Abstract:

This essay presents the results of an international joint research in the field of literature for children and young adults in Europe. The aim of the research was to find out how literature reflected the political change in Europe after 1989. Researchers from 10 countries participated in the research initiated by Ernst Seibert from the University of Vienna.

This contribution offers an analysis of trends in the literature for children and young adults in different countries in Europe – primarily in countries in Central Europe - and will focus on Hungarian and German Literature. Authors from both countries take different ways. Hungarian authors prefer tales to express criticism. But there are some recently translated books about changing life and about some important topics of the history after 1945. In the German literature for young people you can find a lot of books primarily by authors who were born in East Germany. They criticise the former East Germany and give a realistic description of the mechanisms of the its political system.

Keywords:

Europe, literature for children and young adults, trends, political change.