author
Erich Kästner
Wry, warm, and sharply observant, this beloved German writer gave children adventure stories that never talked down to them. His books pair quick humor with a strong sense of fairness, which helps explain why they still feel fresh generations later.
1 Audiobook
Emil and the detectives : A story for children
by Erich Kästner
About the author
Born in Dresden in 1899, Erich Kästner became one of Germany’s best-known writers for children, while also building a reputation as a poet, satirist, and screenwriter. He studied literature, history, philosophy, and theater, and his clear, witty style stood out in the years of the Weimar Republic.
He is especially remembered for children’s classics including Emil and the Detectives, Pünktchen and Anton, and Lisa and Lottie, the novel that later inspired The Parent Trap. Even at their funniest, his stories are grounded in everyday life and shaped by sympathy for children navigating a complicated adult world.
Kästner remained in Germany during the Nazi era, though his books were banned and burned in 1933. After World War II, he continued to write and was widely honored, including receiving the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1960 for his autobiography When I Was a Little Boy. He died in Munich in 1974.