German Children’s Author Janosch Dies at 95

German children’s book writer and illustrator Horst Eckert, better known by his pen name Janosch, whose stories and memorable characters entertained generations of readers, has died at the age of 95. 

His literary agent confirmed his death to AFP on Wednesday, saying he died on Tuesday. 

His publisher and agent, Bernhard Feil, said the information came from the author’s wife.

Janosch became widely known for creating distinctive characters that became part of German children’s culture. One of his best-known creations was Tigerente, or Tiger Duck, a striped wooden toy duck on wheels that could be pulled along by a string and featured in several of his books.

His 1978 children’s book, Oh, wie schoen ist Panama (The Trip to Panama), became one of Germany’s best-loved children’s classics. The story follows two friends, Little Bear and Little Duck, as they set out on a journey with Tiger Duck.

Janosch’s literary agency said his books have been translated into more than 30 languages and earned him numerous awards.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier paid tribute to the author, praising his boundless imagination and saying his death had left the world a little poorer.

He described Janosch as a lifelong companion to generations of children, adults who shared his stories with them, and readers who had retained their sense of wonder.

“For countless children, for countless adults who live with children, and for everyone who has not forgotten how to marvel and wonder, Janosch has been -— and remains —- a companion through life like few other authors or illustrators,” Steinmeier said.

Eckert was born in 1931 in Upper Silesia, a region that was then part of Germany and is now in Poland.

Following Nazi Germany’s defeat in 1945, his family moved west, like many German-speaking families from the region. He grew up in West Germany and later studied in Munich.

Although his stories were often characterised by warmth and themes of friendship and love, Janosch described his own childhood as deeply unhappy.

In a 2017 interview with German news magazine Der Spiegel, he recalled growing up with an alcoholic and violent father and a strict, harsh mother, describing the experience as hell.

Janosch had lived with his wife, Ines, on the Spanish island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands since 1980.