Angela Sommer-Bodenburg (born December 18, 1948) is the author of a number of
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
books for children. Her most famous contribution to the field of
children's
A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
is ''
The Little Vampire'' series, which has sold over 10 million copies and has been translated into over 30 languages. Sommer-Bodenburg states that her "vampire is not a bloodthirsty monster, however, but an affectionate little vampire with fears and foibles who will perhaps help free children of their own fears."
The novel, written in 1979, spawned a series of books, and the plot has been adapted to theatre, radio, cinema, and television. A Canadian-German
TV series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
was released in 1986 and a
film version
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...
, directed by
Uli Edel
Ulrich "Uli" Edel (; born 11 April 1947) is a German film and television director, best known for his work on films such as Last Exit to Brooklyn (film), ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'' and ''Body of Evidence (1993 film), Body of Evidence.''
His ''Ra ...
was released in 2000. Later a CG-animated film ''
The Little Vampire 3D
''The Little Vampire 3D'', also known as ''The Little Vampire'', is a 2017 3D computer-animated vampire film directed by Richard Claus and Karsten Kiilerich and based on the children's book series of the same name by German writer Angela Somme ...
'', directed by Richard Claus and Karsten Kiilerich, was released in 2017.
Life and career
Sommer-Bodenburg was born in
Reinbek, Germany.
[*
Source: ''Angela Sommer-Bodenburg'' Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2002.] She studied education, philosophy, and sociology at the
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vor ...
. She was assistant master at intermediate and secondary school in
Hamburg, Germany
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
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, postal ...
from 1972 to 1984
and wrote the first chapter of ''The Little Vampire'' as an experiment to see what types of literature could hold the interest of her students.
[Author's website](_blank)
/ref> In 1984, she retired from teaching and dedicated herself to painting and writing. She has written more than forty books both for children and adults, from poetry to novels. She calls the success of the ''Little Vampire'' series a "mixed blessing" to her career as an author, stating on her website: "I was pigeon-holed as the author of children's books and, within this pigeon-hole, I was further classified as the author of vampire books."
She moved to Rancho Santa Fe, California
Rancho Santa Fe is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California, United States, within the San Diego metropolitan area. The population was 3,156 at the 2020 census. The CDP is primarily residential with a few shopping blocks, ...
, in 1992 after visiting the production company, Propaganda Films, in Hollywood that wished to make the film version of ''The Little Vampire''. In 2004, she moved to Silver City, New Mexico
Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat and the home of Western New Mexico University. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,315. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,704.
History
...
.
Bibliography
English
''The Little Vampire'' series
The first five books of Sommer-Bodenburg's debut series (original German title: ''Der kleine Vampir
''The Little Vampire'' (German: "''Der kleine Vampir''") is the title of a series of children's fantasy books created in 1979 by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg. The overall plot deals with the friendship between a human boy called Anton and Rüdiger, a ...
''), when released in the United States, all excluded the word "Little" from the title. The first book was also released as ''My Friend the Vampire''. Only volumes 1-5 were released in the United States. All other English translations were released in the United Kingdom.
=Andersen Press
=
*''The Little Vampire'', vol. #1
*''The Little Vampire Moves In'', vol. #2
*''The Little Vampire Takes a Trip'', vol. #3
*''The Little Vampire On the Farm'', vol. #4
*''The Little Vampire In Love'', vol. #5
=Simon & Schuster Young Books
=
*''The Little Vampire In Danger'', vol. #6
*''The Little Vampire In the Vale Of Doom'', vol. #7
*''The Little Vampire In Despair'', vol. #8
*''The Little Vampire and the Mystery Patient'', vol. #9
*''The Little Vampire In the Lion's Den'', vol. #10
*''The Little Vampire Learns To Be Brave'', vol. #11
*''The Little Vampire Gets a Surprise'', vol. #12
*''The Little Vampire and the Wicked Plot'', vol. #13
*''The Little Vampire and the School Trip'', vol. #14
*''The Little Vampire and the Christmas Surprise'', vol. #15
=MacDonald Young Books
=
*''The Little Vampire Meets Count Dracula'', vol. # 16
=Scholastic
=
*''The Little Vampire Activity Book''
=Untranslated to English
=
These have yet to be released with an English translation.
*''The Little Vampire and the Dance Hour'', vol #17
*''The Little Vampire Has a Birthday'', vol #18
*''The Little Vampire and the Night of the Shivers'', vol. #19
*''The Little Vampire and the Last Conversion'', vol #20
*''The Little Vampire and the Question of Questions'', vol #21
Others
*''But Still, I Love Her Just The Same:Poems'' (Poetry)
*''If You Want To Scare Yourself'' (Short stories)
*''Coco's Birthday Surprise'' (children's book)
German
*''Der kleine Vampir'', 1979
*''Sarah bei den Wölfen'', Gedichte, 1979
*''Der kleine Vampir zieht um'', 1980
*''Das Biest, das im Regen kam'', 1981
*''Ich lieb dich trotzdem immer'', Gedichte, 1982
*''Der kleine Vampir verreist'', 1982
*''Der kleine Vampir auf dem Bauernhof'', 1983
*''Wenn du dich gruseln willst'', 1984
*''Der kleine Vampir und die große Liebe'', 1985
*''Der kleine Vampir in Gefahr'', 1985
*''Der kleine Vampir im Jammertal'', 1986
*''Coco geht zum Geburtstag'', 1986
*''Die Moorgeister'', 1986
*''Möwen und Wölfe'', Gedichte, 1987
*''Freu dich nicht zu früh, ich verlaß dich nie!'', Gedichte, 1987
*''Der kleine Vampir liest vor'', 1988
*''Die Unterirdischen'', 1988
*''Julia bei den Lebenslichtern'', 1989
*''Florians gesammelte Gruselgeschichten'', 1990
*''Gerneklein'', 1990
*''Mein allerliebster Teddybär'', Gedichte, 1991
*''Schokolowski - Der Geburtstags-Trüffelhund'', 1991
*''Schokolowski – Lustig ist das Hundeleben'', 1992
*''Schokolowski – Vorsicht, Hundefänger'', 1992
*''Schokolowski – König Leckermaul'', 1992
*''Schokolowski – Hilfe, ein Baby!'', 1993
*''Wenn die Füchse Kaffee kochen'', 1993
*''Benjamin Biber'', 1994
*''Von jenseits der großen Waldes'', 1994
*''Hanna, Gottes kleinster Engel'', 1995
*''Das Haar der Berenice'', 1998
*''Der kleine Vampir und die Tanzstunde'', 2001
*''Der kleine Vampir hat Geburtstag'', 2001
*''Kasimir von Käsebleich kommt in die Schule'', 2003
*''Kasimir von Käsebleich und der Ranzenmann'', 2003
*''Jeremy Golden und der Meister der Schatten'', 2005
*''Der kleine Vampir und die Gruselnacht'',2006
*''Der kleine Vampir und die letzte Verwandlung'', 2007
*''Der kleine Vampir und die Frage aller Fragen'', 2015
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sommer-Bodenburg, Angela
1948 births
Living people
German children's writers
German fantasy writers
German women poets
German women novelists
German expatriates in the United States
People from Stormarn (district)
University of Hamburg alumni
German women children's writers
Women science fiction and fantasy writers
People from Silver City, New Mexico