Trevor asked Cornelia Funke:

How did you come up with the idea for The Thief Lord?

Cornelia Funke I was in Venice, Trev (of course:) I stood on the Doge's balcony and thought: heavens, he was for sure much smaller than I and that railing goes up to my chest! Then I thought: he felt taller than he was and projected that onto the crowds! Hmmm, don't we all do that? As long as we think we are beautiful others think we are beautiful. As long as we think we are powerful and tall others see us this way (you see, I approached the story on quite elaborate ways!:) All this - thinking about appearances and how others perceive us - made me suddenly remember that as a child I had only one wish: to be a grown up. I remember sitting up in my bed the next morning and saying aloud: Yes! A boy who wants to be a grown up and is very good at making others see him that way. And of course he is in Venice - the perfect city for children, who hide from grown ups and live their own lives. So....as I know many books about the Peter Pan wish to never grew up but none about my wish as a child to grow up NOW, I wrote a book about a child who wants nothing else.
Hope this all makes sense to you? But that's how stories come alive. In complicated and mysterious ways:)

flag