Once upon a time… there was a gay prince. These and other stories ensured that Viktor Orbán’s right-wing Hungarian government called for a boycott of the various children’s book “Fairytale Land for All”, had it labeled with a warning, banned it from bookstore windows – and loudly against an alleged “gay propaganda ” railed.
Protests rained down – and international solidarity with the authors of the book. The star therefore decided to bring the “Fairytale Land for All” onto the German-speaking market last year, and it was a success. Not only did the fairy tale book become a bestseller in Hungary and Germany, it was also included in the “White Ravens” catalog in 2021, a list that highlights 200 high-quality international children’s and young adult books. And the “fairytale land for everyone” found a number of prominent advocates.
“Reading a fairy tale in which two princes fall in love would have given me a lot of courage as a child,” says entertainer Riccardo Simonetti, for example. Comedienne Carolin Kebekus says: “A princess who can do more than be beautiful and just wait to be rescued by a prince, but get herself out of her mess – I’ve been waiting for this for a very long time!” Fashion designer Guido Maria Kretschmer is also enthusiastic about “fairytale land” for everyone: “The best start to a self-determined and happy life is when you grow up with love and tolerance. Everyone can be anything and become anything. We must not forget that everything is possible, like in a fairy tale.”
Now The Audio Verlag from Berlin is putting “Fairytale Land for Everyone” on the market as an audio book – spoken by top-class voices. Among others, actor Christoph Maria Herbst and colleague Annette Frier read the 17 modern, inclusive and diverse fairy tales. In addition to a gay prince, they are about a rabbit with three ears, Cinderella’s alcoholic father, or a freedom-loving king’s daughter who wants to have adventures instead of just getting married.
“Vivid stories encourage children and parents to campaign for more diversity, equality and against deadlocked role models and promote self-confidence and open-mindedness,” writes Der Audio Verlag in its announcement of the “Märchenland für alle” edition on CD.
The audio book “Märchenland für alle” will be released on April 20, 2023. The MP3 CD is available for 18 euros in well-stocked book and record stores and here. The printed book (180 pages) is available for 16.95 euros in the stern shop and in stores. For every issue sold, the Stern Foundation donates one euro to diversity projects.