The story of "Krabat" When we purchased the boat, she was already named "Krabat". Our research revelled that Krabat is a children's fantasy novel written by Otfried Preußler, a German-speaking author born in Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). The book was first published in 1971. The [...]

English translation first was published as The Satanic Mill from 1972 to 1991, then republished in 2000 as The Curse of the Darkling Mill, in 2011 as Krabat and in 2014 as Krabat and the Sorcerer's Mill. The book deals primarily with black magic and the lure of evil. Other themes include friendship, love, and death. It won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (Prize for Literature for Young People) in 1972. Set in the early 17th century, the story follows the life of Krabat, a 14-year old beggar boy. For three consecutive nights, he is called through a dream to a watermill in a nearby village. Upon heeding the call and arriving at the mill, he begins his apprenticeship as a miller’s man. He soon joins the secret brotherhood, composed of journeymen, and discovers that the skill he is meant to learn through this apprenticeship is Black Magic. Other peculiarities of this watermill include the lack of any outside visitors, including farmers who would have brought corn. The only visitor to the mill is one Goodman, who may be the devil. Tonda, Krabat’s best friend and older brother figure, dies ostensibly of an accident on New Year’s Eve in Krabat’s first year at the mill. Krabat’s suspicions of foul play are further reinforced when another journeyman and friend, Michal, dies the following New Year’s Eve. He soon realizes that the master is bound in a pact to the Goodman: the master must sacrifice one journeyman every year on New Year’s Eve in exchange for his powers. Wishing to take revenge for his friends’ death, Krabat secretly trains to increase his magical strength so he can fight the master. His quest is aided by a girl from the nearby village, whose name is never mentioned. Her task is to distinguish Krabat from the rest of the journeymen, all dressed identically and standing motionless in a lineup. Ultimately, she rescues Krabat from death, and they and the journeymen escape the mill. The master is left to die in the burning mill on New Year’s Eve. Krabat - the protector of travelers.......