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Lerninhalte in Englisch
Prüfungsaufgaben (ZP10)
Inhaltsverzeichnis

Leseverstehen

The family that is enough

by Juliet Rix
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“If you want to hang out with my brothers you have to be in top form or you’ll be destroyed,” says Eoin
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(pronounced ‘Owen’) Colfer, the second of five boys and author of the hugely successful Artemis Fowl books
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(often described as James Bond with fairies). His relationship with his brothers, he believes, explains the
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quick, dry humour in his books. His writing style has put his books at the top of many bestseller lists, and so
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Eoin, who used to work as an Irish primary school teacher, became an international celebrity.
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Born in 1965, Eoin grew up in the seaside town of Wexford, Ireland. The household was large, loving and
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loud. Eoin’s father used to take his sons on historical trips. “To keep us from fighting, my dad would tell us all
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stories about fairies and dragons. He had to keep going because whenever he stopped, me and my brothers
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were at each other’s throats.”
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Eoin loved comic books, invented his own characters and drew and wrote his own comics when he was
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young. His interest in writing continued as a love of drama: He used to help his mother (a drama teacher and
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local actress), learned her lines with her and had parts in Wexford Opera Festival productions.
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It is perhaps not surprising that when Eoin started to write books, his brothers became the characters. All
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five boys are part of the story. In the second Artemis Fowl book, four goblins have a fight. Their names are
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almost identical to those of Eoin’s brothers.
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Eoin had written three other children’s books while teaching at the local primary school in Wexford. He
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thought that his Artemis books would also become successful but only in Ireland. But when his wife Jackie
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read the manuscript, she knew it was different. She asked Eoin’s brothers to take him to a pub and make him
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promise to get an agent. Convincing their brother was really difficult, but it paid off.
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The money was not as big as has been reported, but fame came fast and bigger money followed later.
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Didn’t that change things? “Not as much as you would expect,” says Eoin. In Ireland everyone is a
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writer and people in Wexford aren’t interested in wealth and fame: “They’ve known me for decades, so they
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don’t care.” The brothers keep his feet on the ground too, Eoin adds.
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Colfer’s kids have changed his writing. “My son Finn, for example, is very funny,” says Eoin. “He comes up
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with some great funny remarks and I get a lot of material straight from him.” When Finn argues in the back of
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the car, Eoin doesn’t tell stories to stop him. Instead, he tries to remember it for his books.
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The realisation that his children would one day read his books also made him think about the violence.
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“There is a huge fight in the first book. I decided there was no need for that really … Now there are struggles
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but not much actual violence.” The amorality of his hero – the criminal boy Artemis Fowl – worried the new
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father in him too. Over the next four books, Artemis develops a feeling for right and wrong. “I don’t know
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how much longer he will stay interesting as a character,” admits Eoin.
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“Once he turns completely good, that’s it.”
You are doing a reading project in your English class. All the students have to present a famous English-speaking author who writes books for young adults. You have come across Irish author Eoin Colfer, creator of the famous Artemis Fowl books. Who is this man? Find out more about him in the online article.
Aus: Juliet Rix: The family that is enough, TheGuardian (14.10.2016)
Tick the correct box and give evidence from the text by quoting short passages from the text.
1.
Eoin Colfer grew up as an only child.
This statement is... true false
One piece of evidence from the text:
2.
Colfer's way of writing is influenced by his...
a) family.
b) former job.
c) favourite book.
One piece of evidence from the text:
3.
Colfer grew up in a household with...
a) peace and quiet.
b) little entertainment.
c) lots of fantastic tales.
One piece of evidence from the text:
4.
Growing up, Colfer showed little creative talent.
This statement is... true false
One piece of evidence from the text:
5.
Figures in the Artemis Fowl books are based on family members.
This statement is... true false
One piece of evidence from the text:
6.
When Colfer wrote the Artemis Fowl books he...
a) kept them secret from his family.
b) already had some experience in the job.
c) hoped they would become an international hit.
One piece of evidence from the text:
7.
The Artemis Fowl books made Colfer rich overnight.
This statement is true false
One piece of evidence from the text:
8.
Because of Colfer's success the people in his town...
a) began to ask him for money.
b) kept their distance from him.
c) behaved like they had before.
One piece of evidence from the text:
9.
Despite his success as a writer, Colfer has remained a fairly normal person.
This statement is... true false
One piece of evidence from the text:
10.
Daily-life situations with his children are an inspiration for Colfer's books.
This statement is... true false
One piece of evidence from the text:
11.
Because of his children, Colfer's stories have become...
a) gentler.
b) simpler.
c) more exciting.
One piece of evidence from the text:
12.
Colfer plans to stop writing the series once Artemis Fowl is too...
a) old.
b) nice.
c) strict.
One piece of evidence from the text:

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