Pelle Svanslös
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| Author | Gösta Knutsson |
|---|---|
| Country |
 Sweden
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| Language | Swedish |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Published | 1939–1972 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) Audiobook |
Pelle Svanslös (English: Peter-No-Tail) is a fictional anthropomorphic cat created by the Swedish author Gösta Knutsson and a children's book series about him.
The series of twelve children's books based on the character was published between 1939 and 1972. The first eleven books were illustrated by Lucie Lundberg. The books about Pelle are seen as a protest against the ever more overt support seen for national socialism in Sweden during the 1930s, and as such constitute a satire on contemporaneous society. The books have been translated to several European languages.
The stories take place in Uppsala, Sweden. The characters of the books are cats, however, they are often based on real people. Knutsson studied at Uppsala University and was involved with the student societies and Uppsala Student Union, and many of the character are modelled on real-life people from this environment.
Pelle is a kindhearted and gullible cat who is constantly being tricked and bullied by Elaka Måns ("Mean Mike") and his helpers Bill and Bull, who always echo Måns while slightly misunderstanding him. However, good always prevails over evil, and Pelle even gets to experience true love together with Maja Gräddnos ("Maya Cream-nose"). In the first books Pelle is a house cat in the home of the children Olle and Birgitta, but as he grows he enters a relationship with cohabitant Maja in a basement peep-hole.
Unlike the other cats in the series, Pelle has no tail (his name Svanslös "without a tail" reflects this). A large rat bit off Pelle's tail when he was only a few days old. Pelle was born in the countryside, but a family from Uppsala adopted him when he was a kitten. Some of the other cats bully Pelle because his lack of a tail.
In 1949 the Royal Swedish Opera in staged a Children's opera, Pelle Svanslös, with music by Erland von Koch. This production was subsequently presented each following year until 2001. In 1990 the stage production was filmed and shown by Sveriges Television. It featured Mark Bartholdsson as Pelle Svanslös, Iwa Sörenson as Maja Gräddnos and Magnus Lindén as elaka Måns.
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