Cornelia Funke – The Official Website (2024)

We have already told you much about Cornelia’s artist project at her home in Volterra on here, a place we all lovingly refer to as "Fraggina". Since 2021 she has been inviting many artists from all over the world for residencies there. The project was recently expanded to also include conservationists and because the community of ‘Fragginistas’ keeps growing, Cornelia decided to purchase an additional property near Volterra. Fraggina’s ‘bigger brother’ is called "Mulinaccio" and will allow Cornelia to invite and support even more artists. Permaculture and conservation projects will also play an important role there.

Another exciting new thing that Cornelia is looking forward to, will be that visitors and fans, who are interested will soon be able to meet her at Mulinaccio. Once a month there will be a day when Mulinaccio is open to the public, when Cornelia will be there, signing books and chatting with visitors. A restaurant and store for arts, crafts, and olive oil will also be on site. Cornelia is also calling this project: IL LABORATORIO DEI LIBRI – the book workshop.

The opening is planned for May 2025.

Besides the rooms where guests can stay, there will also be a variety of workspaces, such a ceramic studio and a print studio. And you can harvest inspiration while taking a stroll amongst 800 olive trees

Cornelia is very happy about this opportunity: "I thank all of my readers who gave me the courage and means to further grow and build a public space for this project by making "Colour of Revenge" such a success. My readers made Mulinaccio possible, and I hope they will be big part of this new adventure."

Unfortunately, we CANNOT! accept applications for Cornelia’s project at this time. She only invites guests whose work came to her attention through recommendation or those who have distinguished themselves through one of the regularly competitions she holds with festivals and art schools. The winners of Clara’s Prize, a competition for young story tellers also came to stay this year as well as activists, who the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration sent to Italy. Many of Cornelia’s guests become regular members of the Fraggina community, which now has over 80 members all around the world. They are not only from Germany, Italy, the UK, Spain and France but also from many different Latin American countries, Syria and Ukraine.

On this page we will introduce you to all of the Fragginistas. Why don’t you take a look at some of them by visiting our section "Creative Guests"?

On the 23rd of May a Russian missile strike destroyed one of the largest printing houses in Europe. I heard about it first from a magical Ukrainian illustrator, who is part of my residency program for artists. Her books were printed, too, at Factor Druk and when she learned the news, she wondered whether the seven people who died had also bound her books and looked at her images just a few weeks ago.

We all forget so easily how much the wars that are ravaging this world are connected also to our lives, although we may currently enjoy the privilege of peace. This attack is a terrible reminder that this world is one, and that the pain and death of the others is also our pain and death.

Let’s honor the books that burned in Kharkiv by donating to Ukrainian libraries, bookstores and publishers. Let’s mourn the people who died making them by buying books of Ukrainian artists.

It is so much easier to destroy than to create. Let’s keep on creating to fight those who only know how to destroy. There will be words and songs and images that’ll prove to be stronger than them.

One of the artists from my Artist in Residence program was born and raised in Kharkiv. She sent me this message in response to my comment on the destruction of Factor Druk:

June 1, 2024

"All of us Kharkivites take so much pride in knowing that so many of the books we encounter and love throughout our lives are printed in our hometown. I have so many memories of flipping to the very last page to find the colophon, brimming with joy if I got to see the name of my city there in the tiniest of fonts.

The largest annual book-fair in Ukraine, Book Arsenal, opened its doors 2 days ago. Some of the salvaged books are now on display there, as much proud survivors as battered victims. Seeing the heaps of thousands upon thousands of thick tomes, science textbooks, picture books, and fairytales burned to ash is utterly terrifying and painful, evoking memories of book burnings I've read of in history books and my favorite novels my entire life.

Among the publishing houses printing at Factor Druk was "Ranok", which published most of my school books growing up, as well as a few of your books, Cornelia! Also "Folio" which published "Inkworld" in Ukrainian!

The CEO of Vivat Publishing, which belongs to the same holding as the destroyed printing press, has released an open letter, calling for support and donations, and launched a fundraiser for the victims and the restoration of the printing plant, the details of which can be found in said open letter.

This Ukrainian project has created a map of Ukrainian Bookshelves (in libraries mostly) worldwide:

https://chytomo.com/en/special_project/ukrainian-bookshelves-worldwide-en/

There are also a few possibilities to purchase books printed at Factor Druk in Europe and in the States, for instance:

https://movoslovo.com (this German online store has even launched its own campaign to support Faktor Druk)

https://knyharnia.eu/en

https://ukrbooks.co.uk

https://readua.com

There is no getting used to the constant horrible news from back home, but this attack, in its magnitude, on literature, art, education, culture has hit particularly hard and will surely go down in history. So I'm thankful that we can bring this up here!"

Our "Magical Image Makers" have been joined by a new impressive artist: the Taiwanese illustrator and animator PeiHsin Cho. Drop by and get inspired: https://corneliafunke.com/en/stories/magical-image-makers/stella-dreis/

Being an illustrator myself I am so thrilled that for its twentieth anniversary Inkheart will be honored with a handbound and lushly illustrated edition. I am sure it will be so beautiful that it will make readers wonder whether Meggie’s father Mo, who was not only a legend as a robber but also as a the bookbinder, made the 626 copies with his own hands.

Books Illustrated is the kind of publisher every writer dreams of. There is such passion in their bookmaking. They have taken me step by step with them on this truly illuminating adventure and even respected my wish to use bindings that don’t claim the lives of calves or other creatures.

All copies will be signed by me and more importantly by Alice Cao, the illustrator who will make the pages breathe with her art. I have often wished to live in an age where most books were illustrated and the word and the image always sang together. I am so thrilled to hear Inkheart being sung by Alice’s lines and colors. I can’t wait to hear the first reactions of readers who’ll claim one of the rare copies.

T.H.WHITE: THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING

The best fantasy book I know. Sad and funny, silly and wise. I wish I had written it.

W.GOLDMAN: THE PRINCESS BRIDE

I wish I had not read it yet so that I could read it again for the first time! Though it enchants me each time I read it again. One of the best villainS ever in there and for sure some of the best heroes. And no, life isn’t fair.

DAVID ALMOND: SKELLIG

"Skellig" is the story of a boy, who finds an angel in a rattly garage. Well, the creature kind of looks like an angel, but ... (this one, for example loves Chinese food and dark beer!). He is anything but fair and bright, but he is one of the most impressive angels I have ever found in literature.

NEIL GAIMAN

Well, I really don't know which of his books I would recommend first: "Neverwhere", "The Graveyard Book", "Stardust"? I love all of his stories. I listened to his audiobooks while illustrating "Reckless".

We've added some more articles to our archive. Stories we fondly remember: https://corneliafunke.com/en/stories

Cornelia landed in Pisa on 1 September 2021. She has bought an estate nearby that for many years had been an Agriturismo. Here she plans to continue her Artist in Residence Project — initially for one year.

Below you will find a letter from Cornelia in which she explains how she decided to move from California to Italy. So a lot has changed, and a lot will continue to change. Not least her website.

In California, on Cornelia's farm, there used to be an old barn that she had turned into a writing house. And for a long time, the website looked just like that barn. But now the barn is no longer suitable. Everything on the estate in Tuscany is slowly coming together. The furniture is still on its way by ship, and Cornelia is also only gradually settling into her new home, but she is eagerly organizing and rearranging the former farm. The garage has already been converted into a studio, the old tavern got a new kitchen and the equipment for the recording studio is complete. At the same time we have been trying to redesign page by page for you. We decluttered a bit here and there, created more clarity — at least we hope that you will find your way around and that you will like it. Only the guestroom needs another fresh coat of paint and a bit more cosiness.

If you'd like to comment or send us a message before we open the guestroom and guestbook again, we are looking forward to your emails: mail@corneliafunke.com.

Why?

The first reason is man made. Our climate is changing because humans forgot how to live in this world with respect for the others who share this world with us. We claim to be more clever than anyone else, but our actions show another truth. We are the only ones who don’t know how to live in this world without destroying it.

There had been no rain for months where I lived. The fires are raging almost every day somewhere on that coast by now, even high up North. Dead forests, killed by the drought, feed them, but where there are no trees there is no rain. Without plants there is no life on the planet.

I’ll have all my artist friends come to teach music, animation, writing and whatever else we come up with. There will hopefully be rain and no fires, but let’s see! The world is changing everwhere. I look forward to be back in Europe as I miss my friends and family there. And I know all the wonderful friends I found in America will come and visit – and are luckily very exited that I move to Italy.

Well, most of my characters end up in Italy in my books, so it is not that much of a surprise, is it? And my Italian will hopefully soon be as fast as it once was!

For over a decade of corneliafunke.com we have been telling stories about Cornelia and her books.

The most interesting ones you will find in our new "Stories" section. Enjoy!