Message-ID: <815@topaz.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 27-Feb-85 19:20:15 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.815
Posted: Wed Feb 27 19:20:15 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 1-Mar-85 08:14:32 EST
Sender: daemon@topaz.ARPA
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 38

From: 

Earlier this month, pduff inquired about the hero of the universe,
Perry Rhodan. I'd like to submit my own questions on this matter.

Are many of the books in the series independent of the German
stories (novellettes or novellas)? 
How do the translated texts compare?
How popular was Perry Rhodan outside of Germany?
Is the series still popular in Germany?

About 14 years ago*, I picked up some Perry Rhodan pulps, namely:
     #373...In der Todeszone...by Hans Kneifel
     #374...Die Macht des Sepulveda...by H.G.Ewers
     #375...Verschwoerung in Andromeda...by H.G.Ewers

My German was never good enough to get through them. As rusty as it is
today, allow me to present and try to translate some of the pithy sayings 
that PR fans came up with. A slogan would be inserted in each
issue. 

   "Perry-Rhodan-Romane lesen,            (Read PR books 
    und schon in der Zukunft gewesen."     and already be in the future.)

   "Von Terra bis zum fernsten Stern --   (From Earth to the furthest star
    Perry-Rhodan-Leser folgen gern!"       PR readers follow on!)

   "Sterne vergehn -- Sonnen entstehn,    (Stars leave (?) -- suns remain,
    Perry Rhodan wird nie untergehn."      PR will never succumb.)

*My pulps were published in '68. I picked 'em up in Alpine Village, a Ger-
man-theme shopping center in Torrance, CA (L.A. County).

                                           
                                   THE_One and only
                                       Armyland
                                (a suburb of Pentagonia)    
------

Message-ID: <889@topaz.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 6-Mar-85 06:30:12 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.889
Posted: Wed Mar  6 06:30:12 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 7-Mar-85 04:42:21 EST
Sender: daemon@topaz.ARPA
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 43

From: boyajian%akov68.DEC@decwrl.ARPA

> From: 

> Earlier this month, pduff inquired about the hero of the universe,
> Perry Rhodan. I'd like to submit my own questions on this matter.
>
> Are many of the books in the series independent of the German
> stories (novellettes or novellas)?

Nope. All of the books that appeared in the US are translations of
the original German stories.

> How do the translated texts compare?

Don't know. I couldn't stomach my way through them. I have a dozen
or so German originals, but I've never had the time to try to read
them; Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch, but not fluently enough to
be able to breeze through the Rhodans. I'm sure that they aren't
worth the time and effort required, if the English translations are
anything to go by.

> How popular was Perry Rhodan outside of Germany?

If you can believe the hype, Rhodan is very popular throughout
Europe. It was certainly popular enough in the US to go well over
a hundred books. The only other paperback series that I can think
of that have gone that long are the Doc Savage and Nick Carter
series (Nick Carter is almost up to 200).

> Is the series still popular in Germany?

As far as I know. They're still publishing. And on a weekly basis.
It's my guess that they're rapidly approaching 1200 issues by now.


--- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, Maynard, MA)

UUCP:	{decvax|ihnp4|allegra|ucbvax|...}
	!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-akov68!boyajian
ARPA:	boyajian%akov68.DEC@DECWRL.ARPA

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