Max Kruse (19 November 1921 – 4 September 2015) was a German writer, mostly known for his
children's books
A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...
''Der Löwe ist los'' (The Lion is on the loose) and ''Urmel aus dem Eis'' (Urmel from the Ice Age).
Life
Max Kruse was born in 1921, the youngest of seven children of the sculptor
Max Kruse
Max Bennet Kruse (; born 19 March 1988) is a German professional footballer who last played as a forward for Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg and the Germany national team.
Early years
Kruse was born in Reinbek, Kreis Stormarn, Schleswig-Holstei ...
and his wife
Käthe Kruse
Käthe Kruse, born Katharina Simon (17 September 1883, in Dambrau – 19 July 1968, in Murnau am Staffelsee) was a notable pioneer of German doll-making and went on to establish manufacturing principles which persist to this day. Her original dol ...
, a well-known dollmaker. He briefly studied
Philosophy and
Business economics
Business economics is a field in applied economics which uses economic theory and quantitative methods to analyze business enterprises and the factors contributing to the diversity of organizational structures and the relationships of firms with ...
at the
University of Jena
The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany.
The un ...
until it was shut down due to the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. After the war he worked as a freelance ad writer and later as an author.
Besides writing he was part of the advisory council of the
Giordano Bruno Foundation
The Giordano Bruno Foundation (german: Giordano-Bruno-Stiftung, abbreviated: gbs) is a Germany-based non-profit foundation under public law that promotes evolutionary humanism and the enlightenment. It was founded by entrepreneur Herbert Steffen ...
.
He lived in
Penzberg
Penzberg (; Central Bavarian: ''Benschberg'') is a city (although some see it as a town) in the Weilheim-Schongau district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is located about 50 km south of Munich, and had a population of around 17,000 in 2020. A histo ...
with his third wife.
Probably his most famous work is ''Urmel aus dem Eis''. It is widely recognized and referenced in Germany, especially the TV-adaption by the
Augsburger Puppenkiste
The Augsburger Puppenkiste (German for: Augsburg Puppetchest) is a marionette theater in Augsburg, Germany.
It is located at the former Heilig-Geist-Spital in the historic center of Augsburg. Since 1948, the "Augsburger Puppenkiste" had been pro ...
and the
Hessischer Rundfunk
Hessischer Rundfunk (HR; "Hesse Broadcasting") is the German state of Hesse's public broadcasting corporation. Headquartered in Frankfurt, it is a member of the national consortium of German public broadcasting corporations, ARD.
Studios
Do ...
. Based on this novel there is computer-animated feature film
Impy's Island
''Impy's Island'', or ''Urmel from the Ice Age'' (german: Urmel aus dem Eis), is a 2006 German computer-animated feature film based on the children's novel ''Urmel from the Ice Age'' by Max Kruse.
Plot summary
On a magical tropical island called ...
.
Works
Selected bibliography
Max Kruse wrote over 50 books which include the following works:
* ''Der Löwe ist los'' (1952)
* ''Kakadu in Nöten'' (1958)
* ''Sultan in der Klemme'' (1959)
* ''Ruhige Insel gesucht'' (1965)
* ''Windkinder'' (1968)
* ''Der kleine Mensch bei den 5 Mächtigen'' (1968)
* ''Urmel aus dem Eis'' (1969)
* ''Der Schattenbruder'' (1985)
* ''Die versunkene Zeit. Bilder einer Kindheit im Käthe-Kruse-Haus'' (Autobiography) (1991)
* ''Der Auserwählte'' (1995)
* ''Lord Schmetterhemd'' (2000)
* ''Die behütete Zeit. Eine Jugend im Käthe-Kruse-Haus.'' (Autobiography) (2000)
* ''Kerlchens wundersame Reise'' (2001)
* ''Die Froki Saga'' (2010)
* ''Im Wandel der Zeit – wie ich wurde, was ich bin.'' (Autobiography) (2011)
Awards and nominations
* 1985 ''Der Schattenbruder'' was nominated for the
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
The (German Youth Literature Award) is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's and young adult literature. It is Germany's only ...
(German Youth Literature Prize)
* 1993
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
* 2000
(Great Prize of the German Academy for Children's and Youth Literature)
* 2013
Bavarian Order of Merit
The Bavarian Order of Merit (german: Bayerischer Verdienstorden) is the Order of Merit of the Free State of Bavaria. It is awarded by the Minister-President of Bavaria as a "recognition of outstanding contributions to the Free State of Bavari ...
References
External links
*
Kruse-LesenKruse-Urmel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kruse, Max
1921 births
2015 deaths
German children's writers
German-language writers
People from Saxony-Anhalt
Bad Kösen
German male writers
Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany