The Neverending Story

by Michael Ende

Naturally, I have a lot of favorite books. But when I think of my childhood favorites, “The Neverending Story” is the first one that comes to mind. After all, this book was *THE* book that sparked my first love for reading. That’s not the only reason why I’ll forever own this book though. It’s genuinely a fantastic story, and if you haven’t read this book at least once in your life - you are really missing out.

Interestingly, many people have seen the movie 🎬 but very few have actually read the book. 📖

Michael Ende was supportive of the movie’s production and worked as the advisor for the screenplay script but later became the movie’s biggest critic. He claimed that the movie’s Director, Wolfgang Peterson, secretly rewrote the script after his final review and denounced the movie during a press conference in Stuttgart. Ende demanded his name to be removed from the credits, stating, “The makers of the film simply did not understand the book...they just wanted to make money.” Ende later filed a lawsuit against the production company claiming a breach of contract in an attempt to halt the making of the movie’s sequel. “My moral and artistic existence is at stake in this film.”

He subsequently lost the case. The underlining meaning of the story is lost in the movie though, and many of the major scenes were kept out. We hear it a lot, but in this case it’s true: The book really is better than the movie!

I adored the creativity in Michael Ende’s books during my childhood years but I also have an abundance of appreciation for his work as an adult today. Im still fascinated that no matter how many time I read these books - I still walk away with something to ponder. 🤔