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Richard Yates
Ms. Reed
ACC English/ Reading
6 May 2012
Cornelia Funke
Have you ever been transferred to a different world? Well, it happens in the story of
Prosper and Bo, as well as Meggie and Mo. Those are the primary characters of two of Cornelia
Funke’s books, The Thief Lord and Inkheart. Cornelia Funke is a recipient of the
Bundersverstkreuz, a German award. Cornelia Funke is a terrific author and is most known for
her books, The Thief Lord and the Ink-World Trilogy.
Cornelia was born in Dorsten, Westphalia, in 1958. That is located in Germany. At the
age of eighteen, she left Dorsten to study at the University of Hamburg, where she graduated
with an education theory degree (“Cornelia Funke Biography”). After she graduated, she worked
three years on projects related to education (http://inkweaver.tripod.com/id1.html). Additionally,
she took a course in book illustration. She then started illustrating for other authors (“Cornelia
Funke Biography”).
Cornelia married a man named Rolf Funke, who later died of cancer. With Rolf, Cornelia
had a daughter named Anna and a son whom they named Ben. The character Bo in The Thief
Lord was based on Ben. The family then adopted a dog who was named Luna (“Ridderbusch,
Katja).
Cornelia had been influenced as a child by her favorite fantasies. Those books included
Tom Sawyer, Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, The Princess Bride, and The Brother’s Lionheart.
She had loved those books as a child and developed a love for dragons and adventure. Cornelia
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also wanted to illustrate books about adventure and dragons. This lead to her book called
Dragonrider, or Drachenreiter in German (“Meet Cornelia”). Her book, The Thief Lord, was
inspired by stories of a magic merry-go-round and winged lions (“Frequently Asked Questions”).
Cornelia started out writing books for young children. Her first long chapter book for the
older kids was Dragonrider. Later, The Thief Lord became an extremely big success in
Cornelia’s home country of Germany. However, Funke was not yet satisfied. She must have
wanted to exceed the success of The Thief Lord. An English publisher named Barry
Cunningham received a letter from a girl who spoke German as well as English. She wanted to
know why Cornelia Funke was not published in English. Cunningham was moved by the letter
and sought out Cornelia Funke. He found her agent. Finally, Cornelia Funke’s books were to be
published in English. Subsequently, Cornelia wrote the book, Inkheart (“Cornelia Funke
Biography”). Inkheart, the movie, has been called the Twilight for a slightly younger age
(Hornaday). The Thief Lord has been made into a movie that stays largely with the book but has
a couple of extra parts (Broder).
Cornelia’s fantasy writing has been recognized with many awards. She won the
Bundesverdienstkreuz. The Bundesverdienstkreuz is the highest tribute that Germany gives to
people of high influence. This award indicates that Funke is the most influential author in her
native country. Ms. Funke also won the Bambi Award (Ridderbusch, Katja). The Bambi Award
is an award for German media (“About BAMBI”).
Cornelia has achieved great reviews on her work. Critics around the planet call her “the
German J. K. Rowling.” J.K. Rowling is the author of the extraordinary Harry Potter series.
Time Magazine called her “the most influential German” (“Cornelia Funke Biography”). That
title reveals a tremendous amount regarding Cornelia’s fantastic talent for writing.
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While Funke’s favorite thing to do is writing, she enjoys other activities. She also loves
to read as well as watch movies. In addition, she enjoys drawing and painting. Cornelia also
loves to travel (“Frequently Asked Questions”).
People in her home country of Germany love Cornelia. She has inspired people to write
their own books. Notable Biographies said, “Cornelia, already a beloved author, will become a
writing phenomenon” (“Cornelia Funke Biography”). Undoubtedly, anyone who reads any of
Funke’s fantasic books will thoroughly agree with that prediction.
There is so much more to Cornelia than just writing. Cornelia left Hamburg, Germany, to
promote her books. She found a tour in America that was for authors to promote their own work.
Cornelia decided that it was a good idea, so she left Rolf with the kids and went on the tour. She
has been interviewed on the radio and television and has visited book stores all across the United
States. She and her family moved to Los Angeles, California, where she still lives. While she
was writing her book, The Thief Lord, she based her character, Bo, off of her son Ben, who acted
the exact same way when he was eight (“Cornelia Funke Biography”). Another character that she
based on someone familiar to her was Victor in The Thief Lord. He looks exactly like the British
actor, Bob Hoskins. Prosper, also a character in The Thief Lord, was based off of other boys she
had seen being protective and acting like the parent (“Frequently Asked Questions”). These are
just a few of the characters that Cornelia based on people she knew or observed.
I agree with those Critics who call Cornelia “the German J.K. Rowling.” Cornelia Funke
fully deserves that title. When one reads a book by Cornelia Funke, they get transported to a
different world and feel as though they are in that world. The reader experiences the characters’
emotions through Funke’s descriptive words. Although I have only read one book by Cornelia
Funke, in reading reviews and speaking with people who have read more of her books, I can tell
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that her other books are equally well-written. Cornelia Funke is an extremely gifted author. She
is a very inspirational writer who has inspired me with her stories. As I read her book, The Thief
Lord, I began to write two fantasies of my own. I believe this is the best compliment I can give
her.
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Works Cited Page
Broder, Aaron. “Movie Review: The Thief Lord.” Scholastic.com. Web. 2 April 2012.
<http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/moviereview.asp>.
“Cornelia Funke Biography.” Encyclopediaoftheworldbiography.com. Web. 21 March 2012.
<http://www.noteablebiographies.com/news/Ca-Ge/funke- cornelia.htm>.
“Cornelia Funke Biography.” Tripod.com. Web. 2 April 2012.
<http://inkweaver.tripod.com/id1.html>.
“Europe’s Famous Media Award.” Bambi-award.com. Web. 3 April 2012. <http://www.bambiawards.com/about-bambi/Europes-famous-media-award_mtid_171.html>.
“Frequently Asked Questions.” Corneliafunkefans.com. Web. 25 March 2012.
<http://www.corneliafunkefans.com/en/cornelia/frequently-asked-questions>.
Hornaday, Ann. “’Inkheart’ is print charming.” Washingtonpost.com. Web. 2 April 2012.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/01/22/AR2009012203411.html>.
“Meet Cornelia.” Scholastic.com Web. 22 March 012.
<http://www.scholastic.com/cornelafunke/bio.htm>.
Ridderbusch, Katja. “The World’s Most Influetial German.” atlantic-times.com. The Atlantic
Times, 2006. Web. 22 March 2012. <http://www.atlantictimes.com/archive_detail.php?recordID=166