Milena Baisch was born in Bochum in 1976 and grew up in Wuppertal. From 1998 to 2000 she attended the Drehbuchakademie (Script Academy) of the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie (Germany Film and Television Academy) in Berlin. She has been active as an author since the mid-1990s and to date has produced more than 20 books.<\/p>\n
In 1997 she made her debut as an author with \u00bbFreundschaftsgeschichten\u00ab (tr. \u00bbFriendship Stories\u00ab). Her first and so far only novel for young adults, \u00bbBlumen im Bauch\u00ab (tr. \u00bbFlowers in the Belly\u00ab), came in 2007. Through shrewd observation she depicts the experiences of 15-year-old Maja and sensitively handles themes like first love and the problems of growing up. At the heart of \u00bbAnton taucht ab\u00ab (2001; tr. \u00bbAnton dives in\u00ab), Baisch\u2019s first novel for children, is the eponymous Anton. He has been hoping that a lakeside vacation with his grandparents will offer the adventure he craves. But disappointment sets in once he arrives at the holiday site. There\u2019s no pool, and Anton is unimpressed with the murky lake \u2013 until he gets to know a fish which he names Piranha. At the centre of Baisch\u2019s story are everyday worries and strategies for overcoming them. \u00bbAnton taucht ab\u00ab is strange, funny and at the same time highly literary. In 2011 the book won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (Germany Children\u2019s Literature Prize) for best children\u2019s book, impressing the jury with its \u00bbironic disruption of the adventure hero story\u00ab and its \u00bbthrilling narrative exuberance\u00ab. Baisch continues the story of her young hero in \u00bbAnton macht\u2019s klar\u00ab (2012; tr. \u00bbAnton makes it clear\u00ab). This book is also distinguished by a sensitive narrative voice, combined with offbeat humour. Anton\u2019s yearning for \u00bbRoolys\u00ab, or sneakers with wheels, gets him involved in yet another adventure. Here the theme of being different is at the heart of the narrative. Anton\u2019s difference comes from his parents, who are not as well off as his schoolmates\u2019 parents. Once again Baisch impresses the reader with narrative flair and comic dialogue. Despite their casual tone, \u00bbAnton taucht ab\u00ab and \u00bbAnton macht\u2019s klar\u00ab are books which take children \u2013 and the subjects which occupy them \u2013 seriously. However it would be wrong to categorise them as \u00bbissue\u00ab books. They are more aptly described as good literature for children: with great empathy and the gift of close observation Baisch finds coherent literary images for the wishes and worries of her young protagonists. With \u00bbAnton taucht ab\u00ab and \u00bbAnton macht\u2019s klar\u00ab, Baisch has brought her own distinct voice to contemporary German children\u2019s literature.<\/p>\n
Along with books for young readers Milena Baisch also writes scripts for film, television and radio and plays for children. As well as the Deutscher Literaturpreis she has also received the Deutscher Kinderh\u00f6rspielpreis (German Children\u2019s Radio Play Prize) for \u00bbAnton taucht ab\u00ab and in 2013 the Berliner Kindertheaterpreis (Berlin Children\u2019s Theatre Prize) for her play \u00bbDie Prinzessin und der Pj\u00e4r\u00ab (\u00bbThe Princess and the Pj\u00e4r\u00ab). Her literary work has so far been translated into seven languages. Milena Baisch lives in Berlin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"template":"","jct-role":[1080],"jct-origin":[495],"jct-ilb-years":[607],"class_list":["post-40750","authors","type-authors","status-publish","hentry","jct-role-author","jct-origin-germany","jct-ilb-years-2013-en"],"yoast_head":"\n