Surely, as a child, Momo, by Michael Ende, has passed through your hands. It is a book that was written in 1973 and, despite the years that have passed, it continues to talk about very current issues, which is why it is a mandatory reading, not so much for children, but for adults.
But what is the book about? What characters does it have? What is learned from him? This is what we want to talk about next. Go for it?
who wrote momo
The author of Momo is none other than Michael Ende. This writer was born in 1929 in Germany and dedicated himself to children's and fantastic literature. Along with Momo, other of his most famous books are The Neverending Story or Jim Button and Lucas the machinist.
Son of a painter and a physiotherapist, He started writing in the early 50's. at the same time that he did work as an actor, as a writer of film reviews and as a screenwriter. But when he published the book Jim Button and Lucas the Machinist in 1960, success came to him.
Momo was the third novel he published, in 1973., after the success of the two Jim Button books (and before The Unforgettable Story).
Synopsis of Momo, by Michael Ende
Source: Brand
Has Momo's book ever fallen into your hands? It is a classic and in the past in schools it was put as mandatory or optional reading. But do you know what it's about?
We leave you here the synopsis and then we will develop the story.
«Momo is a very special girl, she has the wonderful quality of making everyone who listens to her feel good. But the arrival of the gray men, who intend to take over people's time, will change her life. She will be the only one not to be fooled and with the help of Cassiopeia the turtle and Master Hora, she will embark on a fantastic adventure against the thieves of time ».
Characters from Momo, by Michael Ende
Before commenting on the story of Momo, by Michael Ende, as a summary, we want to talk about the main and most important characters that appear in the book.
momo
Momo is the protagonist of the novel. She is an orphan girl who has a gift: being able to listen very well. She lives in the runes of an amphitheater after escaping from the orphanage because she knows that the gray men are looking for her because they want to get rid of her.
One of the times when they are about to catch her, her friends help her escape and she reaches the teacher Hora, who explains who the gray men are and why they are after her.
Beppo Sweeper
This man is a bit slow, so much so that he is able to answer what you ask him days later. That is why many consider him to be crazy. However, He really likes to think about what he's going to say and he doesn't mind going slower than the world.; he keeps up with her.
He has both patience and wisdom. And even working as a street sweeper, he does his work very calmly. Until the gray men trick him into believing that they won't release Momo until he completes 100000 hours of work. Thus, he begins to work quickly and carelessly.
Gigi Cicerone (Girolamo)
He is a friend of Momo, a storyteller who invents what he narrates. When Momo disappears, the gray men make him famous. But, over time, she loses her imagination and when she sees Momo again, she asks her to stay with him so she can come up with new ideas.
Cassiopeia
This name is the one by which the tortoise of the teacher Hora responds.. It is a turtle capable of turning on its shell forming letters to answer what is asked. He also has the gift of prediction, at least half an hour before it happens.
Casiopea helps Momo to escape from the gray men.
Teacher Time
He is the one in charge of managing time for men. Momo goes looking for him to find out what he can do and entrusts him with a mission: to find the place where the gray men have hidden time so that humans don't get stuck without time.
gray men
The "enemies" of Momo and the entire book. They have human form but in reality they are nothing. They look for humans to save time so they can keep what is left over and be able to continue living on it.
They go in search of Momo because they consider that she is the only one who can get close to the teacher Hora and, thus, set a trap to catch him and be the ones who manage the time.
What is the book Momo about
Momo's book has a total of 21 chapters. However, we can divide it into three parts:
Introduction
With the first four chapters, in which he introduces us to some of the characters, especially Momo and her day-to-day life and this little girl's ability to listen to people and help them.
Naked
The central part of the story of Momo, by Michael Ende, would encompass chapter five to seventeen approximately.
These chapters tell the story of why they persecute Momo, who are the gray men and how can Momo help her friends to recover the time that these beings are stealing from them.
Outcome
Finally, the outcome and what makes Momo's story is resolved is in the last four chapters in which they manage to find the time that the gray men had been treasuring.
What can be learned from Momo?
If you have read the book as a child, it is possible that you will not understand it 100% because the moral or the message it tries to convey is really for adults. In this he explains that if you only pursue professional success, money and things that are not important, the only thing you get is to be unhappy.
On the other hand, if part of that time is dedicated to making those you love happy, in this way they will also make you happy.
In addition, it tells us about time, about how a person has a finite time in the world and that it must be used appropriately so that, when death comes, we do not regret anything.
Have you read Momo by Michael Ende? What do you think about it?