Mirror in the Mirror


Mirror in the Mirror: A Labyrinth is a collection of short stories by Michael Ende originally published in German 1984 with the title Der Spiegel im Spiegel. All stories in the book have their own protagonists, but are related to each other by the use of literary leitmotivs. None of the stories has its own title.
Ende wrote the 30 short stories - according to the dedication at the beginning of the book - for his father Edgar Ende, whose artistic work inspired the short stories.

Themes and motives

The main motive of the collection is the question "What is reflected in a mirror which is reflected in a mirror?" Ende does not provide a clear answer to this question during the course of the book. In a letter, he stated that he intended the title to be taken as a metaphor for the relationship between reader and the book:
Recurring motives are the question about the purpose of life, a constant waiting for something which is never to happen, a search for freedom and the criticism of an inhuman society. Most of the stories do not allow for a clear interpretation; instead, as Ende himself stated:

Content

  • "Forgive me, I Cannot Speak any Louder"
  • "Under Expert Instructions, the Son Had..."
  • "The Garret is Sky Blue"
  • "The Station’s Cathedral was Built on a Large Clod of Earth"
  • "Heavy Black Cloth"
  • "The Lady Pushed aside the Curtain of her Carriage Window"
  • "The Witness States that he Had been on a Meadow by Night"
  • "In the Courtroom, Among the Spectators Sat the Marble Pale Angel"
  • "Dark as a Moor is the Mother's Face"
  • "Slow As a Planet turns, the Great Round Table is Turning"
  • "The Inside of a Face with Closed Eyes, Nothing Else"
  • "The Bridge that We Built since many Centuries"
  • "It is a Room and also a Desert"
  • "The Wedding Guests were Dancing Flames"
  • "An Ice Skater was Gliding across the Wide, Grey Surface of the Sky"
  • "This Army Contains only Letters"
  • "In Principle, this was about Sheep"
  • "Man and Wife Want to Visit an Exhibition"
  • "The Young Doctor Got Permission..."
  • "After the Office Hours"
  • "The Brothel Palace on Top of the Hill was Illuminated in this Night"
  • "The World Traveller Decided on his Journey"
  • "This Evening the Old Sailor Couldn't Bear the Constant Wind any Longer"
  • "Beneath a Black Sky lies an Inhabitable Country"
  • "Hand in Hand, Two Walk down a Street"
  • "In the Classroom it Rains Constantly"
  • "In the Actors' Hallway we Met a Few Hundred People Waiting"
  • "Fire Was Opened Once More"
  • "A Circus is Burning"
  • "A Winter’s Evening"

    Reception

Mirror in the Mirror was translated into 13 languages and was made into an audiobook.

Adaptations

  • Cathedrals, short documentary directed by Konrad Kästner, based on short story "The Station's Cathedral was Built on a Large Clod of Earth"