This is a presentation of my project which is about a famous writer Michael Ende who has many great books, one of which is the famous book “ The Neverending Story ”. I have chosen this writer because I like his books very much, and I would like to know more about him, to be able to enjoy his books even more. My main research question was whether the personal life and environment Michael Ende lives in is reflected in his books or has influenced them in any way.

In this presentation I will present 2 summaries of his books and will try to answer the main research question. The following 2 summaries are the opinions of book critics on the Internet.

In Michael Ende's most well-known novel, Bastian Balthazar Bux is a lonely, overweight boy whose mother died and whose father is so wrapped in grief that he barely acknowledges Bastian's existence. Bastian's only consolation is books. One rainy day while browsing in a bookstore he comes across a book called "The Neverending Story". The owner refuses to sell the book and Bastian steals it. Without knowing why he felt compelled to do such a thing, Bastian skips classes, settles himself into his school's attic, and begins to read. Before long he realizes that "The Neverending Story" lives up to its name and he is physically drawn inside the book's wonderful tale of a dying land called Fantasia with its mythical creatures and soaring cities. Once there Bastian finds himself on a quest to save both Fantasia and himself with the aid of a few of the world's strange inhabitants. It was written in 1973.

Mirror in the Mirror A brilliant, unsung masterpiece, 'Mirror in the Mirror' is one of the most unusual books ever written. Complex and compelling, nightmarish and profound, this is a series of short stories based on Ende's father's surrealist artwork, interlinked, like dreams from the same night, by numerous striking common themes and images. In one, a dancer stands behind a black curtain, ceaselessly waiting for it to rise; in the next, a countess parts the black curtains in her coach to speak to gaily dressed travelers on an unending search for the mislaid word to their Neverending Play, without which the world is slowly falling to pieces. Each piece is wholly individual, and at the same time entirely connected to the rest. It was written in1986.

Summary In the information I have collected amongst different sources, I have found very little information about my main research question whether the personal life and environment Michael Ende lives in is reflected in his books or has influenced them in any way. Fortunately, in one of the interviews (which is included in this paper), we found Michael Ende answering the question where the idea for his book “The Neverending Story” came from. In his answer, he says that one day his publisher gave him that idea. Unfortunately, that was the only piece of information I found concerning that subject. However, I believe that this little piece of information is enough to state that the writer’s environment influenced his books, by giving him the inspiration and the ideas. This might also apply to other books that he wrote, and may imply that Michael Ende’s personal life and environment have also influenced his books and other ways, but I may never know for sure. Any way, in my opinion, his books were in fact influenced by his personal experience in many ways that I haven’t discovered yet.