How
long have you been writing books? I
started writing books at the age of twelve, I wrote poems and little
stories which I illustrated myself. My first children´s book was
published in 1956, that was 'Der kleine Wassermann' (The Little
Water-Sprite).
Why
do you prefer writing children´s books? Because
I like children - and because I have liked listening to stories and
telling stories since my childhood. Besides, I have come to the
conviction that children are the best and most important audience a
storyteller can desire.
Do
you also write for adults? Fundamentally,
I write each of my children´s books for at least one adult, too, and
that is myself. Now and then I write essays which address exclusively
adult readers.
Are
you writing a new book at the moment? Actually,
I am always just writing a new book. But I don´t tell anyone what it is
about before I have finished it. I am a bit superstitious, you know, and
I stick to the motto that unlaid eggs are uncertain chickens.
How
long does it take you to write a book? That
depends on the book. I finished the 'Robber Hotzenplotz' within a
quarter of a year, whereas I worked on 'Krabat' for ten full years, with
interruptions though.
Which
of your books do you like best? Me
and my books – this is like a father and his children. I can´t say
which one I like best. But of course I am always particularly fond of
the book which is my “youngest“.
Is
writing books very exhausting? Sometimes
it is. Especially when you reach a passage where the work isn´t easy
any longer - and that happens quite often, also to me.
What
time of the day do you prefer working? I
like working early in the morning when the day is still young. I set out
on a walk with a small dictating machine, I make up stories and speak
them on tape on the way. At about lunchtime, I come back home. I spend
my afternoon behind the desk, and I work there until about 8 o´clock in
the evening. Then I call it a day, because everyone has to have a rest
some time.
Do
you write your texts by hand? In
former times, I used to write all my texts by hand; nowadays I record
them, as I have already mentioned, on a small dictating machine and
afterwards I type them into my PC, and after having put them down on
paper, I put the finishing touch to them.
Which
profession did you learn? Until
1970, I was a teacher. Already at that time I wrote children´s books in
my spare-time. Now I am exclusively a writer – that means that I have
the most beautiful profession in the world.
What
do you like doing in your free time? One of my favourite activities is reading. In the summer, I like going to one of the lakes nearby and swimming, in the autumn I like collecting mushrooms, in the winter I like doing cross-country skiing. And in the spring I enjoy helping a little bit with the garden work.
How
old are you? I
was born on October 20, 1923 – now you can calculate my age accurately
to the day.
How
big is your family? We
have three grown-up daughters who are already married and have children
of their own.
What
did you want to be when you were eight years old? As far as I can remember, I was certain that I wanted to be a writer or a painter, both of them, as far as possible. And if this had not worked, I would have liked to be a professor in Prague.
What
did you like playing in your childhood? When the weather was fine, we loved playing Indians. And when the weather was bad? Then we loved playing Kasperl theatre or circus, together with our neighbour´s children, on the spacious attic of my parents´ house.
Very
generally spoken – what do you like best nowadays? My
family, my work and my friends. A good conversation with intelligent
people, an interesting book, being together with our grandchildren –
yes, and my work, of course, the work and the pleasure of telling
stories: that´s what I like best.
Is
there anything you dislike? I
dislike very much having to do with rude people, know-it-alls who always
do all the talking. Moreover, I violently dislike recklessness in any
form, whether in the street traffic
or anywhere else in everyday life.
Which
place do you like best? I
like being at home, because I am very fond of our house and the
beautiful garden in Haidholzen. Nevertheless, I am drawn back time and
again to the home of my childhood, to Reichenberg in Bohemia, where my
wife and I could spend the first years of our lives.
Do
you have a motto? I like living in God´s world, and I like working. Therefore my motto is: "Be thankful for every day!" |
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