Wolf Erlbruch. Award Laureate 2017 1
A Master of Illustrations “Most important in draw
ing or writing for children is to be honest about your own feelings and tell about yourself also.”, says Wolf Erlbruch. Wolf Erlbruch is a German illustrator and picturebook author. Born in Wuppertal in 1948, he studied graphic design and worked mainly as an illustrator for magazines such as Stern and Esquire before beginning to teach. Erlbruch has held professorships in illustration at the University of Wuppertal and the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. He has authored some ten books and illustrated nearly fifty titles by other authors. Citation of the jury: ”Wolf Erlbruch makes existential questions accessible and manageable for readers of all ages. With humour and warmth deeply rooted in humanist ideals, his work presents the universe on our scale. He is a master of the illustrator’s art who honours tradition whilst opening new creative doors. Wolf Erlbruch is a careful and caring visionary.” From Advertising to Picturebooks Wolf Erlbruch’s career as a children’s book illustrator began when a publisher spotted some lions he had drawn for an advertisement and recognized him as a potential picture book artist. In 1985, Erlbruch published his first book, The Eagle That Would Not Fly, with text by James Aggrey. He has said of his debut work that he wanted to show his then-infant son a children’s book made by his father. Five years passed before the next book appeared, with the long German title Vom kleinen Maulwurf, der wissen wollte, wer ihm auf den Kopf gemacht hat (1989, The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business) and text by Werner Holzwarth. The book broke with some established taboos, telling the story of a little mole who gets an unexpected delivery of poop on his head and tries to track down the