Markus was inspired to write about this genre from his personal context. When Markus was younger his parents told him stories about their experiences from World War II, this led Markus to be inspired to write a book that coincided with his Parents experiences.
In regards to the context of the book, Zusak first drafted a book, where a girl steals a book in modern day Sydney. It was not only till later when thinking about writing a book on his parents childhood in Germany and Austria during World War II, Zusak integrated these ideas and created a book that efficiently depicted Nazi Germany and the issues of the time. The key area that Markus Zusak wanted to show in “The Book Thief” was the power of language and words that resonated throughout