Photo: Elena Ternovaja / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
I have a real soft spot for Cornelia Funke. The detail that she started as a social worker before drawing book illustrations and then writing tells you everything about her fiction. Her stories keep returning to children facing adversity, and I suspect that empathy was forged on the job, not at a writing desk. There is something admirable about an author who can collect a national Order of Merit yet stay devoted to children's fantasy rather than chasing literary prestige. Inkheart aside, what I value most is her stubborn belief that imagination is a survival tool for kids. That conviction reads as earned, not decorative.
Overview
Cornelia Maria Funke (German: [kɔʁˈneːli̯a ˈfʊŋkə] ; born 10 December 1958) is a German author of children's fiction. Born in Dorsten, North Rhine-Westphalia, she began her career as a social worker before becoming a book illustrator. She began writing novels in the late 1980s and focused primarily on fantasy-oriented stories that depict the lives of children faced with adversity.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Cornelia Funke
- Name (Japanese)
- コルネーリア・フンケ
- Reading
- こるねーりあ・ふんけ
- Born
- December 10, 1958 (age 67)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Dog
- Origin
- Dorsten, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- writer / children's writer / screenwriter / illustrator / film producer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2008 Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 2008 Roswitha Prize
- 2015 Annette von Droste-Hülshoff Prize
- 2004 Zilveren Griffel
- 2000 Wildweibchenpreis
- 2004 Phantastik-Preis der Stadt Wetzlar
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Inkheart | — |
6. Links
Writer — see all → · Children's writer — see all → · More people from Germany →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.