Max und Moritz

August 6, 2003 4:13 PM

Max und Moritz• The online edition of Wilhelm Busch's classic children's story boasts the original illustrations from 1865. This tale of two mischievous boys and their brutal deaths is considered a precursor to the modern comic strip. (More 19th-Century German stories here.)
posted by Ljubljana (9 comments total)

My wife introduced me to Max und Moritz. She's German and was brought up with the little deathmonkeys. As far as I remember, her favorite story involved them getting baked into a pie or something.

Tangentially, there was until very recently a German bakery round the corner from my home that featured paintings of Max and Moritz all over the walls. Having learned all about them from the wife, I proudly said to the very German counterfrau "Hey! That's Max and Moritz, right?"

Germans can say "duh" without saying anything at all.

See also: the added and exceptional trauma of Die Struwwelpeter, including such classics as "boy who sucks thumb has thumb cut off with hedge clippers".

Yay for fun!
posted by Kafkaesque at 5:15 PM on August 6, 2003

[this is good.]
posted by scody at 5:18 PM on August 6, 2003

What a great site! I love Heinrich Hoffmann's illustrations. Stories in which bratty children get their comeuppance are so much fun. Thanks, Ljubljana.
posted by iconomy at 5:50 PM on August 6, 2003

Wonderful, thanks for this. My mother used to read me Max und Moritz, and I've always found that macabre Teutonic childrearing sensibility oddly endearing.
posted by MrBaliHai at 6:41 PM on August 6, 2003

Terrific link! And what iconomy said.
I also like the way you can view these in dual languages side by side - what a fun way to practice language skills. Ljubljana, thank you!
posted by madamjujujive at 6:44 PM on August 6, 2003

kafkaesque: a friend of mine recited that poem to me in German in High School (and told me what it was about), and I've been wondering what it was and how it went ever since. Thank you.
posted by interrobang at 7:15 PM on August 6, 2003

That explains the name of the local German bakery.
posted by konolia at 7:43 PM on August 6, 2003

[this is really good]
posted by plep at 11:07 PM on August 6, 2003

Oh man, I know I've got a copy somewhere. *rummages*
posted by Galvatron at 6:22 PM on August 7, 2003