Michael Ende was born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, in 1929 and grew up in Munich. After completing school he attended acting school in Munich from 1948 until 1950 and subsequently worked for three years as an actor while writing sketches and songs. From 1954 until 1962 he was a film critic with Bavarian Radio.
Michael Ende's breakthrough as a writer came in 1960 with the children's book "Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer" (Jim Knopf and Lukas the Engine Driver). He moved to Italy in 1970, where he completed his fairy tale novel Momo in 1972. Michael Ende achieved international success with numerous books for young readers, many of which were made into films.
His books have been translated into nearly 40 languages. He received a great number of national and international awards and honours for his literary works. For his complete works he received the Grand Prize of the German Academy for Literature for Children and Young Adults in 1980 and the Florence Fine Arts Academy Award in 1982, among other awards. Michael Ende died near Stuttgart in 1995.
