Pelle Svanslös
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Author | Gösta Knutsson |
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Country | ![]() |
Language | Swedish |
Genre | Children's literature |
Published | 1939–1972 |
Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) Audiobook |
Pelle Svanslös (English: Peter-No-Tail (film version) or Pelle No-Tail (book version)) is a fictional
In 1937 Pelle Svanslös first appeared in a radio series, which was broadcast from a small studio in the university building in Uppsala.[1]
A series of twelve children's books based on the character was published between 1939 and 1972. The first eleven books were illustrated by Lucie Lundberg. The books about Pelle are seen as a protest against the ever more overt support seen for Nazism in Sweden during the 1930s, and as such constitute a satire on contemporaneous society. The books have been translated to several European languages.
Characters and story
The stories take place in Uppsala, Sweden. The characters of the books are cats; however, they are often based on real people. Knutsson studied at Uppsala University and was involved with the student societies Stockholms nation and Uppsala Student Union, and many of the characters are modelled on real-life people from this environment.[2]
Pelle is a kindhearted and gullible cat who is constantly being tricked and bullied by Elaka Måns ("Mean Mike") and his dim-witted helpers Bill and Bull, who always echo Måns while slightly misunderstanding him, adding comic relief. However, good always prevails over evil, and Pelle even gets to experience true love together with Maja Gräddnos ("Maya Cream-nose"). In the first books Pelle is a house cat in the home of the children Olle and Birgitta, but as he grows he enters a relationship with cohabitant Maja in a basement peep-hole. After a while, the book series become more and more anthropomorphized, with less and less mention of the human world around Pelle.
Unlike the other cats in the series, Pelle has no tail (his name Svanslös "without a tail" reflects this). A large rat bit off Pelle's tail when he was only a few days old. Pelle was born in the countryside, but a family from Uppsala adopted him when he was a kitten. Some of the other cats bully Pelle because his embarrassing lack of a tail. In Mean Mike's eyes, Pelle is a bit of a snob and a weakling.
Book series
- Pelle Svanslös på äventyr (1939); English: The adventures of Pelle No-Tail
- Pelle Svanslös på nya äventyr (1940); English: Further adventures of Pelle No-Tail
- Pelle Svanslös i Amerika (1941)
- Pelle Svanslös Klarar sig (1942); English: Pelle No-Tail pulls through
- Hur ska det gå för Pelle Svanslös? (1943)
- Pelle Svanslös och Taxen Max (1944)
- Pelle Svanslös i skolan (1945)
- Heja Pelle Svanslös (1946)
- Pelle Svanslös och Maja Gräddnos (1947)
- Trillingarna Svanslös (1948)
- Alla tiders Pelle Svanslös (1951)
- Pelle Svanslös ger sig inte (1972)
Adaptations
In 1949 the
The series has been adapted for film multiple times. In 1981 the feature
A new 2D animated feature-length film musical will be released by SF Studios in January 2020, with the art style largely based on the 1980s films.
Eponymous asteroids
An asteroid that was discovered in March 1993 is eponymously named
See also
- Peter-No-Tail (1981 film)
- Peter-No-Tail in Americat
- Peter-No-Tail (1997 TV series)
- Peter-No-Tail and the Great Treasure Hunt
References
- ^ Johanna Wassholm. "I Pelle Svanslös värld" (in Swedish).
- ^ Sevelin, A.R., "Verklighetens Pelle Svanslös" Archived 2013-11-12 at the Wayback Machine, Holmensis: Stockholms Nations Tidning no.4/2011, pp. 16–18, accessed 16 May 2012.