Marie Lu Unlocks the Mozart Siblings' Imaginary Kingdom

Goodreads: The Kingdom of Back was actually the first book you wrote and sent out to publishers, at the very beginning of your career. What was it like to revisit something you'd written over a decade ago, with fresh eyes?

Marie Lu: It was the book that connected me with my agent, Kristin Nelson!

In many ways, the core of the book hasn't changed, but it was gratifying to revisit the manuscript as a more seasoned writer and be able to see so many glaring weaknesses in it. I think, at the time I first pitched it, that my ambition for the story surpassed my writing ability.

This book still intimidates me because it's so different from my usual storytelling, but I think I understand Nannerl's dreams—the desire to put your creative work out into the world and to share your vision with others—more as a published writer, and felt the pain of her unrealized potential that much more acutely.

GR: Most people have never heard of Nannerl, Mozart's gifted older sister. How did you first learn about her story, and what drew you to write about her?

ML: I've always been interested in Mozart, but now and then I'd see portraits of Wolfgang as a child, always seated at the piano beside a girl. Who was she, I wondered? It wasn't until I read a biography about him that I learned the girl was his older sister, and that not only did they tour Europe together as child prodigies, but that Nannerl also composed music.

Wolfgang, in fact, frequently wrote letters to his sister praising her work and idolizing her. Sadly, none of her compositions survived (that we know of). It was this fact, coupled with the fact that as children they invented for themselves a magical kingdom called Back, that drew me to her story.

I'm a writer lucky enough to be given the chance to share my voice. The thought of this young girl's incredible talent lost to history simply because she was female...that really struck a chord with me.

GR: We love that The Kingdom of Back captures how fraught and complicated sibling relationships can be! Did you draw on the real-life Nannerl and Mozart here or were you inspired by personal experience?

ML: Ironically, I'm an only child!

I do find myself drawn to stories about siblings, and for this book, I pulled heavily from what we know about the real Nannerl and Wolfgang. They were incredibly close as children, bonded by their shared passion for music and their domineering father, but, as some historians say, drifted apart as adults. The real Nannerl and Wolfgang did not communicate for several years before Wolfgang died.

I wanted to explore what it must have been like for these two child prodigies to grow up together, both as the only people in the world who truly understood each other and as rivals for the approval of their father.

GR: Tell us a little more about the Mozart siblings' imaginary kingdom of Back, which also lends its name to your book's title.

ML: In reality, Wolfgang and Nannerl toured Europe as children for years on end, spending long weeks journeying from royal court to royal court by carriage. Travel was exhausting, and they didn't have much else to amuse themselves in the carriage, so they created for themselves this magical kingdom called Back. They imagined that everything in this fantasy world was backward, and designated themselves the king and queen.

That's essentially all we know about the world they created, so I decided to take that and run with it. My version is likely darker and more menacing, a place Nannerl first sees as a haven and an answer to her dreams, and then as magic that leaks into her reality, for better or worse.

GR: The Kingdom of Back represents quite a departure from the dystopian contemporaries that your readers know (and love!) you for. How was the process of writing a historical fantasy different from writing your other books?

ML: I always do research for my books, but this is the first time that research was absolutely required for accuracy. I found myself digging into all sorts of trivial facts, everything from whether the word baritone would have been used in the 18th century to what people ate for breakfast. I wrote more slowly and felt more anxious about every word; what if a Mozart history buff read it? What if my German is wrong? But it also felt like its own brand of magic, where I literally had the chance, to a certain extent, to rewrite history.

GR: Historical fiction writers have to do so much research to ensure that they are being accurate to the period! What's a really fun fact that you ran across in the course of your research?

ML: In 2015, Australian professor Martin Jarvis claimed to have identified Nannerl's handwriting in music composed for Wolfgang to learn music. I play a lot with the idea that Nannerl's music might have survived under her brother's name, so this recent development was pretty exciting to read about!

GR: Music obviously plays an enormous role in this book. Are you yourself a musician?

ML: I studied piano for ten years, and I still try to play every now and then. The reason I initially became fascinated with Mozart is that his music is deceptively simple to learn but wickedly difficult to memorize and master. He's like chess. It's part of his genius!

GR: Do you have any suggestions for what fans should read after The Kingdom of Back if they want to learn more about the Mozart siblings? And which historical YA books (magical or otherwise!) would you recommend to readers who enjoy this book?

ML: I loved Maynard Solomon's Mozart: A Life, possibly the most comprehensive biography about Mozart that I read and just a really great book.

As for amazing historical YA—ah, there are so many!

I highly recommend Stacey Lee's The Downstairs Girl and Outrun the Moon, Sherri L. Smith's Flygirl, Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity, and anything by Ruta Sepetys (Between Shades of Gray, Salt to the Sea, The Fountains of Silence).

GR: Finally, please tell us about some books that you're currently loving or looking forward to reading!

ML: One of the most amazing books I've read recently is an adult novel by Jeanine Cummins called American Dirt. Months later, it still haunts me.

Another adult novel I highly recommend is Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House, a masterpiece of dark magic.

I also can't wait for the conclusion to Sabaa Tahir's epic An Ember in the Ashes series, one of my favorite YA fantasy series, and Tahereh Mafi's Imagine Me, the glorious finale to her Shatter Me series.

Finally, my current read is Sarah M. Broom's The Yellow House, an incredible memoir that is already searing itself against my brain.