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Tanya Grotter () is the protagonist of a Russian fantasy novel series written by Dmitri Yemets. The first book of the series, Tanya Grotter and the Magical Double Bass, was first published on January 1, 2002. Tanya (short for Tatiana) Grotter is an orphan with intentional resemblances to J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter character. Despite its reputation in Russia and the many books it has spawned, the series is not available in English translation because the first book was judged a breach of copyright.

Content

The central character and plot elements of the first novel, Tanya Grotter and the Magical Double Bass, are a humorous parody of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone transposed into a Russian setting. Tanya Grotter has an unusual birthmark on her nose, magical powers, an upbringing by "Lopukhoid" (equivalent to Muggle) relatives after her parents were killed by an evil sorceress Chuma-del-Tort (the official translation of Voldemort's name in Russian was 'Volan-de-Mort'), and goes to study at the Tibidokhs (Тибидохс) School for Behaviorally-Challenged Young Witches and Wizards. Tanya's foster-family, the Durnevs, live in an urban apartment block, and Tanya is forced to sleep not in a cupboard but in the apartment's loggia.

Yemets described the books as "a cultural reply" to the Potter series, and they feature allusion to Russian culture and folklore such as Baba Yaga, Having failed to obtain a cease and desist order in Russia, Rowling and Time Warner targeted publication in the Netherlands, where first translations of international editions are commonly published.

Subsequent history

In 2003, after the first five books, the total circulation of Tanya Grotter books reached one million. Ian Dooley, in his review from Princeton University, points out that perhaps by reading Tanya Grotter readers can decide for themselves "whether or not the series is a parody or a piracy".

In 2006, Yemets' books featured in the 10 best children's books of 2006 in a reader's poll at the Pushkin Central Children's Library, Saint Petersburg. In July 2006, his Tanya Grotter and the Pearl Ring was the highest-selling children's book in Russia (his Methodius Buslaev: Vengeance of the Valkyries was No. 10, while J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ranked No. 2 and No. 6.

In spite of the lawsuits blocking the translation of the series into English, there are English translations for sale in the United States. The ADHD Book Club Podcast on November 28, 2023, aired an episode on Instagram discussing the first book of this series. It featured a partial reading by Snoop Dogg.

Titles

From the Tanya Grotter official site:

  1. Tanya Grotter and the Magical Double Bass (Таня Гроттер и магический контрабас)
  2. Tanya Grotter and the Disappearing Floor (Таня Гроттер и исчезающий этаж)
  3. Tanya Grotter and the Golden Leech (Таня Гроттер и Золотая Пиявка)
  4. Tanya Grotter and the Throne of Drevnir (Таня Гроттер и трон Древнира)
  5. Tanya Grotter and the Pikestaff of the Magi (Таня Гроттер и посох волхвов)
  6. Tanya Grotter and the Hammer of Perun (Таня Гроттер и молот Перуна)
  7. Tanya Grotter and the Pince-nez of Noah (Таня Гроттер и пенсне Ноя)
  8. Tanya Grotter and the Boots of the Centaur (Таня Гроттер и ботинки кентавра)
  9. Tanya Grotter and the Well of Poseidon (Таня Гроттер и колодец Посейдона)
  10. Tanya Grotter and the Curl of Aphrodite (Таня Гроттер и локон Афродиты)
  11. Tanya Grotter and the Pearl Ring (Таня Гроттер и перстень с жемчужиной)
  12. Tanya Grotter and the Curse of the Necromage (Таня Гроттер и проклятье некромага)
  13. Tanya Grotter and the Garrulous Sphinx (Таня Гроттер и болтливый сфинкс)
  14. Tanya Grotter and the bird of Titans (Таня Гроттер и птица титанов)

Spinoff titles:

  1. Tanya Grotter and the Complete Tibidox! Phrases, Quotations and Aphorisms (Таня Гроттер и полный Тибидохс! Фразочки, цитатки и афоризмы)
  2. Worlds of Tanya Grotter (Миры Тани Гроттер) - a compilation of fan-written graphic novels

There are several other spin-offs from the Tanya Grotter series. The Methodius Buslaev (Мефодий Буслаев) series, featuring a young male magician, and the Hooligan fantasy (Хулиганское фэнтези) series:

  1. Methodius Buslaev. Magician of Midnight (Мефодий Буслаев. Маг полуночи)
  2. Methodius Buslaev. Roll of Desire (Мефодий Буслаев. Свиток желаний)
  3. Methodius Buslaev. Third Rider of the Gloom (Мефодий Буслаев. Третий всадник мрака)
  4. Methodius Buslaev. Ticket to the Bald Mountain (Мефодий Буслаев. Билет на лысую гору)
  5. Methodius Buslaev. Vengeance of the Valkyries (Мефодий Буслаев. Месть валькирий)
  6. Methodius Buslaev. Depressnyak's Secret Magic (Мефодий Буслаев. Тайная магия Депресcняка)
  7. Methodius Buslaev. Tartarus's Ice and Flame (Мефодий Буслаев. Лед и пламя Тартара)
  8. Methodius Buslaev. The First Eydos (Мефодий Буслаев. Первый Эйдос)
  9. Methodius Buslaev. Wings of Light for the Dark Guard (Мефодий Буслаев. Светлые крылья для тёмного стража)
  10. Methodius Buslaev. Stairway to Eden (Мефодий Буслаев. Лестница в Эдем)
  11. Methodius Buslaev. The map of Chaos (Мефодий Буслаев. Карта Хаоса)
  12. Methodius Buslaev. Dryad's necklace (Мефодий Буслаев. Ожерелье дриады)
  13. Methodius Buslaev. Glass guard (Мефодий Буслаев. Стеклянный страж)
  1. Hooligan fantasy: Great Something (Хулиганское фэнтези: Великое нечто)

Similarities

The Dutch court found the following similarities between Harry Potter and Tanya Grotter: