THIS EXPLAINS ABOUT SOME OF THE NAMES

There is no need to tell you that we like this story and believe you will like it too or we would not have translated it for you. But there is need for a word about the German names.

One of the ways to play with any language is to make up names that sound like real names when you roll them around on your tongue or that are real names, but perhaps are used as puns or in some way that pokes a little fun. You remember Henry Hagglyhoagly in the Rootabaga Stories? That name has a nice amusing sound and makes you know right away that Mr. Sandburg was enjoying himself when he invented it.

In the story about Emil we think Mr. Kästner has entertained himself in naming his people. Some of the names have no special meaning, but some of them have—and they all have a good German sound. So we have left the names just as they are in the German version. We thought you might like to pronounce them.

But so that you can know what some of the names stand for, if you want to, we are giving you the meanings here in the order in which the names appear in the book. If you read this through, you will understand the names when you come to them.

First you must know that Herr is Mr., Frau is Mrs., and Fräu-lein is Miss. Then you must remember that e is often pronounced like long a and that i is often pronounced like long e so that Emil is pronounced as if it began with a long a. It’s a good name. Pe-ter-sil-ie means Parsley—a nice silly name in any language. Di-a-mant-en Wasch-frau Leh-mann means Mrs. Lehmann who washes the diamonds. Fie-del-bo-gen means Fiddle bow. Nie-ten-führ means Riveter, and there’s point in that name as you will see. Neu-ge-bau-ers means New builders. Tisch-bein means Table leg. Frau Fri-seu-se Tisch-bein is supposed to be rather elegant because Friseuse is the French word. It means Hairdresser. Klemp-ner-mei-ster means Master plumber. Pony Hüt-chen means Pony Little cap, a pet name, of course. She is sort of staunch like a pony and rather saucy. Müller is Miller. Bäc-ker-mei-ster Wirth is really two names like a hyphenated name. Bäckermeister means Master baker and Wirth means Landlord—naturally a very important person. Nau-mann is Newman. Fleisch-er-mei-ster is Head butcher. Grund-eis is Ground ice. Kurz-hals is Short neck. Neu-stadt is New city. Diens-tag is Tuesday and means service day or sort of office day, so you’ll see the little Dienstag was well named. Krumm-biegel means Bandy legged. Stuhl-bein means Chair leg, Fisch-bein means Fish leg and Über-bein means Extra leg. These names would not sound like names if they were translated, but in German they all sound like ordinary names. Only when you stop to think what they mean you can’t help smiling a little. They’re a sort of joke on German names. So we have left them just as they are and hope you will enjoy them with the story.

It only remains to give heartfelt thanks to Donald Robinson who corrected the whole translation as if it were a school exercise and to Rosika Schwimmer and Gretchen Gugler who read the corrected translation very carefully and gave much help with idioms and slang and to Ernest Reichl who found this book for us.

MAY MASSEE.

Garden City, New York. August, 1930.