Literature: Pegah Ferydoni: Many fairy tales are mainly about men

Actress Pegah Ferydoni misses strong girls and women in many fairy tale books. “This is a big topic. Fairy tales and classic adventure fabrics often focus on male heroic figures. Women are either pushed into passive roles or reduced to stereotypes-the princess who has to be saved, or the evil witch,” said the 41-year-old in Berlin an interview by the German Press Agency.

Ferydoni has read the novel “Morgan is my name” by Sophie Keetch as an audio book for the streaming provider Audible, the plot takes place in the vicinity of the Arthurian saga, says from a female perspective. “The exciting thing about” Morgan is my name “is that we not only see Morgan here as a opponent, but as a complex, contradictory and strong figure that acts actively and not only reacts,” she says about the book. “Such perspectives are important to show girls and women that they do not have to be statistics in a male -dominated story. They can and should tell their own history.”

What was her most important female figure in a fairy tale or youth novel as a child? “As a child of the 80s, I can actually remember no female heroine with whom I could have identified myself,” replied the actress and spokeswoman. “There were hardly any figures that were complex or inspiring enough to really captivate me.”

Later, as a teenager, she fascinated “Sophie’s world” by Jostein Gaarder, said Ferydoni. “This story aroused my interest in philosophy and showed me that it is possible to ask big questions and to question the world around me. Sophie was not a classic heroine, but she spoke about something in me – the curiosity, the need to understand things. ” That was formative for them.

According to Ferydonis, the greatest obstacles to equality between men and women are “the structural inequalities that are still deeply rooted in our society: wage gaps, invisible barriers that prevent women from reaching management positions, stereotypical role models”.

The Trump era is certainly a symptom for larger global currents that try to strengthen conservative, patriarchal values. “We are not allowed to deceive ourselves – the step backwards have long been there. But at the same time there are also strong counter -movements: courageous women and initiatives that fight against it. That makes hope.”