I Wish I’d Written: Cornelia Funke

Cornelia Funke on a book that fills the heart and mind with lots and lots and lots of people and places…

I bought Abarat by Clive Barker just because of the pictures. Yes, that was my first reason.

What strange and beautiful pictures! – I thought, when I saw the cover. And when I opened the book, I discovered that it is stuffed with pictures. They pour from the pages. They make you curious to hear the story. Later I heard from Clive himself that he first painted the pictures and then wrote the story. The pictures tell him the story. Adventurous, isn’t it? Since I read the words between the pictures I know that the story is as wonderful and unique as the pictures. Though it is a very dark story this is a warning for children who won’t want to be taken to very dark places by a book. There is a lot of darkness and cruelty in Abarat, especially on the island of Midnight. But there is also much warmth, trust in life, and love, light, magic – and lots and lots of unforgettable characters. Oh yes, and poems. I loved the poems in Abarat (don’t worry, there are not too many).

Okay – what is this book about?

It takes you to the Abarat, a world of 25 islands, whose inhabitants call our world the Hereafter. On each of the islands it is always the same hour of the day, except for the 25th island, where there is not time (or all the time, as you like it). On the island of Midnight, the darkest place of the Abarat, it is always midnight. On the island of the 3rd hour in the afternoon it is always … yes, you got it. It is also a story about a girl who finds out she is more than she thought she was (we all know this feeling).

It won’t work, I thought, when I realised how many places and characters Clive Barker was going to have in his story. But I was wrong. It works miraculously well. It fills the heart and mind with lots and lots and lots of people and places – and 25 magical islands.

This is a very mythical story, and when I learnt that Clive Barker has an Irish father and an Italian mother, I was not surprised. He was born a storyteller.

Abarat, written and illustrated by Clive Barker, is published by HarperCollins (0 00 225952 4, £17.99 hbk, 0 00 651370 0, £6.99 pbk).

Cornelia Funke’s latest book is Dragon Rider, translated by Anthea Bell and Oliver Latsch, published by Chicken House (1 903434 90 4, £12.99 hbk).