Book Review
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Books for German-Learners
Publisher: Scholastic, 2002
Translated from the German by Oliver Latsch
Illustrations by the author
$16.95 US, hardcover - Compare prices
Now also on DVD in North America (see below)
Tired of waiting for the next Harry Potter book? German author Cornelia Funke has been called a "German J.K. Rowling" because of the success of her children's stories in Germany. Her German bestseller of 2000, Herr der Diebe, has been translated into English. But as we mention in The Thief Lord and Cornelia Funke, the author is no newcomer to the German book scene.
It is inevitable that comparisons will be made between The Thief Lord and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter epic, and there are some similarities between the Rowling and Funke stories. In The Thief Lord, Prosper and Bo are both orphans unhappy with their adoptive familiy, just like Harry Potter. In Funke's story, a boarding school and magic play only brief minor roles. There is a disguise element in Thief Lord that is faintly reminscent of Harry's invisible cape escapades. But the German novel is set in a very different location: the streets, canals, and landmarks of Venice, Italy, where the brothers Prosper and Bo have fled to avoid being split up by an aunt who wants to adopt only the younger Bo. A detective named Victor Getz has been hired to track the two boys down. And so the adventure begins...
“It was autumn in Venice when Victor first heard of Prosper and Bo. The canals, gleaming in the sun, dappled the ancient brickwork with gold. But the wind was blowing ice-cold air from the sea, reminding the Venetians that winter was approaching.”
Es war Herbst in der Stadt des Mondes, als Victor zum ersten Mal von Prosper und Bo hörte. Die Sonne spiegelte sich in den Kanälen und überzog die alten Mauern mit Gold, aber der Wind blies eisig vom Meer herüber, als wollte er die Menschen daran erinnern, dass der Winter kam.
These are the first lines of The Thief Lord from both the English and German versions. From the very beginning, Venice (Venedig, die Stadt des Mondes) is the centerpiece of Funke's novel. Throughout The Thief Lord the author describes the charms of this special city, setting the book's action and character development in this special place. In interviews, Funke has said that Venice is one of her favorite places and she wanted to share it with her young readers. Many in fact have written her to say that they had visited the Italian city after reading The Thief Lord.
Also of Interest:
The Thief Lord on DVD and
Cornelia Funke's German Books
But Funke doesn't allow her story's travelogue elements to get in the way of character development. The reader comes to know and care about the young protagonists, a bunch of colorful runaways with character, as well as the sympathetic detective Getz. Latsch's English translation is also an asset, managing to convey the essence of the original German smoothly and for the most part accurately.
Is The Thief Lord as good as or better than Harry Potter? That is perhaps an unfair question, but many people will ask it anyway. I don't think Funke was really trying to match the scope and magic of J.K. Rowling's series, and her book is not nearly as ambitious a project. But The Thief Lord is an enjoyable, well-crafted book. Young and adult readers alike will enjoy this tale that brings Venice and the story's characters to life.
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Where to Buy the German Version
Herr der Diebe (ISBN: 3791504576, C. Dressler Verlag, 2000) and Funke's other books in German can be ordered from the following sources:
The German Way Bookstore (Books in German)
IBIS German Books (USA)
International Book Import Service, Inc.
P.O. Box 8188
Lynchburg, TN 37352-8188 USA
Tel. 1-800-277-4247
Email: ibis@IBIService.com
Also see: German Book Sources
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