Otfried Preußler (sometimes spelled as Otfried Preussler; both ; born Otfried Syrowatka; 20 October 1923 – 18 February 2013) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

children's books 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 younge ...

author. More than 50 million copies of his books have been sold worldwide and they have been translated into 55 languages. His best-known works are ''

The Robber Hotzenplotz The Robber Hotzenplotz ( ) is a character created by German author Otfried Preußler for his children's book series of the same name. There are three tales about Hotzenplotz: * ''The Robber Hotzenplotz'' (1962) * ''News from the Robber Hotzenplot ...

'' and ''

The Satanic Mill ''Krabat'' () is a 1971 fantasy novel about the eponymous Sorbian folk hero, written by Otfried Preußler. The book deals primarily with black magic and the lure of evil. Other themes include friendship, love, and death. It won the Deutsche ...

'' (''Krabat'').

Life and work

He was born in Liberec (Reichenberg),

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. His mother Erna Syrowatka, née Tscherwenka, and his father Josef Syrowatka were both teachers. They changed their family name from the Czech Syrowatka to the German Preußler in 1941 during the Nazi occupation of the country. After he graduated school in 1942, in the midst of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he was drafted into the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

. Although he survived the military action on the Eastern Front, he was taken prisoner as a 21-year-old lieutenant in 1944. He spent the next five years in various POW camps in the Tatar Republic. After his release in June 1949, he found his displaced relatives and his fiancée, Annelies Kind in the

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

n town of

Rosenheim Rosenheim is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is an independent city located in the centre of the district of Rosenheim (Upper Bavaria), and is also the seat of its administration. It is located on the west bank of the Inn at the confluence of th ...

. They married that same year. Between 1953 and 1970, he was initially a primary school teacher, then a school principal in

. There his talents as a storyteller and illustrator were put to good use, and often the stories he told the children would later be written down and published. He won the

Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis The (German Youth Literature Award) is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's and young adult literature. It is Germany's onl ...

in 1972 for ''Krabat''. Preußler resided in Haidholzen, near

. Over 15.2 million copies of his books have been sold in the German language, and his works have been translated into over 55 other languages. Having essentially retired from writing stories, which had become his main occupation, he undertook the relation of his experiences as a prisoner in the POW camps; those memoirs are to be published after his death.

Legacy

A Gymnasium (grammar school) is named after him (the "Otfried Preußler Gymnasium Pullach", in

Pullach Pullach, officially Pullach i. Isartal, is a municipality in the district of Munich in Bavaria in Germany. It lies on the Isar Valley Railway and is served by the S 7 line of the Munich S-Bahn, at the Großhesselohe Isartalbahnhof, Pullach ...

, Bavaria, Germany). There is also a Grundschule (

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

) in Bad Soden which bears his name. On October 20, 2017,

Google Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...

celebrated his 94th birthday with a

Google Doodle A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...

Known works translated into English

* ''

'', * ''

''/''The Curse of the Darkling Mill'' (originally: ''Krabat''), * ''The Little Witch'', * ''The Little Water Sprite'', * '' The Little Ghost'', * ''The Wise Men of Schilda'' * ''Herbie's Magical Hat'' * ''The Adventures of Strong Vanya'', * ''Further Adventures of the Robber Hotzenplotz'' * ''Thomas Scarecrow'' * ''Final Adventures of the Robber Hotzenplotz'' * ''The Green Bronze Bell'' * ''Silly Augustine'' * ''The Tale of the Unicorn'',

Filmography

*' (1974) *''

Krabat – The Sorcerer's Apprentice ''Krabat – The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' ( cz, Čarodějův učeň) is a 1978 Czechoslovak cutout animated dark fantasy film directed by Karel Zeman, based on the 1971 book ''Krabat'' by Otfried Preußler, and the Sorbian folk tale upon which t ...

'' (1978) *''Neues vom Räuber Hotzenplotz'' (1979) *''Malá čarodějnice'' (1984) *''Das kleine Gespenst'' (1992) *''Der Räuber Hotzenplotz'' (2006) *''

Krabat Krabat () is a character in Sorbian folklore, also dubbed the " Wendish Faust". First records of him were mentioned in 1839 minutes of the Akademischen Vereins für lausitzische Geschichte und Sprache, but all writings of the association were ...

'' (2008) *'' Das Kleine Gespenst'' (2013) *' (2018)

References

External links

Author's Official Website
*Melinda C. Shepherd
''Otfried Preussler''
at Britannica Online
www.worldcat.org: List of Preußler's books that have been translated into English
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preussler, Otfried 1923 births 2013 deaths 20th-century German writers German children's writers German fantasy writers Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German male writers Sudeten German people Naturalized citizens of Germany Writers from Liberec German Army officers of World War II German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union