Germany's celebrated children's author Janosch has died

Janosch, the pen name of German author and illustrator Horst Eckert, won hearts around the world with his warm and simple sense of humor. He charmed children and adults alike with his iconic Tiger, Bear, Tiger-Duck and other animals. 

Janosch created more than 150 books, which have been translated into over 30 languages.

His best-selling children's book, "Oh, wie schön ist Panama," translated into English as "The Trip to Panama," was so lucrative that Janosch was able to settle down on the Canary Island of Tenerife in 1980, where he lived together with his wife Ines. The writer and illustrator died peacefully at the age of 95, his publisher Bernhard Feil announced on Wednesday.

Dismissed from arts school

Janosch was born as Horst Eckert on March 11, 1931, in Hindenburg (now Zabrze, Poland) in what was then Upper Silesia. After World War II, his family had to flee to Germany.

In 1953, Janosch started studying at the Academy of Art in Munich, thinking that it would be easy to become an artist. He was however dismissed after just a few terms for "lack of talent." 

But luckily for his later readers, Janosch did not give up. He continued to work as a freelance artist, soon discovering his second great gift, namely writing.

His first children's book about a horse named Valek was published in 1960. 

Although Janosch became famous primarily for his children's books, he also wrote books for adults that focused on his own childhood.

The dream of a beautiful childhood 

Even though he wrote cheerful books for children, Janosch hardly had any positive memories of his own childhood, as his father was an alcoholic. He was beaten not only by him, but also by his mother and grandmother. Raised in a strictly Catholic environment, he was continuously threatened to be punished by God.

Later on, Janosch tried to overcome the burden of his childhood memories by turning to alcohol as well. 

He always expressed a great deal of understanding for children, trying to encourage them to stand up for their rights. As a result of his childhood experiences, Janosch did not want to have children himself, and his attitude towards the Catholic Church always remained divided. "As I am a sinner and a heretic, God will let me live a long life so that I can return to the Church," he told his biographer Angela Bajorek.

Janosch's animal figures are endearing, but not always well-behaved. They love all kinds of nonsense. But even if they lie to each other or put their own interests first, the true winner at the end of stories is always friendship and solidarity. 

Janosch's path towards world fame 

Janosch achieved his major breakthrough with "The Trip to Panama," a story about two friends, a little tiger and a bear, who set out to find their paradise in Panama. After touring around in circles, they finally end up where they started out; they realize that their journey was the destination. Janosch received the German Youth Book Prize in 1979 for the work.

Janosch's protagonists have become familiar to generations of children all over the world. They come up over and over again in the various stories carefully illustrated with water colors. 

There is the honest lion Hans from the toy chest who fails to catch a nutcracker with his lies. There is Schnuddel and a ridiculous bragger Günter the Box-Frog. And then there is a tiger that collects mushrooms while looking out for his devoted friend, a bear, who always stands up for him even when the tiger temporarily leaves him because of a little pig in one of the stories. 

Merchandising with a Tiger-Duck

The "Tigerente," literally "Tiger-Duck," a wooden duck on wheels with yellow-brown stripes, appears on numerous pictures by the illustrator. At times, the animal has been tossed into a corner, at times it is hanging from the ceiling, or the Box-Frog pulls it across the drawing.

His iconic figures, especially the Tiger-Duck, have served as motifs on various items, from cups to stamps to jewelry, and even on airplanes. Film adaptations and TV series based on his stories were produced in German and English.

'He who needs almost nothing, has everything'

Guests who visited Janosch in Tenerife were impressed by his very modest lifestyle. He always said that hanging around in his hammock doing nothing was what he enjoyed most. And yet Janosch remained very active until the end of his life. 

From 2013 to 2019, he wrote a column for the German weekly Die Zeit, taking on the role of Mr. Wondrak, who commented on world affairs. Shortly before his 90th birthday in 2021, the complete collection of his Mr. Wondrak columns were published as a book in German.

Like the protagonists in his stories, Janosch always tried to content himself with few things. As he wrote in one of his books: "He who needs almost nothing, has everything."