Otfried Preußler's children's book Krabat (The Legend of the Satanic Mill) was translated into 35 languages and is one of Neil Gaiman's favourite scary stories for children. It is a story of power and its abuse which was deeply shaped by Preußler's childhood and youth. Like so many of his peers, he grew up under the powerful influence of Nazi propaganda and went off to war. But, during his time as a POW in Russian camps, he began to reflect his experiences and to write.
While researching in Russian archives, Carsten Gansel found many previously unknown documents about and texts by Otfried Preußler, and the author’s heirs later also provided him with Preußler’s previously unpublished autobiography. Based on those, Carsten Gansel writes about what Preußler experienced during and after the war, how this period shaped him, and about the internal battles he fought. In Child of a Difficult Time Gansel traces Preußler’s path, which was as prototypical as it was unique.
