Janosch, the German author and illustrator whose characters the Tiger, the Bear and the Tiger Duck became familiar to generations of children, has died at the age of 95. His publisher, Bernhard Feil, informed the German Press Agency on behalf of the artist’s wife that he died on Tuesday in Tenerife.
Janosch’s illustrated books, including “Oh, How Beautiful Panama Is,” delighted children around the world from the 1970s onward. His works have been translated into around 40 languages, with total sales reaching millions of copies. The characters also became a widely licensed brand, appearing on products including mugs, bicycles and pacifiers. In the 1990s, the Tiger Duck was a common sight on school backpacks.
Born Horst Eckert in 1931, Janosch spent much of his childhood in Upper Silesia, in what is now Poland. He grew up amid poverty, violence and his father’s alcoholism. His children’s stories, with their humor, rebellious spirit and occasional melancholy, offered a contrast to that difficult childhood. Their characters stand up to oppression and injustice with courage, mischief and compassion.
Janosch also explored his childhood in works for adults, including the novel “Cholonek, or the Dear Lord of Clay.” He wrote plays and illustrated the provocative stories of the French nobleman Marquis de Sade. After the success of his books, he moved to Tenerife in the 1980s.
Sources: FAZ.