The Thief Lord

In an interview included in the 2020 reprinted edition, Funke says, “Venice, of course, helped me to tell the story. In fact, I think of the city as a main character in the book.” Venice is also both the setting of The Thief Lord and a symbol of children’s capacity for awe and delight. Prosper first hears about the city from his mother, whose stories convince him to seek refuge there:

He had believed that this was his city—his and Bo’s. He used to believe that if they came here—the most beautiful city in the world—then they would be safe from Esther [. . .] He had felt as safe as a king in the center of his realm, protected by lions and dragons—and by the water all around them (248).

Although not quite the fantasy realm Prosper envisioned, the city does in fact protect the children, who hide among its many alleys. Just as importantly, its idiosyncrasies resonate with the novel’s children, as well as with those adults who, like Victor, retain a childlike sense of wonder and adventure. By contrast, villainous figures like Esther and Max view the city’s idiosyncrasies—its maze-like waterways, its pigeons and rats, its ancient buildings, etc.—as “filth” and a nuisance. This echoes their attitude toward children, whom they expect to behave as predictably and “properly” as adults, developing the theme of Adults’ Failures to Understand and Protect Children.