Wolf Erlbruch

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Wolf Erlbruch (born 1949 in Wuppertal, Germany) is an award-winning illustrator and writer of children's books. He combines various techniques for the artwork in his books, including cutting and pasting, drawing, and painting. His style is sometimes surrealist and is widely copied inside and outside Germany, and some of his story books discuss adult topics such as death and the meaning of life. They have won many awards, including the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 1993 and 2003, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustration in 2006.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Erlbruch studied graphic design at the Folkwang-Schule in Essen, and worked as an illustrator for magazines such as Stern and Esquire. His first assignment as an illustrator of children's books came in 1985, when he was asked by the Wuppertal publisher Peter Hammer to illustrate Der Adler, der nicht fliegen wollte by James Aggrey; Erlbruch's son Leonard had just been born, and Erlbruch wanted him to be able to say, "Look, my papa made a children's book." Since then, he has illustrated and written many award-winning books, and has become a professor of illustration at the University of Wuppertal.[1]

[edit] Characteristics

Erlbruch tackles many adult topics in children's books, though he is not always fond of being characterized as an author for children. Some of his books have autobiographical notes, such as his Leonard (a "delightfully eccentric tale"[2]), a book partly inspired by his then-six year old son Leonard (now an illustrator himself[3]), about a boy who overcomes his fear of dogs by becoming a dog himself.[1][4] Many of the characters in his books, such as the mole of The Story of the Little Mole Who Went in Search of Whodunit (also known in English as The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business), have little round black glasses, such as Erlbruch has himself.[1] He is praised for the original and surreal quality of his work.[5] According to Silke Schnettler, writing in the German newspaper Die Welt, the "Erlbruch-style," whose main characters are skewed and sometimes disproportianate but nonetheless real recognizable, has become widely imitated inside and outside Germany.[6]

Death is a recurring topic in Erlbruch's books. Duck, Death and the Tulip (2008) features a duck who becomes friends with Death, and in Ein Himmel für den kleinen Bären ("A heaven for the little bear") a bear cub tries to find his recently deceased grandfather in bear heaven.

The moral of his own stories, Erlbruch suggested in 2003, the year he received a special version of the Deutschen Jugendliteraturpreises for his entire oeuvre and the Gutenberg Award of the city of Leipzig, is that people should regard themselves from a distance and accept even what is not so beautiful about themselves, what is special.[6]

[edit] Illustrations

Many of Erlbruch's illustrations are made using mixed media and collage.[6] For The Story of the Little Mole, for instance, he drew the characters on brown wrapping paper, and pasted them on white paper.[7]

[edit] Critical reception

The Guardian called Duck, Death and the Tulip (2009), about a duck who finds himself being followed by and then becoming acquainted with death, an "outstanding book": "There is something infinitely tender in the way Death strokes her ruffled feathers into place, lifts her body and places it gently in the river, watching as she drifts off into the distance."[8]

Erlbruch's illustrations for Fürchterlichen Fünf (translated into English as The Fearsome Five) were adapted for the stage by the Landestheater Tübingen.[9]

[edit] Notable titles

[edit] Nachts

Nachts ("At Night," 1999), translated in Dutch as 's Nachts, was written for the Dutch Kinderboekenweek, an annual event promoting children's literature. It is a story about a boy, Fons, who, unable to sleep, drags his father on a walk through town and encounters the most fantastic animals and creatures. Some of the things Fons sees along the way were specifically geared toward the Dutch reader, Erlbruch explained.[10]

For his mixed-media illustrations in Nachts, Erlbruch used cut-outs from stacks of papers from 1940s German wallpaper and other eclectic sources. Each page features a moon, and some of those were cut from plans from a French company for a railroad in China; the mathematical formulas, explained Erlbruch, represent the adult, rational world—cutting up papers with such calculations on it he suspects is an act of rebellion.[10] The Dutch daily newspaper Trouw wrote that in Nachts, Erlbruch "cuts, pastes, draws, paints, and writes a beautiful little piece of art."[11]

[edit] Awards

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Authored

  • Erlbruch, Wolf (1991). Leonard. Wuppertal: Peter Hammer Verlag. 
  • Erlbruch, Wolf (1992). Das Bärenwunder. Wuppertal: Peter Hammer Verlag. 
  • Erlbruch, Wolf (1997). Mrs. Meyer the Bird. Orchard. ISBN 978-0531300176. [17]
  • Erlbruch, Wolf (1999). Nachts. Wuppertal: Peter Hammer Verlag. ISBN 978-3872948342.  Translated into Dutch,[11] Norwegian.[18]
  • Moritz, Karl Philipp; Wolf Erlbruch (2001). Das Neue ABC-Buch. Kunstmann. 
  • Erlbruch, Wolf (2005). The Big Question. Europa. ISBN 978-1933372037. 
  • Erlbruch, Wolf; Michael Reynolds (trans.) (2006). The Miracle of the Bears. Europa. ISBN 978-1933372211. 
  • Erlbruch, Wolf (2008). Duck, Death and the Tulip. Gecko. ISBN 978-1877467172. 

[edit] Illustrated

  • Dayre, Valérie (1996). Die Menschenfresserin. Peter Hammer Verlag. [19]
  • Belli, Gioconda (2006). The Butterfly Workshop. Europa. ISBN 978-1933372129. 
  • Chidgey, Catherine (2009). The Fearsome Five. Gecko. ISBN 978-1877467233. 
  • Holzwarth, Werner (2001). The Story of the Little Mole Who Went in Search of Whodunit. Chrysalis. ISBN 978-1856024402. [20][21]
  • Verroen, Dolf (2003). Ein Himmel für den kleinen Bären. Hanser. ISBN 9783446202948.  Translated into Dutch.[22]
  • Hopkins, Lee Bennett (2005). Oh, No! Where Are My Pants? and Other Disasters: Poems. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0688178604. 

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Schnettler, Silke (2000-02-01). "Von Maulwürfen und Menschen: Ver-Rückt sein ist gut: Ein Besuch beim Kinderbuchzeichner und -autor Wolf Erlbruch". Die Welt. http://www.welt.de/print-welt/article500731/Von_Maulwuerfen_und_Menschen.html. Retrieved 2010-01-03. 
  2. ^ "Book Review Holiday Special Section". Los Angeles Times: p. 16. 1995-12-03. 
  3. ^ Kindermann, Klemens (2003-10-01). "Kinderbücher: Verführung zum Träumen" (in German). Der Spiegel. http://www.spiegel.de/spiegelspecial/0,1518,274814-2,00.html. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  4. ^ "Children's Books; Bookshelf". New York Times. 1996-04-21. http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/21/books/children-s-books-bookshelf-092037.html. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  5. ^ Catinchi, Philippe-Jean; Florence Noiville (2001-03-16). "Des images secrètes et riches de sens caché" (in French). Le Monde. 
  6. ^ a b c d Schnettler, Silke (2003-03-021). "Der Vater des kleinen Maulwurfs: Buchmesse feiert den Zeichner Wolf Erlbruch" (in German). Die Welt. http://www.welt.de/print-welt/article505444/Der_Vater_des_kleinen_Maulwurfs.html. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  7. ^ Duin, Lieke van (1997-04-16). "Zwaarte en lichtheid bij Wolf Erlbruch" (in Dutch). Trouw. http://www.trouw.nl/krantenarchief/1997/04/16/2528251/Zwaarte_en_lichtheid_bij_Wolf_Erlbruch.html. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  8. ^ Rosoff, Meg (2009-12-19). "Rev. of Duck, Death and the Tulip". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/dec/19/wolf-erlbruch-children-picturebook-review. Retrieved 2010-01-03. 
  9. ^ Jahnke, Manfred (1997-05-07). "Keine Zeit für Pausen: Eine Bilanz des Kinder- und Jugendtheatertreffen in Berlin" (in German). Stuttgarter Zeitung. 
  10. ^ a b c d Blankendaal, Stijntje (1999-10-07). "'Eindelijk werd ik zelf bijziend'" (in Dutch). Trouw. http://www.trouw.nl/krantenarchief/1999/10/07/2413681/_Eindelijk_werd_ik_zelf_bijziend_.html. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  11. ^ a b Nauta, Hans (1999-10-06). "'De Indianen slapen, dus slapen de cowboys ook'" (in Dutch). Trouw. http://www.trouw.nl/krantenarchief/1999/10/06/2413539/_De_Indianen_slapen__dus_slapen_de_cowboys_ook_.html. Retrieved 2010-01-03. 
  12. ^ a b "Deutschsprachige Kinder- und Jugendliteratur - Autoren und Illustratoren - Wolf Erlbruch". Goethe Institute. http://www.goethe.de/INS/fr/nan/prj/kjl/aut/we/deindex.htm. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  13. ^ "Sonderpreisträger von 1991 bis 2008". Deutsche Jugendliteraturpreis. http://www.djlp.jugendliteratur.org/archiv_sonderpreistraeger-25.html. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  14. ^ "Wuppertals Kulturpreis an Illustrator Prof. Wolf Erlbruch". uni-protokolle. 2003-12-09. http://www.uni-protokolle.de/nachrichten/id/26871/. Retrieved 2010-01-05. 
  15. ^ Derrien, Marie. "Radical Trends in French Picturebooks". The Lion and the Unicorn 29 (2): 171–89. ISSN 0147-2593. http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/lion_and_the_unicorn/v029/29.2derrien.html. Retrieved 2010-01-05. 
  16. ^ "Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing 2008 - 1956". International Board on Books for Young People. http://www.ibby.org/index.php?id=308. Retrieved 2010-01-03. 
  17. ^ "Children's Books; Bookshelf". New York Times. 1997-10-12. http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/12/books/children-s-books-bookshelf-414220.html. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  18. ^ Moe Mette (2004-03-18). "Rev. of Wolf Erlbruch, Om Natta, trans. by Anne Horn". Barnebokkritikk. http://www.barnebokkritikk.no/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=132. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  19. ^ "Die besten 7 Kinderbücher für junge Leser" (in German). Focus. August 1996. http://www.focus.de/kultur/medien/kultur-die-besten-7-kinderbuecher-fuer-junge-leser-und150-august_aid_161175.html. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  20. ^ McDonald, Maggie (1994-11-19). "And now for children's hour...". New Scientist. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14419525.000-and-now-for-childrens-hour-.html. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  21. ^ "So where is the bunny?". The Guardian. 2001-04-07. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4722768/So-where-is-the-bunny.html. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  22. ^ Boer, Peter de (2003-03-29). "Kunnen jullie toevallig een beer gebruiken?" (in Dutch). Trouw. http://www.trouw.nl/krantenarchief/2003/03/29/2169768/Kunnen_jullie_toevallig_een_beer_gebruiken_.html. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
Authors: Eleanor Farjeon (1956) • Astrid Lindgren (1958) • Erich Kästner (1960) • Meindert DeJong (1962) • René Guillot (1964) • Tove Jansson (1966) • James Krüss and José Maria Sanchez-Silva (1968) • Gianni Rodari (1970) • Scott O'Dell (1972) • Maria Gripe (1974) • Cecil Bødker (1976) • Paula Fox (1978) • Bohumil Říha (1980) • Lygia Bojunga Nunes (1982) • Christine Nöstlinger (1984) • Patricia Wrightson (1986) • Annie M. G. Schmidt (1988) • Tormod Haugen (1990) • Virginia Hamilton (1992) • Michio Mado (1994) • Uri Orlev (1996) • Katherine Paterson (1998) • Ana Maria Machado (2000) • Aidan Chambers (2002) • Martin Waddell (2004) • Margaret Mahy (2006) • Jürg Schubiger (2008) • David Almond (2010)
Illustrators: Alois Carigiet (1966) • Jiří Trnka (1968) • Maurice Sendak (1970) • Ib Spang Olsen (1972) • Farshid Mesghali (1974) • Tatyana Mavrina (1976) • Svend Otto S. (1978) • Suekichi Akaba (1980) • Zbigniew Rychlicki (1982) • Mitsumasa Anno (1984) • Robert Ingpen (1986) • Dusan Kállay (1988) • Lisbeth Zwerger (1990) • Kveta Pacovská (1992) • Jörg Müller (1994) • Klaus Ensikat (1996) • Tomi Ungerer (1998) • Anthony Browne (2000) • Quentin Blake (2002) • Max Velthuijs (2004) • Wolf Erlbruch (2006) • Roberto Innocenti (2008) • Jutta Bauer (2010)
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