What Is The Background Of The Book Thief
Life and Background of Author
Markus Zusak is a forty year old man who was born in Sydney, Australia. His parents are Lisa and Helmut Zusak. His mother is originally from Germany while his father is from Austria and they immigrated to Australia in the late 1950’s. Markus is the youngest of four children. Before he was a professional author Zusak was a house painter, a janitor and a high school English teacher. Markus wrote his first book in 1999 called The Underdog. The Book Thief is Zusak’s fifth book and was published in 2006. It is published as an Adult book in Australia and a young adult book in the United States. The inspiration for The Book Thief came from Zusak’s parents because they use tell him stories about growing up in Austria
and Germany during World War II. Some of his parents’ stories ended up in the novel like the bombing of Munich and the Jews walking through his mother’s town to Dachau, a concentration camp. Markus now lives with his wife, Mika Zusak, and their two kids in Sydney, Australia.
Importance of Setting
The setting of The Book Thief is in Mulching, Germany (the birth place of Nazism) between the years of 1939 and 1943. The story begins at the peak of World War II and carriers on throughout the war. The time period and place affect the characters because they are in Germany during Nazism. The characters live in a time where you must act and look a certain way. You also must believe in the same things as everyone or you could end up in serious trouble. Some characters struggle because they have to go against what they believe is right in order to protect themselves and their family. It also shows the struggles German families had during World War II. For example, businesses like Alex Steiner and Hans Huberman start to lose customers because most of them were Jews. Since they do not have money, it leads to Liesel stealing the books because her parents cannot afford to buy her some. The reason the author, Markus Zusak, chose Germany for the setting is because he wanted to show the young girl stealing back the words that were taken away from her.
Markus Zusak is a forty year old man who was born in Sydney, Australia. His parents are Lisa and Helmut Zusak. His mother is originally from Germany while his father is from Austria and they immigrated to Australia in the late 1950’s. Markus is the youngest of four children. Before he was a professional author Zusak was a house painter, a janitor and a high school English teacher. Markus wrote his first book in 1999 called The Underdog. The Book Thief is Zusak’s fifth book and was published in 2006. It is published as an Adult book in Australia and a young adult book in the United States. The inspiration for The Book Thief came from Zusak’s parents because they use tell him stories about growing up in Austria
and Germany during World War II. Some of his parents’ stories ended up in the novel like the bombing of Munich and the Jews walking through his mother’s town to Dachau, a concentration camp. Markus now lives with his wife, Mika Zusak, and their two kids in Sydney, Australia.
Importance of Setting
The setting of The Book Thief is in Mulching, Germany (the birth place of Nazism) between the years of 1939 and 1943. The story begins at the peak of World War II and carriers on throughout the war. The time period and place affect the characters because they are in Germany during Nazism. The characters live in a time where you must act and look a certain way. You also must believe in the same things as everyone or you could end up in serious trouble. Some characters struggle because they have to go against what they believe is right in order to protect themselves and their family. It also shows the struggles German families had during World War II. For example, businesses like Alex Steiner and Hans Huberman start to lose customers because most of them were Jews. Since they do not have money, it leads to Liesel stealing the books because her parents cannot afford to buy her some. The reason the author, Markus Zusak, chose Germany for the setting is because he wanted to show the young girl stealing back the words that were taken away from her.