Marcus Pfister

Marcus Pfister was born in Berne, Switzerland, where he lives today. He is perhaps best known for his series of books featuring Rainbow Fish, which has been published in more than thirty languages around the world. In addition to the American Booksellers Association award for the first Rainbow Fish book, Pfister has also received the prestigious Critici in Erba Prize at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, as well as the Christopher Award for creating books that "affirm the highest value in the human spirit."

North-South: What was your original inspiration for Rainbow Fish?
Marcus Pfister: As I'm originally a graphic artist and illustrator, I designed the character of Rainbow Fish first. Then, watching this beautiful fish on my paper, it didn't take a lot of time to invent the story. I looked for a long time for a character with which I could write this kind of story and found it almost by accident.

NS: Why do you think Rainbow Fish and its successors have been so successful?
MP: Of course, people were fascinated by the effect of the holographic foil, but, then, they liked reading the story and related to its moral. This book became very popular at schools and in religious educational institutions. I guess I was able to "translate" complex social themes into easy, childlike language.

NS: What aspect of the creative process do you enjoy most?
MP: The most interesting part of my work is inventing new stories, new characters and new concepts. Of course, I do also like to illustrate, but then the really creative part of my work is already done.

NS: What do students respond to most when you do school visits?
MP: Since I'm also an illustrator, I like to do drawing lessons and combine these with my stories. It's important to motivate children to use their own fantasy. And, often when I teach them to create their own characters, they are also motivated to invent and write their own stories.

NS: What is the most memorable question a young fan has ever asked you?
MP: One of the funniest questions was asked by a little boy who wanted to know if Rainbow Fish also had problems with water entering his nose while he was swimming (since the boy had this problem during swimming lessons).

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