Mira Lobe

Mira Lobe (Hebrew: מירה לובה‎‎, born Hilde Mirjam Rosenthal; September 17, 1913, in Görlitz, Silesia - February 6, 1995, in Vienna) was an Austrian writer of more than 100 children's books.

Some of her books were translated into English and other languages, such as Es ging ein Schneemann durch das Land, which became The snowman who went for a walk in English. She is credited as the writer of the movie Children's Island (1984).

After school, Mira Lobe wanted to study art history and German language and literature, but because she was Jewish, Lobe was not allowed due to the growing antisemitism. Instead she attended a fashion school in Berlin, joined a Zionist youth group and studied Hebrew.

In 1936 she emigrated to Mandate Palestine, where in 1940 she married the actor and director Friedrich Lobe. The couple had two children. Her first book, "Insu-Pu", was published in 1948 in Tel Aviv. It tells the story of eleven children on their way to Terrania, where there's peace. They become stranded on a desert island where they manage to establish a perfectly working state.

In 1951 she moved to Vienna with her husband. There she published books in first a communist and later a socialist publishing house. In 1957 they moved to East Berlin. In 1958 she was awarded the Austrian Children's Books prize for "Titi im Urwald" ("Titi in the Jungle").

In all of Mira Lobe's books, peace, tolerance and social awareness are important topics. Many of them were illustrated by Susi Weigel.

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