Christa Ludwig (néeSchnorrenberg; born 1 November 1949)[1] is a German teacher, writer and editor, specializing in books for young people. She taught at Schule Schloss Salem before turning to freelance writing. After books and series related to horses, a novel about the Jerusalem years of Else Lasker-Schüler was published in 2018. She received the Eichendorff-Literaturpreis.
Ludwig's first published work, a fable play entitled Die Kinder und die Tiere im Weltenreich Volumien, was originally written for her pupils; it was published in 1983 as a one-off special edition in a small number of copies.[3] From 1989 onwards, she has worked as a freelance writer. She is known for books for young people and young adults. Her many years of experience with horses resulted in the six-volume series Hufspuren (Hoof prints), which was read especially by young horse lovers.[4] This was followed by the volumes Himmelshuf (Heaven's hoof) and Mähnenmeer (Sea of manes) as well as other books on the subject of horses, but also individual works for adult readers.[4]
Ludwig received a scholarship from the "Förderkreis deutscher Schriftsteller" in 1998.[4] In August 2001, an audio play after her story "Pendelblut" (Pendulum blood), produced and broadcast by NDR, was chosen as the Hörspiel des Monats [de] (audio play of the month). In 2005, her novel Carlos in der Nacht (Carlos in the night) was shortlisted for the Goldene Leslie for the best German-language book for young people of the year.[4] She wrote a novel about the late years of the lyricist Else Lasker-Schüler in Jerusalem, Ein Bündel Wegerich[5] (A Sheaf of Plantain).[6] The book was developed over 20 years, supported by a travel grant for research in Jerusalem.[5] It was published in 2018, ready for the poet's 150th anniversary of birth in 2019.[7] She was awarded the Eichendorff-Literaturpreis then, with the jury saying "Her publications are sensitive and insistent, they are educating and full of inner sympathies for human and nature."[6]
