Simon Schwartz (born 5 October 1982)Schunck, Stephan (2013) "Simon Schwartz. Immer die Story im Auge" in ''Alfonz – Der Comicreporter'', Issue 1, 2013. Barmstedt: Edition Alfons, Verlag Volker Hamann, is a German illustrator, comic writer and cartoonist. His work is published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Die Zeit and other newspapers and magazines. He has written graphic novels including ''"drüben!"'' and ''"Packeis"'' and his work has been translated into French and English.

Life and work

Schwartz was born in 1982 in

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...

, which was then in

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

. When he was 18 months old he moved with his parents to

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

, where the family lived in the Berlin district of

Kreuzberg Kreuzberg () is a district of Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte. During the Cold War era, it was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, but since German reunification in 1990 it ha ...

. He studied illustration at the

Hamburg University of Applied Sciences The Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (German: Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg) is a higher education and applied research institution located in Hamburg, Germany. Formerly known as ''Fachhochschule Hamburg,'' the ''Hamburg U ...

under the cartoonist

Anke Feuchtenberger Anke Feuchtenberger (born 1963, in East Berlin) is a German artist and cartoonist. She studied at the Kunsthochschule Berlin. Since 1997, she has held a professorship for drawing at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. She is a mother and ...

,Maser, Peter; Veen, Hans-Joachim, eds. (2015). ''Haft, Diktatur, Revolution - Thüringen 1949-1989. Das Buch zur Gedenk- und Bildungsstätte Andreasstraße Erfurt''. Weimar / Erfurt: Stiftung Ettersberg. undertaking a Diploma in Illustration, 2004-2009, and a Master of Arts, 2011-2014. He taught illustration at the University from 2011-2016.Simon Schwartz - Illustrations & Comics. Curriculum vitae
Retrieved 13 August 2019 Schwartz has worked as a freelance illustrator since 2006. From 2008 he has worked regularly for the

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung The ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' (; ''FAZ''; "''Frankfurt General Newspaper''") is a centre-right conservative-liberal and liberal-conservativeHans Magnus Enzensberger: Alter Wein in neuen Schläuchen' (in German). ''Deutschland Radio'', ...

. He has regularly produced comics for the political section of the newspaper Die Zeit since 2010. His illustrations are published in the children's magazine ''GEOlino'', and the newspaper

Der Tagesspiegel ''Der Tagesspiegel'' (meaning ''The Daily Mirror'') is a German daily newspaper. It has regional correspondent offices in Washington D.C. and Potsdam. It is the only major newspaper in the capital to have increased its circulation, now 148,000, ...

.Hofmann, Matthias (February 2012) "Von der ehemaligen DDR zum Nordpol. Interview mit Simon Schwartz, dem Künstler von ''drüben!'' und ''Packeis''" in ''Zack.'' Nr. 152. Berlin: Mosaik Steinchen für Steinchen Verlag,

Graphic novels

Schwartz's work is often based around historical and biographical events. His first graphic novel, ''"drüben!"'' ("Over there") was written as course work for his Diploma in Illustration and published in 2009. It tells the story of how his parents left the East Germany, with him as a small child, and the difficulties they encountered. They left legally, by applying for an ''"Ausreiseantrag"'' (permit to leave), but this was a risky course of action as many applications were turned down, and it brought applicants to the attention of the authorities as not being loyal to the state. The Schwartz's application took three years to process.Ausstellung „Geschichtsbilder“ Hintergründige Geschichtslektionen
in

Tagesspiegel ''Der Tagesspiegel'' (meaning ''The Daily Mirror'') is a German daily newspaper. It has regional correspondent offices in Washington D.C. and Potsdam. It is the only major newspaper in the capital to have increased its circulation, now 148,000, ...

, 13 July 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018 The novel was published in French in 2011 and in English, as ''The Other Side of the Wall'', in 2015. His second graphic novel ''Packeis'' (Pack ice) was published in 2012, as a French translation in 2014 and in English in 2015, as ''First Man: Reimagining Matthew Henson''. It is a fictional story based on the life of the African-American explorer

Matthew Henson Matthew Alexander Henson (August 8, 1866March 9, 1955) was an African American explorer who accompanied Robert Peary on seven voyages to the Arctic over a period of nearly 23 years. They spent a total of 18 years on expeditions together.

, who was part of the 1909 expedition that claimed to be the first to reach the North Pole.

Kubus der Friedlichen Revolution

In 2012 Schwartz created the 7.5 m high and 40 m long graphic work "Thüringen im Herbst" (Thuringia in Autumn) for the Memorial and Education Centre Andreasstrasse, a museum in Erfurt which is housed in a former Stasi remand prison for political prisoners. The work is drawn on an architectural glass box, the ''"Kubus der Friedlichen Revolution"'' ("The Cube of the Peaceful Revolution") in the museum courtyard. In the style of a graphic novel, it tells the story of the Peaceful Revolution of 1989, and of the occupation of the prison and the Erfurt Stasi district headquarters on 4 December 1989, which was the first time East German citizens had taken such action against the Stasi.How ordinary people smashed the Stasi
in The Local.de, 4 December 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2019 It is based on over 100 contemporaneous photographs of the protests.

Bibliography

*Schwartz, Simon (2019) ''Das Parlament 45 Leben für die Demokratie''. Berlin: Avant-verlag *Schwartz, Simon (2018) ''Ikon''. Berlin: Avant-verlag *Schwartz, Simon (2018) ''Geschichtsbilder - Comics & Graphic Novels: Katalog zur Ausstellung''. Berlin: Avant-verlag *Schwartz, Simon (2015) ''The Other Side of the Wall'' (English translation of ''"drüben!"'', 2009). Minneapolis: Graphic Universe/Lerner Publishing Group *Schwartz, Simon (2015) ''First Man: Reimagining Matthew Henson'' (English translation of ''Packeis'', 2012). Minneapolis: Graphic Universe/Lerner Publishing Group *Schwartz, Simon (2014) ''Vita Obscura''. Berlin: Avant-verlag *Schwartz, Simon (2012) ''Packeis''. Berlin: Avant-verlag *Schwartz, Simon (2009) ''drüben!''. Berlin: Avant-verlag

Exhibitions

* Simon Schwartz: "Das Parlament - 45 Leben für die Demokratie". An exhibition at the

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Common ...

(German Parliament), Berlin, 4 April - 31 August 2019. Biographies, in comic form, of 45 German politicians from the time of the

Frankfurt Parliament The Frankfurt Parliament (german: Frankfurter Nationalversammlung, literally ''Frankfurt National Assembly'') was the first freely elected parliament for all German states, including the German-populated areas of Austria-Hungary, elected on 1 Ma ...

in 1848 until German reunification in 1990. The project was commissioned by the Arts Council of the German Parliament. * Simon Schwartz: "Das Parlament". An exhibition at the Bundestag, Berlin, 5 September 2017 - 21 January 2018. Biographies of 20 German members of Parliament, from 1848 to 1933, told in comic form.Lammert eröffnet Ausstellung mit Comics von Simon Schwartz
o
Deutscher Bundestag. Kunst
Retrieved 12 August 2019 *Simon Schwartz: "Geschichtsbilder – Comics & Graphic Novels". Exhibition from 18 May - 9 September 2018, Angermuseum Erfurt and 29 September 2019 - 21 January 2020, Ludwiggalerie, Schloss Oberhausen.

Awards

* 2012 -

Max & Moritz Prize The Max & Moritz Prize is a prize for comic books, comic strips, and other similar materials which has been awarded at each of the biennial International Comics Shows of Erlangen since 1984. It is open to all material published in Germany. 1984 ...

- Best German language comic for ''Packeis'' * 2016 -

Independent Publisher Book Awards The Independent Publisher Book Awards, also styled the IPPY Awards, are a set of annual book awards for independently published titles. They are the longest-running unaffiliated contest open exclusively to independent presses. The IPPY Awards ar ...

, Multicultural Non-fiction Juvenvile-Young Adult section - Silver medal for ''The Other Side of the Wall'' 2016 Independent Publisher Book Awards Results
Retrieved 12 August 2019

References

External links

Illustration & Comics. Simon Schwartz
(in English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwartz, Simon 1982 births Living people Artists from Erfurt German cartoonists German comics artists German comics writers Hamburg University of Applied Sciences alumni