- "The Timeless Children's Tale in Erzgebirgish Version of 'The Panty School'"
For a century, "The Hare's School" has been a source of joy for both young and old, and soon, it will be available in Erzgebirge dialect. The rhymes penned by Albert Sixtus in Kirchberg near Zwickau have been translated by dialect poet Uwe Seltmann. "Hosenhans and Hosengretel/ skip merrily through the fields./ At six in the morning, it's bright./ Laughing through the meadows, they play", is how the tale is told.
This was made possible by the EU strategy Leader-Region Zwickau Land, which issued a tender for translation in the spring and funded the first 500 copies. These copies will be distributed to associations, kindergartens, and libraries. It's reported that eight applicants vied for the tender.
"De Hosenschul" is also available in Hessian, Swabian, Kölsch, and Franconian dialects.
The book was published by Edition Tintenfaß. Although its roots are in Saxony, "The Hare's School" is not its first dialect version. Versions in other dialects, such as Hessian, Swabian, Kölsch, and Franconian, already exist.
The official presentation of the book is scheduled for the beginning of October in Kirchberg. Anja Roocke, initiator of the local Kulturinsel, is more than pleased with the result. She told the German Press Agency that she's glad many beautiful Erzgebirge words like Lumich and Kriepel are featured in the text.
Sixtus (1892-1960) wrote the verses in 1922 while living and working as a teacher in Kirchberg. Illustrated by Fritz Koch-Gotha, they were published as a book in late summer 1924, according to Thienemann-Esslinger Verlag, selling over 2.5 million copies in various editions since then.
In recent years, efforts have been made in Kirchberg to honor Sixtus and "The Hare's School" with exhibitions, a plaque at his former residence, and a street. At the local primary school, the book is a staple for first-graders, fostering a love of reading.
In the future, the Albert Sixtus Archive, under the care of his great-nephew Ulrich Knebel in Kottmar (district of Görlitz), is set to find a new home in the city on loan.
The official book presentation will take place at the heart of this inspiration, in [The Kirchberg]. Anja Roocke, a key figure in the local Kulturinsel, expresses her delight at the inclusion of several distinctive Erzgebirge words, such as Lumich and Kriepel, in the text.
After its initial publication in Saxony, "The Hare's School" has also been adapted into various dialect versions, including one that will be available in [The Kirchberg]'s native Erzgebirge dialect.
