Scarily ever after

By Kath Dolan
Updated April 4 2013 - 4:28pm, first published March 22 2013 - 10:30pm
John Marsden with students at his Candlebark school. Photo: Angela Wylie
John Marsden with students at his Candlebark school. Photo: Angela Wylie

Children's author Margaret Wild vividly recalls the terror and fascination she felt as a child devouring the gruesome, darkly humorous cautionary tales of 19th-century German author (and psychiatrist) Heinrich Hoffmann in Struwwel-peter. His protagonists included an unfortunate girl named Harriet, who played with matches and was burnt to death, and Conrad, a thumb-sucker, who had his offending digits snipped off with scissors. "That mutilation of children's bodies was the most disturbing thing I'd ever read," says Wild, whose books include Vampyre, Woolvs in the Sitee and Fox. "I was fascinated by them."

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

$0/

(min cost $0)

or signup to continue reading

See subscription options

Get the latest Warrnambool news in your inbox

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.

We care about the protection of your data. Read our Privacy Policy.