Cornelia Funke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cornelia Funke
Funke in 2023
Born	(1958-12-10) 10 December 1958 (age 66) Dorsten, West Germany
Occupation	Author
Genre	Adventure, fantasy
Notable works	The Thief Lord, Dragon Rider, Inkheart series
Spouse	Rolf Frahm ​ ​ (m. 1979; died 2006)​
Children	2

Cornelia Funke (born December 10, 1958) is a famous German author who writes amazing books for children and young adults. She was born in Dorsten, Germany. Before becoming a writer, she worked with children and also illustrated books.

Cornelia Funke started writing novels in the late 1980s. She mostly writes fantasy stories about kids facing challenges. She is now Germany's top-selling author for children. Her books have been translated into many languages, and by 2012, she had sold over 20 million copies worldwide!

She became very well-known for her novels The Thief Lord (published in English in 2002) and Dragon Rider (published in English in 2004). Later, her Inkheart series, which includes Inkheart (2003), Inkspell (2005), and Inkdeath (2007), made her even more famous.

Many of her books, like The Thief Lord, Dragon Rider, and Inkheart, have been made into movies. These books also spent many weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. People sometimes call her the "German J. K. Rowling" because of her success. In 2005, Time magazine even named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Early Life and Inspiration

Cornelia's Childhood Dreams

Cornelia Funke was born in 1958 in Dorsten, Germany. Her parents were Karl-Heinz and Helmi Funke. When she was a child, she had big dreams. She wanted to become an astronaut or even a pilot!

From Social Worker to Storyteller

However, she decided to study pedagogy at the University of Hamburg. This is the study of how to teach and educate children. After her studies, Funke worked for three years as a social worker. She helped children who came from difficult backgrounds.

Her time as a social worker was very important. It inspired her to write stories. She saw the kinds of stories that interested the children she worked with. She started illustrating books first, but soon began writing her own tales. She wrote her very first story when she was 28 years old.

Cornelia Funke's Writing Journey

Becoming a German Children's Author

During the late 1980s and 1990s, Cornelia Funke became a well-known writer of children's books in Germany. She wrote several popular series. These included the fantasy series Gespensterjäger (Ghosthunters) and the Wilde Hühner (C.H.I.X.) books.

Breaking into English-Speaking Countries

Her books were not translated into English until 2002. A young girl who spoke both German and English wrote to Barry Cunningham. He was a famous publisher who had published the first Harry Potter book. The girl asked why Funke's books weren't in English yet.

Cunningham then found Cornelia Funke and decided to publish her novels in English. He did this through his new publishing company, The Chicken House.

The Success of The Thief Lord

Funke's first book translated into English was The Thief Lord. It was originally published in Germany in 2000 as Herr der Diebe. The English version came out in 2002 and was a huge success. It appeared on many bestseller lists. Later, in 2006, it was made into a movie.

The Popularity of Dragon Rider

Another early English translation was Dragon Rider. It was first published in Germany in 1997 as Drachenreiter. When it was released in the United States in 2004, it became incredibly popular. It stayed on The New York Times Best Seller list for 78 weeks! It even reached number one on the Children's Best Seller list. A sequel, Dragon Rider: The Griffin's Feather, was published in 2017. A movie based on the book was released in 2020.

The Inkheart Trilogy and Beyond

Funke gained even more fame with Inkheart (2003). This book won the 2004 BookSense Book of the Year Award for Children's Literature. Inkheart was the first book in a trilogy. The story continued with Inkspell (2005), which also won an award in 2006. The trilogy was completed with Inkdeath (2007).

In 2020, Funke announced that she would write a new book for the Inkheart series. This sequel, called Die Farbe der Rache (The Color of Revenge), was published in Germany in October 2021.

Books Becoming Movies

After the first Inkheart novel came out, New Line Cinema bought the rights to make all three books into movies. Cornelia Funke moved to Los Angeles in 2005. She agreed to be a producer for the film, working alongside Barry Mendel.

Filming for the Inkheart movie started in 2006. It was directed by Iain Softley and had a great cast of actors. These included Brendan Fraser, Helen Mirren, Paul Bettany, and Andy Serkis. The movie received mixed reviews when it was released. In 2009, a video game based on the film was released for the Nintendo DS.

In 2010, Cornelia Funke released Reckless, her first book since Inkdeath in 2007. This book was very popular, with 1,000,000 copies printed for the first hardcover edition. Two sequels, Fearless and The Golden Yarn, were released in 2013 and 2016.

Another one of her books, Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost!, was made into a film called Ghosthunters on Icy Trails. It was released in Germany in 2015.

In 2017, Funke published The Book No One Ever Read. This was special because it was the first book she wrote directly in English, instead of writing it in German first. Funke calls this picture book her "Inkheart for kindergartners." She also drew the pictures for the book herself.

Cornelia Funke's Thoughts on Writing

Funke speaking at the 2023 Frankfurt Book Fair

Cornelia Funke shares her thoughts on writing on her website. She believes that a good book always starts with an "idea." She says that ideas "come from everywhere and nowhere." She has so many ideas that she feels she won't be able to write them all down in her lifetime.

When it comes to her characters, Funke explains that "mostly they step into my writing room and are so much alive." She sometimes wonders where they came from. She mentions that Dustfinger from Inkheart was one of the most vivid characters she ever imagined.

For young people who want to become authors, Funke gives great advice: "Read – and be curious." She also adds, "And if somebody says to you: 'Things are this way. You can't change it' – don't believe a word." This shows her belief in imagination and challenging ideas.

Her early work as a social worker has influenced the themes in her books. In The Thief Lord, she shows children in tough situations. But she also shows that they are still children with their own strengths. She celebrates children for who they are, not just for how they might act like adults. In her picture book, The Book No One Ever Read, she begins with a lovely idea: "Every book longs to tell its story."

Personal Life

Family and Homes

Cornelia Funke married Rolf Frahm, a printer, in 1979. They had two children: a daughter named Anna, born in 1989, and a son named Ben, born in 1994. The family lived in Hamburg, Germany, for 24 years. In May 2005, they moved to Los Angeles, USA. Sadly, her husband Rolf passed away from cancer in March 2006. In 2021, Cornelia Funke moved from the United States to Tuscany, Italy.

Helping Others

Cornelia Funke is also involved in charity work. Since February 2010, she has been the official supporter of the children's hospice Bethel. This hospice helps children who are very ill. Since 2012, she has been one of the German ambassadors for the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity. This program aims to protect the variety of life on Earth. Since 2013, she has also been a supporter of Ecologia Youth Trust. This charity helps children and young people around the world who are in need.

Awards and Recognition

Cornelia Funke has won many awards for her wonderful books. Here are some of them:

Books by Cornelia Funke

Dragon Rider Series

• Dragon Rider (1997, English release 2004)
• Dragon Rider: The Griffin's Feather (2017)
• Dragon Rider: The Aurelia Curse (2021)

MirrorWorld Series

• Reckless (2010)
• Fearless (2013)
• The Golden Yarn (2016)
• The Silver Tracks (2021)

Inkheart Series

• Inkheart (2003, English release 2005)
• Inkspell (2005, English release 2005)
• Inkdeath (2008, English release 2008)
• The Colour of Revenge (2024)

Ghosthunters Series

• Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost (First Edition 1993, English version 2007)
• Ghosthunters and the Gruesome Invincible Lightning Ghost (First Edition 1994, English version 2007)
• Ghosthunters and the Totally Moldy Baroness! (First Edition 1995, English version 2007)
• Ghosthunters and the Muddy Monster of Doom! (First Edition 2001, English version 2007)

C.H.I.X. Series

• Die Wilden Hühner (1993) – The Summer Gang (C.H.I.X. – Book 1)
• Die Wilden Hühner auf Klassenfahrt (1995) – The New Girl (C.H.I.X. – Book 2)
• Die Wilden Hühner – Fuchsalarm (1998)
• Die Wilden Hühner und das Glück der Erde (2000)
• Die Wilden Hühner und die Liebe (2003)
• Die Wilden Hühner – gestohlene Geheimnisse CD-ROM (2004)
• Die Wilden Hühner und das Leben (2007, written by Thomas Schmidt but including the characters from former Die Wilden Hühner books)

Picture Books

• The Princess Knight (2003)
• Pirate Girl (2005)
• The Wildest Brother (2006)
• Princess Pigsty (2007)
• The Pirate Pig (2015)
• Emma and the Blue Genie (2015)
• The Book No One Ever Read (2017)

See also

In Spanish: Cornelia Funke para niños