LotR - Germany's favorite book!

[Estelyn Telcontar]

The Lord of the Rings has been chosen as Germany's favorite book! In a non-representative vote, sponsored by one of the public TV channels, it topped the list, with the Bible coming in second. I was surprised by the result, as the German translation of the book is not so outstanding, but apparently it still fascinates enough German-speaking readers to be able to win over books originally written in German.

There are certainly some explanations for this result - the movies caused a renewed interest in the book, the media-active age group of the 14 - 29-year-olds rated it highest, and it is the only book by its author that is in the limelight - other books, such as the Harry Potter books and books by German authors such as Herman Hesse and Thomas Mann were listed individually, which caused the votes for their authors to be split. Nonetheless, it shows the impact the book makes even when translated!

Congratulations, Tolkien!

(For those who can read German and would like more information, here is a link: Das Grosse Lesen)

[Mithalwen]

I have to say I am a little surprised - but then the giants of German literature are poets rather than novelists in the main. And if it has the same criteria as "The Big Read " then it it is a vote for the "favourite " book rather than finest novel - which at the risk of being flamed again - is not quite the same thing. That said, it would be my desert island choice over Middlemarch, say...

WIth the English competition, I got so annoyed at the people who said that it won only because of the film. Yes, many people probably read it (or in my case reread it for the first time in years) because of the film but LOTR won the Book of the Century poll in 1999/2000 - long before the film was released. Having said that Delia Smith's complete cookery course ranked pretty hightly too, so quite what that says about my compatriots I wouldn't like to say. Just have to be grateful that Rosemary Conley's Hip and THight diet didn't make the cut.

[The Saucepan Man]

To add a related link (and for those who might be interested), the UK's "Big Read" is discussed here:

All British Tolkienites here.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Esty, Mithalwen,

What actually suprised me was the reponse in the British press to the news. See this article from the Guardian on the popularity of LotR in Germany.

Hmm....sounds like the same old saw: that people turn to Tolkien as a way to escape in times of trouble. I don't know enough about the appeal of the book in Germany or the current economic conditions in the country to know if there is a grain of truth in the Guardian article, but it sounds a bit fishy to me.

If anything, I think Tolkien's popularity underlines how very international our culture has become: how a book from one country can attract so many people from so many different backgrounds and diverse locations, despite the lanuage barriers.

Interestingly, I just got a paperback German copy of The Hobbit the other day. If things ever settle down here, I thought I would use it to brush up on my very rusty language skills. (I can read some German because of my background in grad school, but unfortunately can not speak it.)

[Lalwendë]

I think that Lord of the Rings has won every UK based poll for about the last ten years. And with each new list of results we get the usual criticism!

The Guardian article was interesting - especially where it claims the popularity of the book is due to harsh economic conditions in Germany. Surely this is a bit of a misnomer as the UK economy is strong, and it's also the most popular book here. The usual literati case of making the nose fit the (horn-rimmed) glasses?

[Mithalwen]

It wasn't so much that I was surprised it was popular ... more that it was so popular that it overcame national pride... Although I find the languages and history fascinationg - I have to admit that LOTR is one of my literary comfort blankets.....

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Thanks for that link, Child! It was interesting to read the British reaction. Comparing the two lists, though, I would say that the British list is much more inclusive of escapist literature than the German list. The latter includes quite a few historical novels - which happens to be my favorite genre. I have the top 50 books list here, and it's very international indeed. As to the interpretation about the economic situation and escapism, I question its validity. The Germans are good at complaining, but I doubt that they are worse off than people of other countries.

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

My opinions on Germany and Germans were formed when I was living in the Netherlands as a child. . .so my opinions of Germans and of Germany are. . .well. . .biased -- but this goes a long way to restoring the German reputation in my mind!

It actually makes perfect sense to me that Germans would respond so well to hobbits: beer drinking stay-at-homes who think their land is the best in the world, and which they administer sensibly, pragmatically and with all due diligence.

(Don't tell my Dutch friends, but in this respect I think Germany, The Netherlands and the Shire have a lot in common!)

[Sharkû]

First of all, this poll is not really representative, especially since a large part of the votes were registered online, and the demographic group with the highest rate of net access are the younger readers, who also appear to be more drawn to a book like The Lord of the Rings. They are also the ones which frequent the cinemas most, which brings me to my second point: I am quite sure that the biggest part of the book's popularity is due to the movies.
A few years ago, the book really was just a fringe cult book in Germany; that certainly was the case when I read it first. I soon discovered that The Lord of the Rings had a much better standing, with the critics as well, in the English speaking world. What I've noticed is that with the movies, many Germans started to read the book for the first time. With the poll taken shortly after the completion of the trilogy, it makes sense that the book has by now not only been read and liked by many people, but that it is also relatively recent and fresh in one's memory.

I can't really see The Lord of the Rings appealing especially to 'the Germans' or even 'the German state of mind' (or affairs for that matter).
The earlier BBC poll showed that 'escapist' books are just as popular in England, and I would wager it is similar in just about any country, no matter the economic circumstance. The point about 'troubled times' seems a strange argument especially when considering that the 'typical' Lord of the Rings fan and the typical person who complains about the situation in Germany are two very different people demographically.

[The Saucepan Man]

Ah, I wouldn't pay much attention to what Teh Grauniad (sic) says. Not many people in the UK do!

Certainly, I can see no credible connection between a relative economic downturn and the popularity of LotR. As has been pointed out, it has been consistently popular in the UK through good times and bad. I think that this is a case of media types trying to get a "different angle" on a story where there isn't one. Sharkû has, I think, provided the most likely explanation for the poll.

Originally Posted by Sharkû

I soon discovered that The Lord of the Rings had a much better standing, with the critics as well, in the English speaking world.

It would be interesting to gauge how popular Tolkien's works are in different parts of the world. The nationality demographics on the Downs give some indication of this. Obviously, the majority of members are from the English-speaking world - primarily the US and the UK, and also Australia and New Zealand. Of course, it makes sense that an English-speaking site devoted to a book written by an Englishman will primarily attract those whose first language is English. There are no doubt many non-English sites devoted to the books as well as the films (I know of a few Spanish sites, for example). But there are a good many other nationalities represented on the Downs (Phillippino, Indian, Georgian, Swiss, Dutch and Belgian to name but a few), and this gives some indication of Tolkien's popularity across the world (at least in those countries where English is, for many, a strong second language). And it does seem to me that the Scandinavian countries are (proportionately) well represented amongst the Downs population. I suspect that its particular appeal in these countries is, in part, a result of Tolkien having drawn quite heavily on Norse and Icelandic mythology and the Finnish language. I wonder whether similar considerations (the Saxon influence rather than the Norse) might account, in part at least, for its current popularity in Germany. Or is the trend too recent for this to have played any part?

[Lhunardawen]

This is not of much importance, but English, SpM, is also considered the primary language here in the Philippines along with, of course, Filipino.

I have observed a sudden upswing of the popularity of LotR among the people around me, and that started when, I'm sorry to say, the movies were released. (Hey, I first became aware of LotR through the movies, too!) But incidentally, some of these people I know who claim to like the books haven't even read them yet! So would I be wrong to assume that they liked the movies, and then liked the books from which the films were based? (Poor people...)

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

Originally Posted by SaucepanMan

The nationality demographics on the Downs give some indication of this. Obviously, the majority of members are from the English-speaking world - primarily the US and the UK, and also Australia and New Zealand.

And what of Canada? The second-largest-country in the world (not to mention the best one to live in)? There are more than a few of my fellow Canucks in these here parts, and contrary to world opinion, we will not meekly be overlooked.

So there!

To keep things on topic -- LotR is an extremely popular book in the Great White North, which is actually saying something as Canada is (I am proud to say) one of the most literate countries in the world. By which I mean, Canada has more public libraries (per capita) than any other nation, and Canadians buy more books (per capita) than any other populace.

We also see more movies than anyone else (even Indians!) and eat more potatoes (yes, we even out eat the Irish and the Dutch on that score).

And finally, we're the world's leading consumer of coffee! Oh! And we've never lost a war -- ever. Unlike our friends to the south, whom we happened to whup in the War of 1812. Burned the White House to the ground we did. . .sorry.

Which is why I think LotR is so popular in Canada: we're all about the food and the creature comforts, and we're not much into war and adventure; but when the need arises, we can kick some serious keister.

Wish it weren't so cold though. . .

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Wish it weren't so cold though. . .

Fordim, don't you think that factor is directly related to the book and movie consumption of your country, perhaps to the coffee consumption as well?!

An interesting note on the original topic of this thread - I asked a German which book he would have named as his favorite, and he answered "LotR"! The strange thing is, he's never read the book - he liked the movies and didn't have another favorite book, so that was his choice. I can't help wondering if there weren't more movie-goers who don't read many books and made their choice the same way...

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Fordim Hedgethistle

And what of Canada?

You mean it's not just another US State.

Actually, I meant North America and typed US. An unforgiveable mistake for which I apologise profusely.