Janosch (, born as Horst Eckert on 11 March 1931) is a German children's author and illustrator.

Biography

Janosch was born as Horst Eckert in what was then Hindenburg (now

Zabrze Zabrze (; German: 1915–1945: ''Hindenburg O.S.'', full form: ''Hindenburg in Oberschlesien'', Silesian: ''Zŏbrze'', yi, זאַבזשע, Zabzhe) is an industrial city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The west district of the Sil ...

, Poland) in

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located ...

to a family of mixed German and Polish origin, though he identifies his nationality as " Silesian". His mother was a pious Catholic, and his father a violent alcoholic. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the family fled 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 ...

. In the area of

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places *Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony *Olde ...

, Janosch worked in a textile mill. In 1953, he went to

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, where he studied for some terms at the Academy of Arts, but broke off his studies eventually. Afterwards, he worked as a freelance artist. In 1960, his first book for children was published with George Lentz, a friend of his, who also persuaded him to take on the penname ''Janosch''. Within the next 10 years, numerous books for children followed with different publishing houses. He also published books for adults, in which he deals with his childhood experiences of growing up with an abusive father and a God-fearing mother, constantly recurring topics being friendship, family relationships, and the quest for the meaning of life. Amongst his most famous figures is the

Tigerente Janosch (, born as Horst Eckert on 11 March 1931) is a German children's author and illustrator. Biography Janosch was born as Horst Eckert in what was then Hindenburg (now Zabrze, Poland) in Upper Silesia to a family of mixed German and Poli ...

that appears in ''Oh, wie schön ist Panama'' and the stories around the little tiger and the little bear. From 1953 to 1980 the artist lived in

. By 1980, he had published over 100 books for children in nearly 30 languages. By then, he had left Germany, and lives since 1980 on the island of

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

in the Atlantic Ocean.

Awards

Among others, he has received the following awards: * 1975:

Literaturpreis der Stadt München Literaturpreis der Stadt München is a Bavarian literary prize. The prize money is €10,000. Winners *1928 Hans Carossa *1929 Willy Seidel *1930 Hans Brandenburg (Schriftsteller), Hans Brandenburg *1931 Josef Magnus Wehner *1932 Ruth Schauman ...

* 1979: German Youth Literature Award * 1984: Zilveren Griffel * 1993:

Bundesverdienstkreuz The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

Works

In German, Janosch published until today about 150 books which in part were translated into 30 languages.Philipp Zieger: ''Janosch''. In: ''

Südkurier The Südkurier is a regional daily newspaper in Germany serving the regions northwest of Lake Constance, Hochrhein and Black Forest with its headquarters Konstanz, Germany. The paper appears with a circulation of around 130,000, six times per w ...

'' vom 13. Mai 2009. * ''

Die Geschichte von Valek dem Pferd Die, as a verb, refers to death, the cessation of life. Die may also refer to: Games * Die, singular of dice, small throwable objects used for producing random numbers Manufacturing * Die (integrated circuit), a rectangular piece of a semicond ...

''. Georg-Lentz-Verlag, Munich 1960. * ''

Valek und Jarosch Valek or Válek is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Erika Valek (born 1982), Colombian basketball player *Jim Valek James Joseph Valek (January 25, 1928 – September 4, 2005) was an American football player, coach, and execut ...

''. Georg-Lentz-Verlag, Munich 1960. * ''

Das kleine Schiff Das or DAS may refer to: Organizations * Dame Allan's Schools, Fenham, Newcastle upon Tyne, England * Danish Aviation Systems, a supplier and developer of unmanned aerial vehicles * Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad, a former Colombian ...

''. Georg-Lentz-Verlag, Munich 1960. * ''

Der Josa mit der Zauberfidel Der or DER may refer to: Places * Darkənd, Azerbaijan * Dearborn (Amtrak station) (station code), in Michigan, US * Der (Sumer), an ancient city located in modern-day Iraq * d'Entrecasteaux Ridge, an oceanic ridge in the south-west Pacific Oc ...

''. Georg-Lentz-Verlag, Munich 1960. * '. Parabel-Verlag, Munich 1964. * ''

Das Auto hier heißt Ferdinand Das or DAS may refer to: Organizations * Dame Allan's Schools, Fenham, Newcastle upon Tyne, England * Danish Aviation Systems, a supplier and developer of unmanned aerial vehicles * Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad, a former Colombian ...

''. Parabel-Verlag, Munich 1964, . * '' Böllerbam und der Vogel''. Middelhauve Verlag,

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

1968, . * '' Cholonek oder Der liebe Gott aus Lehm''. Georg-Bitter-Verlag,

Recklinghausen Recklinghausen (; Westphalian: ''Riäkelhusen'') is the northernmost city in the Ruhr-Area and the capital of the Recklinghausen district. It borders the rural Münsterland and is characterized by large fields and farms in the north and indus ...

1970, . * '' Lari Fari Mogelzahn''. Beltz-Verlag,

Weinheim Weinheim (; pfl, Woinem) is a town with about 43,000 inhabitants in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, approximately north of Heidelberg and northeast of Mannheim. Weinheim is known as the "Zwei ...

1971, . * '' Leo Zauberfloh''. dtv, Munich 1975, . * '' Sacharin im Salat''. Bertelsmann-Verlag, Munich 1975, . * '' Update on Rumpelstiltskin and other Fairy Tales by 43 Authors''.

Beltz & Gelberg Hans-Joachim Gelberg (27 August 1930 – 17 May 2020) was a German writer and publisher of children's books, who received several awards. Biography Gelberg was born in Dortmund and later lived in Weinheim, Baden Württemberg. Gelberg founded i ...

1976, . * '' Traumstunde für Siebenschläfer''. Beltz-Verlag,

1977, . * '' Die Maus hat rote Strümpfe an''. Beltz-Verlag,

1978, . * '. Beltz-Verlag,

1978, . **English translation: ''The Trip to Panama''. Beltz & Gelberg Verlag, Weinheim 1990, . translator:

Anthea Bell Anthea Bell (10 May 1936 – 18 October 2018) was an English translator of literary works, including children's literature, from French, German and Danish. These include '' The Castle'' by Franz Kafka, ''Austerlitz'' by W. G. Sebald, the '' In ...

* '' Sandstrand''. Beltz-Verlag,

1979, ; Merlin Verlag, Gifkendorf 2001, . * '. Beltz-Verlag,

1979, . * '' Schnuddelbuddel sagt Gutnacht''.

Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag The dtv Verlagsgesellschaft is a German publishing house headquartered in Munich. It was founded in 1960 by eleven publishers as a common paperback publishing house named "Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag" (German paperback publishing house). Starti ...

, Munich 1979, . * '. Beltz-Verlag,

1980, . * '' The City meets the Country''.

1980, . * '' Das Leben der Thiere''. Beltz-Verlag,

1981, . * '' Rasputin der Vaterbär''. Beltz-Verlag,

1983, . * '. Diogenes-Verlag,

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

1985, . * '' Das Lumpengesindel''. Diogenes-Verlag,

1987, . * '' Der Mäuse-Sheriff''. Georg Bitter Verlag,

1989, . * '' Die Kunst der bäuerlichen Liebe 1''. Teil. Merlin Verlag, Gifkendorf 1990, . * '' Du bist ein Indianer, Hannes''. Bitter Verlag,

1990, . * '' Polski Blues''.

Goldmann Verlag Goldmann (formerly ''Wilhelm Goldmann Publishing'') is a publishing house in Munich and part of the Bertelsmann group belonging to the Random House Publishing Group. They are the best-selling commercial publishers in Germany, especially in paperb ...

, Munich 1991, . * '. Merlin Verlag, Gifkendorf 1992, . * '' Schäbels Frau''.

, Munich 1992, . * '' Mutter sag, wer macht die Kinder?''. Mosaik-Verlag, Munich 1992, . * '' Von dem Glück, Hrdlak gekannt zu haben''.

, Munich 1994, . * '' Von dem Glück, als Herr Janosch überlebt zu haben''. Merlin Verlag, Gifkendorf 1994, . * '' Franz mit dem verdammten Hut''. Little Tiger Verlag, Hamburg 1995, . * '' Schnuddel baut ein Wolkenhaus''. Isis Verlag,

Chur , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Churwalden, Tschiertschen-Praden, Domat/Ems, Felsberg, Malix, Trimmis, Untervaz, Pfäfers , twintowns = Bad Homburg (Germany), Cabourg (France), Mayrhofen (Austria), Mondorf-les-Bains (Luxembourg), ...

1995, . * '' Schnuddels Gute-Nacht-Geschichten''. Isis Verlag,

1995, . * ''

Wörterbuch der Lebenskunst This list includes notable historic, standardized, and common-use dictionaries of the German language. The beginnings of German dictionaries date back to a series of glossaries from the 8th century CE. The first comprehensive German dictionary, th ...

''.

, Munich 1995, . * '' Gastmahl auf Gomera''.

, Munich 1997, . * '' Restaurant & Mutterglück oder Das Kind''. Merlin Verlag, Gifkendorf 1998, . * '' Ich liebe eine Tigerente''. Mosaik-Verlag, Munich 1999, . * '' Janoschs großer, kleiner Tigeratlas''. Bassermann, Munich 2002, . * '' Janoschs Tausend-Bilder-Lexikon''. Bassermann, Munich 2002, . * '' Wie der Tiger zählen lernt''. Bassermann, Munich 2002, . * '' Wie der Tiger lesen lernt''. Bassermann, Munich 2002, . * '' Bei Liebeskummer Apfelmus''. Bassermann, Munich 2002, . * '' Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsbär''. Bassermann, Munich 2002, . * '' Wenn Schnuddel in die Schule geht und andere Geschichten''. cbj, Munich 2006, . * '' Gibt es hitzefrei in Afrika? So leben die Kinder dieser Welt''.

Heyne Verlag The Heyne Verlag (formerly Wilhelm Heyne Verlag) is a German publisher based in Munich, which was founded in Dresden in 1934 and sold to Axel Springer in 2000. In 2004 it became part of Random House. Heyne was one of the largest publishing houses ...

, Munich 2006, .

Tigerente

The Tigerente ( tiger duck) is a children's book character created by the German artist and author Janosch. It is a little wooden toy duck on wheels, striped black on yellow, that is pulled around on a string by various characters of Janosch's books. It never has a line of dialogue, but still has become by far the most popular figure ever created by the author. The Tigerente has since appeared on a wide range of products including posters, postcards, high school art projects, buttons,

mug A mug is a type of cup typically used for drinking hot drinks, such as coffee, hot chocolate, or tea. Mugs usually have handles and hold a larger amount of fluid than other types of cup. Typically, a mug holds approximately of liquid. A mug i ...

s, socks, umbrellas,

cutlery Cutlery (also referred to as silverware, flatware, or tableware), includes any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in Western culture. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler. The city of Sheffie ...

, and nearly every item of children's furniture imaginable, and has been the namesake and mascot of the German TV show ''

Tigerenten Club Tigerenten Club is a German children's television programme. The programme involves a mix of games, quizzes, cartoons and outside reports from the presenters and children, with the aim to educate and entertain. It is produced by SWR in co-operatio ...

'', all without ever uttering a single line. The story has been made into a contemporary opera "'' Oh, the beautiful Panama''" by

Lin Wang Lin Wang ({{zh, c=林旺, p=Lín Wàng, zhu=ㄌ一ㄣˊ ㄨㄤˋ; 29 October 1917 – 26 February 2003) was an Asian elephant that served with the Chinese Expeditionary Force during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) and later rel ...

. The opera was premiered at

Deutsche Oper Berlin The Deutsche Oper Berlin is a German opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The resident building is the country's second largest opera house (after Munich's) and also home to the Berlin State Ballet. Since 2004, the De ...

in 2013, and was a sold-out event.

References

External links

*
Official Homepage
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Janosch German children's literature Characters in children's literature 1931 births Living people People from Zabrze People from the Province of Upper Silesia German artists German people of Polish descent Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German children's writers German male writers