang Petersen, covered only the first half of the book. Michael Ende was reportedly 'revolted' by the film and sued the producers, losing the case. A 1990 sequel, The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, used elements from the second half but told a new tale; Ende dismissed both films as 'gigantic melodrama made of kitsch and commerce, plush and plastic'. A German dramatized audioplay was released in 1984. Literary critics have analyzed the novel from various perspectives, including Jungian archetypes and the mirroring of Bastian and Atreyu as hero and false hero. Some religious groups have examined the text for occult messages. The novel remains most successful in Germany and Japan, while the 1984 film is better known among English-speaking audiences.

Did You Know?

• The original edition used red text for human-world events and green text for Fantastica events.
• The novel was number one on West Germany's Der Spiegel bestseller list for 113 weeks.
• Michael Ende sued the producers of the 1984 film adaptation and lost the case.
• As of 2010, The Neverending Story had been translated into 36 languages and sold more than eight million copies.