Kastner Erich: Blizanke

Erich Kastner: The Twins

Illustrated by: Đuro Seder

The Twins is a well-known and very popular novel by the German writer Erich Kästner, author of another well-known children's novel "Emil and the Detectives". It was created in 1949, and the template for it was the script of the movie "The Big Secret", which was never made into a movie. The original title of the piece was "Double Lotte", later renamed "The Twins". The novel was a worldwide success and was translated into many world languages, and became even more famous when the very successful Disney movie "Parent Trap" was made based on it. The film is in many ways similar to the original story, except that it is set at the beginning of the new millennium.

As in most of his children's novels, Kästner foregrounds the children's ingenuity, which is always smarter than the parents'. The adults in this novel are too busy with themselves to even understand what is happening to their children. And the children are diligently devising and implementing a plan that they not only want to trick the adults, but also teach them something. It is the children who share the lessons here, making themselves much wiser than their parents and adults in general.

The plot of the novel revolves around two little girls. Lujza and Lota are twins who did not know each other, because they were separated as babies, so they each grew up in their own world. Lujza lived with her father, a famous conductor and composer in the noisy and luxurious world of Viennese artists, and Lota lived with her mother, a photo editor for a publishing company, in a much more modest and simpler environment in Munich.

The unexpected meeting of the twin sisters at the summer resort is the beginning of an unusually interesting story that becomes entangled when the girls switch roles. Lota, who lived with her mother, goes to her father, and Lujza comes to her mother. This incredible replacement gives birth to many humorous and dramatic situations that contribute to the tension of the plot, which will culminate in Lota's nervous fever at the moment when her father wants to marry another woman.

With a skillful plot, the girls regained their childhood in a happy and complete family, which was taken away from them by the carelessness of their parents. Thus, this novel closes the story cheerfully and optimistically. Children realize their wishes perhaps more easily than it is usual in real life. However, since they themselves very actively fought for them, they deserve their fulfillment as a reward.

With this work, Kästner proved that he is an excellent storyteller for children. It brings us a warm and very interesting story, told from the perspectives of two girls. Although they grew up in completely different environments, they carry the same moral values. Both have to get used to a different life from the one they know, which brings them a lot of joy, but also some nostalgia. However, they are ready to make any sacrifice to reunite their family. This is a lesson we should all follow.