Holly-Jane Rahlens facts for kids
Holly-Jane Rahlens (born in 1950) is an American writer, journalist, and entertainer. She lives in Berlin, Germany. She is famous for her personal stories shared on German radio in the 1990s. She also performed these stories on stage.
Holly-Jane wrote a "future fiction" novel called Infinitissimo. It was first published in German as Everlasting — Der Mann, der aus der Zeit fiel. She also wrote an award-winning novel for young people, Prince William, Maximilian Minsky and Me. This book is about a young Jewish girl living in Berlin today.
Life and Career
Holly-Jane Rahlens was born in New York City, USA. She grew up in Brooklyn and Queens. She studied Theater and English at Queens College. Soon after, she moved to Berlin, Germany. She has lived there for most of her adult life.
Even though she is an American citizen, she has done very well in German media. She has worked in radio, television, and film. She has been an actress, producer, and commentator. She also created many popular one-woman shows. She writes books for people of all ages.
In 2003, her first novel for teens, Prince William, Maximilian Minsky and Me, won a big award. It received the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis. This award is for the best young adult novel published in Germany that year. Holly-Jane herself narrated the audio book in German. It was on the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik Best List in 2003.
Later, the book was published in English by Candlewick Press. In 2006, the Association of Jewish Libraries gave it a Sydney Taylor Honor Book award. The book has been translated into nine other languages. In 2007, it was made into a movie called Max Minsky and Me. Holly-Jane Rahlens wrote the movie's script. The film has won awards and praise around the world.
In 2022, her book Future Fairy Tales. Geschichten aus einer anderen Welt was published in German. It has ten fairy tales set in the far future. The titles are like old tales by the Brothers Grimm. These stories are written in different styles. They offer new ideas about gender roles. This book was nominated for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis again. This time, it was nominated by the youth jury. The winner was announced in October 2023 at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Major Works
Screenplays:
- Eines schönen Tages, 1989
- Max Minsky and Me, 2007
Adult Novels:
- Becky Bernstein Goes Berlin, 1996
- Mazel Tov in Las Vegas, 1997
All-Age Books:
- Mauerblümchen, 2009 (English: Wallflower, 2010)
- Everlasting – Der Mann, der aus der Zeit fiel, 2012 (English: Infinitissimo – The Man Who Fell Through Time, 2017)
Young Adult Books:
- Prinz William, Maximilian Minsky und ich, 2002 (English: Prince William, Maximilian Minsky and Me, 2005)
- Wie man richtig küsst, 2005 (English: How to Really Kiss, 2007)
- Mein kleines großes Leben, 2008
- Future Fairy Tales. Geschichten aus einer anderen Welt, 2022
Children's Books:
- Stella Menzel und der goldene Faden, 2013
- Blätterrauschen, 2015
- Federflüstern, 2016
