Romane über wilde Kinder

Modern Fiction

Feral children are still a recurrent theme in modern fiction. Knowledge of Angels, by Jill Paton Walsh examines in depth the moral problems that feral children raise when they re-enter human societies. The newly-published novel Wild Boy, by Jill Dawson is a fictionalised account of the true story of Victor of Aveyron, and the attempts by Itard and Madame Guérin to "humanise" him.

Children of the Wolf by Jane Yolen is based on Amala and Kamala, who were found in a wolf's den in Midnapore, India in the 1920s, and brought to a local orphanage.

The Incunabular Ape-Man Writings

A forthcoming treat for lovers of classic fiction is The Incunabular Ape-Man Writings from The Battered Silicon Dispatch Box (possible ISBN 155246458X). Section IV, Robinson Crusoe's Heirs: Shipwrecked and feral includes reprints of Kipling and many others, and the work has additional forwards etc by Drs Stableford (Critical Threshold), Candland (Feral Children and Clever Animals) and Dodds.

Morality for Beautiful Girls

Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith, the third book in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series of novels, features a feral child who had lived with lions. Mma Ramotswe makes a wise decision, sparing him the fate of many real-life feral children.