Cornelia Funke
Her ink-and-paper worlds, where books breathe and heroes are ordinary children, have captivated millions of young readers across the globe.
Born 1958 (age 68)·German author of children's fiction·Birthday: December 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Cornelia Funke did not set out to be a storyteller; she first painted stories as a book illustrator in Hamburg after studying pedagogy. Peering at the texts she was hired to decorate, she felt a growing conviction that she could spin her own tales. The result was a cascade of novels that treated fantasy not as escape, but as a deeper layer of reality. In her breakout 'Inkheart' trilogy, the magic is literal—characters are read in and out of books—but the heart of the story is a profound love for the physical object of a book and the bonds between a father and daughter. Funke writes with a painter's eye for detail, constructing worlds that feel tactile and immediate. Her move to Los Angeles in 2005 placed her at the center of film adaptations, but her true home remains the page, where she continues to validate the inner lives of children facing darkness, insisting that courage is often found in the most unlikely of heroes.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Cornelia was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cornelia Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Cornelia's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Her 'Inkheart' trilogy has been translated into dozens of languages and adapted into a major motion picture.
- Became the bestselling children's author in Germany, with worldwide sales exceeding 20 million books.
- Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005.
- Received the prestigious 'Bambi Award' in Germany for her cultural impact through literature.
Did You Know?
Before becoming an author, she worked for three years as a social worker with disadvantaged children.
She is a passionate collector of books, rare editions, and curiosities related to her stories.
Funke is a trained book illustrator and initially only wrote stories because she was dissatisfied with the texts she was given to illustrate.
“Books have to be heavy because the whole world's inside them.”
