Ofried Preussler (1923–2013) was born into a family of
teachers in Reichenberg, Czechoslovakia, and as a boy loved
listening to the folktales of the region. Drafted into the army
during World War II, Preussler was captured in 1944 and spent the
next five years as a prisoner of war in the Tatar Republic. After
his release, he moved to Bavaria and became a primary--school
teacher and principal, supplementing his income by working as a
reporter for a local newspaper and by writing scripts for
children’s radio. One of the most popular authors for children in
Germany, Preussler was twice awarded the German Children’s Book
Prize. His many books have been translated into fifty-five
languages and have sold over fifty million copies. New York Review
Books also publishes Preussler’s Krabat & the Sorcerer’s Mill and
The Little Water Sprite and will publish The Robber Hotzenplotz in
2016.
Anthea Bell is a translator from the German, French,
and Danish, and the winner of the Independent Foreign Fiction
Prize, the Helen and Kurt Wolff Prize, and, three times over, the
Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation. She has
translated Asterix, Hans Christian Andersen, Cornelia Funke,
Kerstin Gier, W.G. Sebald, Sigmund Freud, and several novels by
Otfried Preussler.
Winne Gebhardt-Gayler (1929–2014) was a German illustrator
who was a frequent collaborator with Otfried Preussler.
"First published in 1957, this story of a young witch who’s itching
to become part of the grown-up witch world has a sprightly tone and
a feel that’s somewhere between fairy tale and Harry Potter. That’s
a sweet spot for magic-loving children just beginning to read on
their own, and you don’t see many books hit it this well. (It would
be a fantastic read-aloud, too.)…There’s a morally satisfying
fairy-tale ending — a glorious moment of table-turning that speaks
to our pent-up frustration at the arbitrary rules of the universe
that put mean people in charge. The illustrations — charming,
scratchy black-and-white line drawings by Winnie Gebhardt-Gayler —
seem like they could have been done yesterday.” —Maria
Russo, The New York Times Book Review
"All children who tremble at the thought of witches - allay your
fears! - For as of Walpurgis Night last, the bad witches have been
rendered powerless and only one good little witch remains. How this
came to be is the content of a delightful book to be read in
episodes or at one happy sitting...How the little witch casts her
most powerful spell will leave readers thoroughly satisfied and
young bedtime listeners ready for only pleasant dreams.” —Kirkus
Reviews
"Mr. Preussler's books were read aloud to generations of German
children. They adored his characters."--Douglas Martin, The
New York Times
"Elements of folklore in Preussler's books are intertwined with
conversations, funny dialogue, discussions of old and young, and
angry disputes that are rooted in the everyday life of families and
school. Preussler revealed...that he possessed an almost
inexhaustible fantasy, an unfailing sense of humor and situation
comedy. German children between the ages of four and twelve are
still his fans."--Horst Kunneman, Bookbird
Praise for Otfried Preussler's Krabat and the Sorcerer's Mill:
"One of my favorite books." --Neil Gaiman
"In Preussler's masterpiece, the terror is real, the love sweet,
and the suspense twisted tight." --J. Alison James
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