Eight bilingual (German-English) novels for young readers, co-authored with Dietmar Rösler and published by Rowohlt rotfuchs. The first, I like you – und du?, was originally published in 1983 and had reached its 34th edition by 2020, with total sales of around 311,000 copies.
The books are genuinely interlingual, with the two languages mixed throughout. The protagonists understand each other’s language but prefer to speak their own. As a result, the dialogue switches between German and English, and the characters also think in their respective languages. The language of the narration shifts, too, depending on which character is in focus at any given moment, creating code-switching at the narrative level as well, and a thoroughly interlingual text. An excerpt from It could be worse – oder? (1984, 41) shows how this works in practice:
Paddy noticed a bus stop nearby. “Do you know the best way to kill yourself in Ireland?”, he asked Karin.
“Nein.”
“Just lie down in front of a bus stop. You’ll either die of boredom or else you’ll starve to death.”
“Ha, ha“, sagte Karin lustlos. Sie standen jetzt eineinhalb Stunden da. Paddy saw how Karin’s mood was getting worse. Then it started to rain.
Emer O’Sullivan/Dietmar Rösler: I like you – und du? Reinbek: rowohlt 1983.
Emer O’Sullivan/Dietmar Rösler:It could be worse – oder? Reinbek: rowohlt 1984.
Emer O’Sullivan/Dietmar Rösler: Mensch, be careful! Reinbek: rowohlt 1986.
Emer O’Sullivan/Dietmar Rösler: Butler & Graf. Ein deutsch-englischer Krimi. Reinbek: rowohlt 1988.
Emer O’Sullivan/Dietmar Rösler: Butler, Graf & Friends: Nur ein Spiel? Ein deutsch-englischer Krimi. Reinbek: rowohlt 1990.
Emer O’Sullivan/Dietmar Rösler: Butler, Graf & Friends: Umwege. Ein deutsch-englischer Krimi. Reinbek: rowohlt 1993.
Emer O’Sullivan/Dietmar Rösler: Watch out – da sind sie. Ein deutsch-englischer Kinderkrimi Reinbek: rowohlt 2005.