Fairy Tale Q&A with Cornelia Funke!

So, Cornelia Funke.  She has literally been my favorite author for years and years, ever since I read Inkheart.  That is why I'm so excited to announce that the first ever author Q & A on Alice in Baker Street is with the lovely, Cornelia Funke!

As all of you know, this semester I'm taking a class on Grimm's Fairy Tales. Last summer I read Reckless, the first of Cornelia Funke's new series inspired by fairy tales and since then I have been following the progress of her latest projects in the Mirrorworld, hearing all about her research into the fairy tales of Russia and Ukraine, of England and France, and I was just mesmerized by all she was discovering.

And so some weeks ago, I contacted Cornelia and was over the moon when she offered to answer any questions I might have about fairy tales!  So, here we go:


                      What was your favorite fairy tale as a child?  Is that still your favorite fairy tale?

I think it was The Six Swans, where a sister has to turn her cursed brothers from swans into human beings again. It is still one of my absolute favourites, but there are so many wonderful tales! :)

            Is there a volume of fairy tales on your bedside table? If yes, which one?

At the moment it is Cossack Fairy Tales and Russian Fairy Tales, as they are my research for Reckless Book 3.

What was the last fairy tale that made you really think, or moved you emotionally, or just impressed you in some way?

I read so many since I work on the Mirrorworld books, that I don’t really know which one to pick.  I loved The Fire Bird, a famous Russian Tale, but I also loved a French tale about the blacksmith of Pont de Pille. I used motives of it for Reckless 2.

      Are you currently reading a fairy tale? Which one?

Many many many, Jess. The list would fill pages!

      Why do you think similarly themed fairy tales have cropped up in all corners of the world?  What about fairy tales like Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella or Snow White or many others make it so universal that they are found all over the world in various forms?

I think they show that human beings have the same desires and fears all over the world. On the other hand I love the differences between the tales, as they tell so much about the various countries, cultures and how deeply rooted our tales are in landscapes and local history. They are travel guides to every country in the world.

      Do you have a favorite illustration of a fairy tale and/or a favorite illustrator who did illustrations for a fairy tales?

I very much love the Russian illustrators, like Spirin for example and then Harry Clarke and Edmund Dulac.

      Last one, I love the fact that you have your space in your writing house where you post images that inspire you! (It was so cool to see a video that was made where you showed bits of your inspiration wall, I love seeing that because it inspires me too!) Do you have any images there right now that are inspiring your writing of Fearless? 

The images for Fearless are already stored away in a few boxes. Now my walls are covered with images for Book 3, that brings Jacob and Fox to the Ukraine and Russia. One part of the wall is covered with images of all the characters I met so far in Book 1-3. Another part is all about the Goyl, showing sculptures of Auguste Rodin and Bernini to remind me how much alive stone can look.

Thanks so much to Cornelia for taking the time to answer my questions and allow all of you to hear her answers as well!!  

Look for Fearless, the next book in the fairy tale-inspired Mirrorworld series, coming out April 2, 2013!

Thoughts on Disney and Pixar's "Brave"

I guess I should preface this post with that fact that I am not a Pixar fanatic.  To be honest the only films of their's that I really liked were Ratatouille and Finding Nemo.  So, I don't have real preconceived notions of what a Pixar film should be, what kind of issues they usually raise or how differently they supposedly approach animated stories.  Instead I came to this film with a genuine interest in medieval history, a love of the British Isles and as someone who also has a great amount of crazy curly hair, although not the red variety.

As I sat in the theater watching the film, the main things that kept coming to me were, wow the way they animated the scenery is just exquisitely beautiful, they did a really fantastic job creating the hair realistically, I feel like I'm watching an attempt to create a film for kids that is similar to Snow White and the Huntsman, in a way, and is this Disney's first attempt at an original fairy tale? ...

So, the film seemed to present many juxtapositions: Merida and her mother, female and male, human and animal, light and dark, young and old, magic and "non magic" (I don't really like this term, if I can call it that, but I can't think if anything else, for example in Snow White and the Huntsman there was a definite juxtaposition between magic and religion, but I'm not sure what it is here) and wit/intellect and foolishness.

I must say that while all of these comparisons were presented, I don't think they were delved into in a deep way; they are there but in a rather surface fashion.  The plot was rather simple, and other than the "villain" bear,  the characters didn't have too much complexity as individuals.  To be honest I wasn't as stirred or moved or thought provoked as much as I was with Snow White and the Huntsman, but I truly enjoyed the film!  I enjoyed the role that legend and storytelling played, as well as the way the mother-daughter relationship was dealt with, in that it wasn't simply a rebellious daughter or a unforgiving and horrible mother, it was more realistic in that both had to learn from each other, both made compromises, both were altered.

Magic played a somewhat ambiguous role in the film.  There are the will-o'-the-wisps who help lead you to your fate, and are the visible signs that lead you on the path to your destiny.  But then there was also the character of the witch, who was neither good nor evil, and simply gives Merida what she believes she desires, however the outcome is less than perfect.

This film is one more to add to this list of films and books that are adding to the fairy tale trend, both in film and literature.  Unlike other fairy tale movies, this was not a revisioned fairy tale but instead an attempt of creating a new fairy tale.  After seeing the film, I started thinking how it seemed to be a combination of the following films and texts:

1. Quest for Camelot (the mother-daughter relationship, a girl that desires to be a knight/warrior type of person, medieval setting, animals, form altering magic, threatening forest...)

2. The Princess Knight by Cornelia Funke (daughter who wishes to defy royal traditions and doesn't want to be a typical princess, competes in a tournament in which the victor is supposed to win her hand and wins thus forgoing a chosen mate, connection with nature)

3. O'Sullivan Stew by Hudson Talbott (British Isles setting, role of storytelling (although it's much more important in this story than in Brave), a young woman who defies convention, doesn't end with the typical romantic happily ever after (although, unlike in Brave where this is no love interest at all, it is implied that Kate will probably marry the King on her return)

4. Brother Bear (role of form altering magic, fate and destiny, change into a bear in order to improve one's perspective, family relationships, nature)

Lastly, a few non thematic or substance related notes.  I thoroughly enjoyed the film's score composed by Patrick Doyle as well as the end credits collaboration between Birdy and Mumford & Sons called Learn Me Right:

Here's one of the songs from the score called "Fate and Destiny":

Here's Learn Me Right from Birdy and Mumford & Sons:

Also, I really loved the actors they got to voice the three main characters, Merida (Kelly Macdonald), her mom (Emma Thompson) and her dad (Billy Connolly).


Have any of you seen Brave?  What did you think of it?

In Praise of the Audiobook, Part 1

I've been an audiobook fan for a very long time...well since about 4th grade to be precise, so that's been a while.  Throughout those years, I've had many people, from friends to professors look at me with surprise when I would talk about how great such and such audiobook was, they would proceed to tell me how much they disliked the audiobooks they had listened to because they were sooo boring and slow.  I was shocked!  How had all these people not had wonderful experiences with audiobooks??  Audiobooks have been one of the greatest pleasures I've had as part of my reading experience, moreover they've added so much to my frequent weekend escapades of putting many baskets of laundry away throughout our house!

So when I would contradict them and say that audiobooks are in fact really good, they were surprised and I told them they just have to pick the right ones.  After seeing an article today at NPR on great audiobooks to take on road trips (click here to read it) I thought I'd list some of the best audiobooks I've had the pleasure of listening to over the years.  So here we go, I'll be posting two parts (at least that's the plan right now) with 6 audiobooks each in no  specific order (you should be able to find these at your local library, if not you can actually try and request that they purchase them, or if not try iTunes or Audible, and if that fails that they always have the physical CDs on Amazon but those are usually pricey for the longer books) Also click on the photo for more info, if you would like more info that is:

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, Read by Lynn Redgrave. (Ages 9/10 and up)  This is definitely one of the best audiobooks I've ever heard, it's one of my earliest exposures to the media of the audiobook and every time I listen to the first few tracks I'm taken back to when I first listened to this book and can feel the raindrops tapping on Meggie's windowpane...  Lynn Redgrave does a fantastic job of bringing soul to each character that she brings to life and in my opinion this is the best audiobook of the Inkheart trilogy.  

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Read by Allan Corduner. (Ages 14 and up)  Coduner's voice completely embodies and brings to life this novel's narrator.  His reading of the story adds such a special, otherworldly, and almost necessary layer to the work.  If you have read The Book Thief already, I highly recommend rereading it with this audiobook because it is truly a worthwhile listening experience and if you have not had the great pleasure of reading this book this is possibly one of the best ways to first experience it.  Corduner's tone has this perfect blend of velvety chocolate and a salt of the earth grit...

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, Read by a Full Cast, Abridged Edition. ("grown up" book)  Now this is probably the ONLY time I will ever recommend someone read/listen to anything that is abridged.  However I listened to this version of the audiobook as I was reading the actual book because the cast of readers for this abridged version is truly AMAZING!!  For whatever reason, perhaps financial concerns, the publishing company decided to have a full cast for the abridged version but only two narrators for the unabridged, and I tried to make myself listen to the unabridged version out of personal convictions, but the abridged version is truly that much better that I just went ahead and listened to it instead.  I highly recommend this audio, even thought it's abridged it's actually still lengthy, so you won't miss too many of the beautiful details of this novel!

The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame, Read by Bertie Carvel. (Ages 5/6 and up) Now this audiobook has a collection of dragon tales by Kenneth Grahame and E. Nesbit.  I have only listened to the Reluctant Dragon, although I'm sure the others are wonderful as well.  But this version of the book includes the often left out Prologue to the Reluctant Dragon and this reader is wonderful, by far the best and I've tested out almost all of the other options out there.  He inhabits each of the characters wonderfully and brings a light charm and whimsy that is so much a part of this story.  My brother listens to this one over and over again, and I'm sure many others will enjoy it as well.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Books 1-3 by Maryrose Wood, Read by Katherine Kellgren. (Ages 7 and up) I have been wanting to post about this wonderful series for some time now, and I'm currently listening to the third audiobook, but this is one of the most refreshing group of books I've read in quite sometime!  The trials and escapades of three young wards under the tutelage of a young, bright governess Miss Penelope Lumley, these four wonderful characters come in contact with foes and friends throughout the series and face many obstacles, physical, academic and literary.  Katherine Kellgren does a FANTASTIC job of creating voices for the characters from the always calm, inquisitive and resourceful Penelope to the sometimes howling but quick learning Incorrigible siblings to Ms. Clarke the kind and caring housekeeper to the shrieking antics and annoyances of the mistress of the house Lady Constance Ashton.  Full of unique twists and turns and brimming with allusions to old classics like Jane Eyre, this series is a wonderful addition to children's literature, and through experience I've witnessed it's appeal to both girls and surprisingly boys as well!

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, Read by Jim Dale. (Ages 5 and up)  Peter Pan is one of those stories that has captured the hearts of so many people.  However, unfortunately most have come to know Peter through Disney's animated film version.  But J.M. Barrie's actual novel is one of the most beautiful, whimsical, humorous, witty and wonderful stories ever written.  This essence of childhood and adventure, growing up and believing in the impossible, has been given a fresh breath of life with Jim Dale's wonderful reading of the tale.  You may know Jim Dale as the narrator of the Harry Potter audiobooks, I listened to some of them and fell in love with the way he told stories and often wondered how cool it would be to have him as a grandfather, can you imagine sitting in the living room hearing him read to you??  Years after finishing the Harry Potter series and after becoming more adept at finding audiobooks I wondered whether Jim Dale had any others, I discovered that in the next month or so after I looked it up this audiobook was coming out!  He really does a wonderful job, and I can't imagine listening to anyone else read this book.

Click here to read Part 2!