Momo
(fantasy novel) by Michael Ende (1973)
"There are riches that will cause one to perish if one cannot share them with others."
Momo is probably the best listener of all time.
One day, little Momo, shoeless and in tattered clothing, appears in the ruins of an old amphitheatre. Despite not knowing who she is or where she comes from, the townspeople take a liking to her. The children are especially happy to have her there, as no one listens as wonderfully as she does. Momo is therefore the only one who can obstruct the Men in Grey. These men purport to want to give people the gift of time—in reality, however, their plan is to steal it. As Momo always lives completely in the moment, fully interested in those around her, the men have no power over her.
Momo is a child who is independent and does not submit to the adult world. She resists the tricks of mouse-grey time thieves—and prompts people reflect on their time.
* Ende, M., Momo, Stuttgart 1973.
