Ellis Kaut facts for kids

Elisabeth "Ellis" Kaut (born November 17, 1920 – died September 24, 2015) was a German author who wrote many books for children. She is most famous for creating a beloved character named Pumuckl. Pumuckl is a playful imp who appeared in popular radio plays and TV series. Ellis Kaut also wrote short novels and illustrated some of her own books.

Life of Ellis Kaut

Ellis Kaut was born in Stuttgart, Germany. When she was two years old, her family moved to Munich. In 1938, at age 18, Kaut was chosen as the first official Münchner Kindl for that year. The Münchner Kindl is a symbol of the city of Munich.

In 1939, she married author Kurt Preis. They continued to live in Munich and had a daughter named Ursula in March 1945. Ellis Kaut trained to be an actor and also studied sculpting. From 1948, she worked as a freelance author, meaning she worked for herself and was not employed by one company. She also had some speaking roles in radio plays during the 1950s and 1960s.

Kaut helped supervise children's programmes at Bayerischer Rundfunk, a German public broadcasting company. She was also active as a painter and photographer. In an interview from 2010, Kaut shared that writing was always hard work for her.

Ellis Kaut's husband passed away in 1991. She lived in the district of Pasing in Munich for many years. On September 24, 2015, Ellis Kaut died at the age of 94 in a nursing home near Fürstenfeldbruck. She had been ill for a long time.

Awards and Honors

Ellis Kaut received many awards for her work:

• 1938: First official Münchner Kindl
• 1955: Bayerischer Hörspielpreis (Bavarian Radio Play Award)
• 1971: Schwabinger Kunstpreis (Schwabing Art Prize)
• 1980: Cross of Merit 1st Class of Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany)
• 1980: Medal, München leuchtet (Munich Shines Medal)
• 1984: Ernst-Hoferichter-Preis
• 1985: Bayerischer Verdienstorden (Bavarian Order of Merit)
• 1992: Bayerischer Poetentaler (Bavarian Poet's Thaler)
• 1999: Oberbayerischer Kulturpreis (Upper Bavarian Culture Prize)
• 2001: Pro meritis scientiae et litterarum (For Merits in Science and Literature)
• 2002: Bayerische Verfassungsmedaille in silver (Bavarian Constitutional Medal in Silver)

• Works by and about Ellis Kaut in the German National Library catalogue

See also

In Spanish: Ellis Kaut para niños