Michael Ende's 'Momo' - an allegory for Laura & the C's?

[Iconoclast]

recently a bunch of friends and me sat around one lazy sunday afternoon talking about anything that came to mind.
the discussion turned to childhood influences and someone mentioned Michael Ende's book 'Momo'.
i remember watching 'The Neverending Story' as a child, but i had never read 'Momo'.
someone then mentioned that the tortoise in the book was called Cassiopeia. my ears perked up and later i read the wikipedia entry for the book, where it says:

(spoiler warning)

In the ruins of an amphitheatre just outside an unnamed Italian city lives Momo, a little girl of mysterious origin. She is remarkable in the neighbourhood because she has the extraordinary ability to listen — really listen. By simply being with people and listening to them, she can help them find answers to their problems, make up with each other, and think of fun games. The expression "go and see Momo!" has become synonymous with panacea and Momo has become the friend of everyone, especially honest street-cleaner Beppo and poetic tour guide Guido (also known as "Gigi").

This pleasant atmosphere is spoiled by the arrival of the Men in Grey. These strange individuals represent the Timesavings Bank and promote the idea of timesaving among the population, time which can be deposited to the Bank and returned to the client later with interest. They then make people forget all about them but not about the resolution to save as much time as possible "for later use". Gradually, the sinister influence of the Men in Grey affects the whole city: life becomes sterile, devoid of all things considered time-wasting, like art, imagination or even sleeping. Buildings and clothing are made exactly the same for everyone and the rhythms of life become hectic. In reality, the more time people save, the less they have. The time they save is actually lost to them; instead, it is consumed by the Men in Grey in the form of cigars, made from the dried petals of the hour-lilies that represent time.

Momo, however, is a wrench in the plans of the Timesaving Bank thanks to her special personality. The Men in Grey try various plans to take care of her, but they all fail. When even her closest friends fall under the influence of the Men in Grey in one way or another, Momo's only hope to save the time of mankind is the personification of Time Professor Hora and Cassiopeia, a tortoise which can communicate through writing on her shell and can see thirty minutes into the future. Momo's adventure will take her from the depths of her heart, where her own time flows from in the form of lovely hour-lilies, to the lair of the Men in Grey themselves, where the time people believe they save is hoarded.

very interesting...

does anyone who has read the book care to elaborate on the similarites with Laura/C's/SotT?

more from wikipedia:

The main theme of Momo can be seen as a criticism of consumerism and stress. It describes the personal and social losses produced by unnecessary consumption, and the danger to be driven by a hidden interest group with enough power to induce people into this life style. Michael Ende has also claimed to have had the concept of aging money in mind when writing Momo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momo_%28novel%29

[Laura]

she has the extraordinary ability to listen — really listen. By simply being with people and listening to them, she can help them find answers to their problems,

Very interesting.  It is often said about me that my chief feature is an almost childlike ability to look at everything with "beginner's eyes" and to ASK without self-importance; that is, REALLY ask a question.   This is a little bit curious to me (in fact, the whole world is curious to me!) because I don't know what being any other way might feel like.  So, I guess that this is a bit like "listening, really listening."  

And the turtle?!  That is priceless imagery!

[Aeneas]

I read the book last year in brushing up my German and can highly recommend. It is very uplifting, but also has a strong message. It did strike me at the time as an allegory of Laura and the C's.

It is apparently quite well know in the German speaking world according to my friend, which is not surprising as Michael Ende was German.

Wikipedia has this to say

Ende was born November 12, 1929 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Bavaria, Germany). An only child, his parents were Edgar Ende, a surrealist painter, and Luise Bartholomä Ende, a physiotherapist (Coby 258). Since his artwork was banned by the Nazi party, Edgar Ende was forced to work in secret. In 1935, when he was six, the Ende family moved to the "artists' quarter of Schwabing" in Munich (Haase 55). Growing up in this rich artistic and literary environment influenced Ende’s later writing.

Ende attended the Maximillians Gymnasium until schools in Munich were closed due to bombings in 1943 (Colby 258). He resumed school at the Waldorf School in Stuttgart. It was at this time that Ende first began to write stories ("Michael," par. 3). He aspired to be a "dramatist," but wrote mostly short stories and poems (Hasse 55). In 1945, sixteen year old Ende was drafted into the German army, but deserted and joined an anti-Nazi group for the remainder of the war (Colby 258; “Michael,” par. 3).

He died in 1995.

What is interesting is that at the end of the book, he describes how the story came to him. It goes like this that once when he was travelling on the train on a long journey he got to share a compartment with a strange man of an indeterminate age. This man then proceded to tell him this long story about Momo and the time stealing Men in Grey. At the end he finished by saying:
"I have told you everything as if it had already happened. I could just aswell have told it to you as if it was only going to happen in the future. To me that is not such a big difference".
At the next station the man got off, never to be seen by the author again.

The reader is left wondering if that was a story too or ...

Circular time and "we are you in the future" comes to mind.

[NormaRegula]

Facinating stuff! The Wiki page has a couple of interesting paragraphs:

...An article by philosopher David Loy and literature professor Linda Goodhew called Momo "one of the most remarkable novels of the late twentieth century".[2] They further state that: "One of the most amazing things about Momo is that it was published in 1973. Since then, the temporal nightmare it depicts has become our reality."

And this is curious:

...When the book was published in the U.S. in 1985, Natalie Babbit from the Washington Post commented: "Is it a children's book? Not here in America."[5] Momo has not been reprinted in the U.S. after its first run in 1985 and thus has been deemed a "lost book" for Americans.[6]

Amazon currently has 20 copies of the Puffin Books 1992 softcover edition for sale. The cover illustration shows Momo with the turtle Cassiopea.

_http://www.amazon.com/Momo-Puffin-Books-Michael-Ende/dp/0140317538/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_2

There was also an Italian/German film of the same title made in 1986. Michael Ende had a small part in the production, and more say in how it was adapted to the screen...unlike "The Neverending Story" movie of 1984 which the author allegedly wasn't very happy with.

[Aeneas]

Wow, a "lost book" in America!. And not for children  . Not that surprised considering the state of the empire, but still a childrens book. It shows to what lenght the controllers have been going to mould the minds of the American public.
I prefer the book cover that was on the original german book, as Momo in that illustration is not made out to be a cinderally princess type beauty, but just an ordinary person. See: _http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/images/3522119401/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=299956&s=books

The book won the German Youth book price in 1974.

[Iconoclast]

wow, interesting backstory on how he got the concept for the book, Aeneas!

[Kitu]

I read 'Momo' several years ago and I highly recommend it to anyone. Of course, you could relate it to some of the concepts described by the Cs, but moreover I just saw it as a beautiful story that acts as a warning. One of the key things to me is that people are influenced here by the "men in grey" to sell themselves for future reward. I'm not as familiar with the Cs work as many of you are, but I seem to remember anticipation of reward being brought up as STS.
When I read it I certainly felt that it reflected the world I live in and the sadness I sometimes feel at people who say they never have the time. I think that if you really care about someone or something you make the time, but maybe I'm wrong. I think many people get caught up in the lies and promises of future benefit and believe it's the right thing to do to sacrifice your present life and in the process potentially sacrifice the most important things like relationships. Momo, the little girl, is a real heroine. But I won't tell you any more. Read the book for yourselves!

"I have told you everything as if it had already happened. I could just as well have told it to you as if it was only going to happen in the future. To me that is not such a big difference".
At the next station the man got off, never to be seen by the author again.

Yes, I remember reading this part at the end and getting chills. For me, it further brought the message home. It could happen any time to you or anyone you know.

[Gawan]

I also read Momo almost two years ago and can only admit it has been a beautiful read! It is not only for small readers, but as well for the grown ups .

Here is quote, I found at the time I have been reading it quite telling. (translation mine)

"We must be unknown, nobody should know that we are existing and what we are doing."
"… we need it…we are hungry for it… Ah, you don't know what it is, your time…!
But we do. We do know it and we suck you bone-dry for it… And we need more, more and more … more and more."

[NormaRegula]

I prefer the book cover that was on the original german book, as Momo in that illustration is not made out to be a cinderally princess type beauty, but just an ordinary person.

As do I. Sadly, here in Disney Princess-crazy land, that sort of image sells.

Momo sounds like an amazing story. Cassiopea and creepy, greedy, secretive Greys! And that quote from the Grey Gentlemen. Gives me the shivers.

 Will be ordering this book soon for a young friend.

[Vulcan59]

Managed to get a copy of this book here at the local library and I must say it was fascinating. The allegory of Cassiopeia helping little Momo, "grey men" with the "smell" (from their cigars), the talk about past present and future and so many other things were truly astounding.

Thanks Iconoclast for posting it here and I wonder how I missed this little gem from more than two years ago!!

[nicklebleu]

Crazy world ...

I remember receiving that book at least twice in my childhood (I grew up speaking German at home .. amongst other), but actually have never read it. No idea why, as I always have been a voracious reader. It's one of these books that seem to accompany you, or cross your tracks and just WANTS to be read. Had that happen to me with a few other books as well ...

Guess I'm going to read it now ... 

[Leo40]

This is just anecdotal but interesting because of the "coincidental" nature.
After reading this thread and reading MOMO in German I spoke with a friend
in Germany asking him if he knew this book. He answered: No, but followed
by mentioning that he had known Michael Ende personally.
My friend is an art historian and was curator of a gallery in Mannheim where
he supervised an exhibition of Edgar Ende's work. Edgar is Michaels father
who was a surrealistic painter.
There is another book by M. Ende called: "Der Spiegel im Spiegel" which
has illustrations by M.'s father.
fwiw.

[luc]

Sorry for bringing this thread up again, but I just finished reading "Momo" (in German) and must say I'm totally amazed and cried tears (I saw the movie when I was a child and was fascinated then...)!

Btw, it seems that it will be available again in English soon (at least on amazon.de and amzon.fr).

Anyway, this book is packed with most interesting concepts and I recommend it to everyone - young and old. Just to mention a few things:

- The men in grey struck me as an outstanding allegory to the control system, and more specifically psychopathy and 4D reality. They live among men but are not seen, because they are forgotten immediately after an encounter; they steal soul energy in the form of time... Modern civilisation is presented as their creation... I also thought about what Laura wrote about in Wave 8, that we have a surplus of love that goes beyond reproduction and gives us creativity and meaning - that's exactly what Momo and her friends in the book are doing and what the men in grey are after...

- Momo "listens to the music of the stars" - a hint to channeling?

- The turtle "Cassiopeia" that guides Momo with letters on her back -  the turtle can see 30 minutes in the future, but is still unable to predict what exactly will happen. Momo describes her following Cassiopeia: "I never thought that one can walk so slow and yet move so fast..."

- The whole concept of an "administrator of time" who gives each human his time/soul energy, yet the humans choose to give it away thus nurturing the men in grey...

- The concept of "star hours" where extraordinary things can be achieved, yet the humans usually let them pass by...

And so much more!

Let me add that it can serve well as a basis for the discussion of concepts that people usually don't open their minds to easily - the fact that it is a well-known and acclaimed bestseller helps as well.

[Eric]

I have this book also read it many years ago, I think I'll start reading it again.. since I can't remember much of it.

[Zadius Sky]

Sorry for bringing this thread up again, but I just finished reading "Momo" (in German) and must say I'm totally amazed and cried tears (I saw the movie when I was a child and was fascinated then...)!

Thanks, luc, for bringing this up in the "The Neverending Story" thread earlier. I have managed to purchase Momo in the local used bookstore for a bux (a 1985 edition) and just finished reading it. I have to say, I am very intrigued and astonished.

It sure has fascinating concepts that resonated in similarities with the C's and Laura's work.

- The men in grey struck me as an outstanding allegory to the control system, and more specifically psychopathy and 4D reality. They live among men but are not seen, because they are forgotten immediately after an encounter; they steal soul energy in the form of time... Modern civilisation is presented as their creation... I also thought about what Laura wrote about in Wave 8, that we have a surplus of love that goes beyond reproduction and gives us creativity and meaning - that's exactly what Momo and her friends in the book are doing and what the men in grey are after...

Indeed.

At first, in the process of reading, I was wondering why would they be smoking cigars (to which 4D STS are against), then I realized that cigars smoking are similar to time-consuming ("burning time") - plus, cigars were made from the dried petals of lilies, which represent time, not tobacco.

Spoiler | It is interesting how one can defeat those Men in Grey (or M.I.G.). Professor Hora went to sleep, which made the time stood still, which in effect made the MIG to lose their "power" and they had run to their "storage" (Time Saving Bank) where they kept all the "time" stole from the humans to use. But, Momo got there in "time" to release the stolen times from captivity and returned to the people. The MIG has vanished.

This made me think about how we are "storing" our money (energy) in the bank for their own uses while falsely thinking they were for our uses.

Plus, the people were "taken in" by the lies told by the MIG in order for them to "save" their time by "storing" in the bank; in other words, these people (so-called "timesavers") have to work harder, save time, but using time for other things (like creativity, story-telling, play, etc.) is considered to be a "waste" of time. Once one worked hard and fast, always in a "rush," sticking to schedules (rigidity), so on, one will forget how to be "happy," how to be "real."

That brought me back to a quote in Keith's The Vegetarian Myth where she wrote:

And then there's the endless effort. The average hunter-gatherer works seventeen hours a week, which leaves plenty of time for creative endeavors, spiritual concerns, gossiping, and the all-important nap. Agriculturalists work from dawn to dusk and then some, and even in modern America, which all our hallowed technology, the average US citizen works over forty hours a week, which doesn't even include life maintenance tasks...like cooking, cleaning, and child-rearing. Beastly indeed. Why did humans do it?

Seeing these people in the city overworking themselves, just to "save time" - they were taken in by a lie, which has drained them (robbing them, to be precise). Then, there was a "regulation" to keep children off the street and keeping them in "Child Depot" places (the purpose was to keep the children away from Momo - children, as it was said, was hardest to "convince"), so they would do things as according to the instructors' orders - things that has no real value to their beings but only for "educational purposes." They were becoming like machines.

What's also interesting was that once Momo discovered the truth about MIG - she told the children and the children spent their time trying to get every adults to amphitheater for a meeting, so they would hear the truth about MIG. As Guido said to the children: "As you're now aware, the men in grey depend for their power on being able to work unrecognized and in secret. It follows that the simplest and most effective way of rendering them harmless is to broadcast the truth about them" (p. 98). As it turned out, it failed because the MIG distracted the adults (by making them work harder, save more time, etc.), so they would not attend the meeting.

- The turtle "Cassiopeia" that guides Momo with letters on her back -  the turtle can see 30 minutes in the future, but is still unable to predict what exactly will happen. Momo describes her following Cassiopeia: "I never thought that one can walk so slow and yet move so fast..."

What made me smile about the turtle is the words being "spelled out" just as the Cs did with the board. I was half-expecting to see "wait and see" being spelled out in this book. 

Like others, I too recommend it to anyone: the children and the adults alike.