Michael Ende

Michael Andreas Helmuth Ende was a German writer of fantasy and children's fiction. He was born on November 12, 1929 in Garmisch, Bavaria, the only child of the surrealist painter Edgar Ende and the physiotherapist Luise Bartholomä Ende. He grew up in a rich artistic and literary environment, which influenced his later writing. He developed a love for literature and poetry at an early age, and studied various literary movements and styles. He was also deeply affected by the Second World War, which he witnessed as a child in Munich and Hamburg. Ende started his career as an actor, critic and cabaret writer, but soon turned to writing novels for children and young adults. His first big success was Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver (1960), a fantasy adventure story that won him the German Award for Children's Literature. He followed it with Jim Button and the Wild 13 (1962), a sequel that was also adapted into a popular puppet show by the Augsburg Puppet Theatre. His next novel, Momo (1973), was a philosophical tale about a girl who fights against the Time Thieves who steal people's time. It won him both the German and the European Award for Children's Literature. Ende's most famous work is The Neverending Story (1979), an epic fantasy novel that tells the story of Bastian Balthazar Bux, a boy who enters a magical world called Fantasia through a mysterious book. The novel explores themes such as imagination, creativity, identity, courage and friendship. It was translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 35 million copies worldwide. It was also adapted into a film series in the 1980s, which Ende disliked for deviating from his original vision. Ende also wrote several other books for children and adults, such as The Mirror in the Mirror (1984), a collection of surreal stories inspired by his father's paintings; The Night of Wishes (1989), a humorous fantasy about a witch and a wizard who try to escape their evil deeds; and The Goggolori (1985), an opera libretto based on a Bavarian legend. He also wrote essays and speeches on topics such as fantasy, culture and politics. Ende was married twice: first to the actress Ingeborg Hoffmann, who died in 1985; then to the translator Mariko Sato, who translated some of his works into Japanese. He had no children. He died of stomach cancer on August 28, 1995 in Filderstadt, Germany. He was buried at the Munich Waldfriedhof. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and beloved German authors of the 20th century.