Anthony Browne (author)
Encyclopedia
Anthony Edward Tudor Browne (born 11 September 1946) is a British
author
and illustrator
of children's books, with nearly forty titles to his name. He was the previous Children's Laureate
.
, Yorkshire
. His parents, Jack and Doris May Browne, owned a pub in Wyke
, Yorkshire
, and Browne and his older brother Michael grew up there. As a young boy, he enjoyed art, and used to draw with his father. He also played rugby
in school, as well as football
and cricket. His future ambition was to be a journalist
, a cartoonist
, or a boxer
. He studied graphic design
at Leeds College of Art, where he graduated in 1967.
He intended to become a painter, but being short of money he took as job as a medical illustrator, drawing the insides of bodies for Manchester Royal Infirmary
. After three years he grew tired of the job's repetitiveness and moved on to design greeting cards for Gordon Fraser
. He designed cards for fifteen years before he started writing and illustrating his own books.
He had his first book published in 1976, Through the Magic Mirror. It was not particularly successful at first, although it is still in print. A Walk in the Park followed and gained a cult following. Bear Hunt was more commercially successful, and his breakthrough came with Gorilla in 1983, an idea from one of the greeting cards he had designed. It won him the Kate Greenaway Medal
, which he won again in 1992 for Zoo. He has also won the Kurt Maschler 'Emil' Award
three times, for Gorilla (1983), Alice's Adventure in Wonderland (1988) and Voices in the Park (1998). In 2000 he became the first British illustrator ever to win the Hans Christian Andersen Award
, for his services to children's literature.
Gorilla
s are frequently featured in Browne's books, as he has said he is fascinated by them. He was once asked to present a children's programme, whilst sitting in a cage of gorillas, and despite being badly bitten by one of them he got on with it before being taken to hospital. His character "Willy" is said to be based on himself. He currently lives in Canterbury
, Kent
.
He won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
in 1985.
On 9 June 2009 he was appointed the new Children's Laureate
for 2009 to 2011, selected by a panel chaired by Andrew Motion
, the former Poet Laureate.
The Night Shimmy
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
of children's books, with nearly forty titles to his name. He was the previous Children's Laureate
Children's Laureate
Children's Laureate is a position awarded in the UK once every two years to a distinguished writer or illustrator of children's books. A biannual bursary of £10,000 is offered...
.
Life and work
Anthony Browne was born in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. His parents, Jack and Doris May Browne, owned a pub in Wyke
Wyke
Wyke is a Ward in Bradford Metropolitan District in the county of West Yorkshire, England, named after the village of Wyke....
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, and Browne and his older brother Michael grew up there. As a young boy, he enjoyed art, and used to draw with his father. He also played rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
in school, as well as football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and cricket. His future ambition was to be a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, a cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
, or a boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. He studied graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
at Leeds College of Art, where he graduated in 1967.
He intended to become a painter, but being short of money he took as job as a medical illustrator, drawing the insides of bodies for Manchester Royal Infirmary
Manchester Royal Infirmary
The Manchester Royal Infirmary is a hospital in Manchester, England which was founded by Charles White in 1752 as a cottage hospital capable of caring for twelve patients. Manchester Royal Infirmary is part of a larger NHS Trust incorporating several hospitals called Central Manchester University...
. After three years he grew tired of the job's repetitiveness and moved on to design greeting cards for Gordon Fraser
Gordon Fraser
Gordon Fraser was a British publisher and literary editor. He was educated at Cambridge. A student of F.R. Leavis, he founded, while still an undergraduate, The Minority Press which published chiefly essays of Leavis and works of other Cambridge students from 1930 to 1933...
. He designed cards for fifteen years before he started writing and illustrating his own books.
He had his first book published in 1976, Through the Magic Mirror. It was not particularly successful at first, although it is still in print. A Walk in the Park followed and gained a cult following. Bear Hunt was more commercially successful, and his breakthrough came with Gorilla in 1983, an idea from one of the greeting cards he had designed. It won him the Kate Greenaway Medal
Kate Greenaway Medal
The Kate Greenaway Medal was established in the United Kingdom in 1955 in honour of the children's illustrator, Kate Greenaway. The medal is given annually to an outstanding work of illustration in children's literature. It is awarded by Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
, which he won again in 1992 for Zoo. He has also won the Kurt Maschler 'Emil' Award
Kurt Maschler Award
The Kurt Maschler Award was established in 1982 by Kurt Maschler, and was awarded annually until 1999 to honour "a work of imagination for children, in which text and illustration are integrated so that each enhances and balances the other."-History:...
three times, for Gorilla (1983), Alice's Adventure in Wonderland (1988) and Voices in the Park (1998). In 2000 he became the first British illustrator ever to win the Hans Christian Andersen Award
Hans Christian Andersen Award
The Hans Christian Andersen Award, sometimes known as the "Nobel Prize for children's literature", is an international award given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People in recognition of a "lasting contribution to children's literature"...
, for his services to children's literature.
Gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
s are frequently featured in Browne's books, as he has said he is fascinated by them. He was once asked to present a children's programme, whilst sitting in a cage of gorillas, and despite being badly bitten by one of them he got on with it before being taken to hospital. His character "Willy" is said to be based on himself. He currently lives in Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
He won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
The Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's literature. It is Germany's only state-funded literary award. In the past, authors from many countries...
in 1985.
On 9 June 2009 he was appointed the new Children's Laureate
Children's Laureate
Children's Laureate is a position awarded in the UK once every two years to a distinguished writer or illustrator of children's books. A biannual bursary of £10,000 is offered...
for 2009 to 2011, selected by a panel chaired by Andrew Motion
Andrew Motion
Sir Andrew Motion, FRSL is an English poet, novelist and biographer, who presided as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2009.- Life and career :...
, the former Poet Laureate.
Criticism of Browne's works
Ellen Handler Spitz heavily criticizes Willy the Wimp on moral grounds for having what she deems to be a macho ideology and a racist presentation of stereotypes of African-American children living in an urban area, who she says are designated as the villains in the book. Spitz manages to reach this conclusion despite the fact that no human children, African-American or otherwise, are featured in the book.Notable works
- Gorilla
- Into the Forest
- Little Beauty
- My Dad
- My Mum
- Silly Billy
- Voices in the Park
- A Walk in the Park
- Willy the Wimp
- Me and You, a retelling of The Story of the Three Bears in a contemporary setting
The Night Shimmy