Meet Tomi Ungerer (and his lost classics)
The author is coming to London next month to discuss his life and work. Find out how you can get tickets
The 84-year-old artist, illustrator and children’s author Tomi Ungerer has the kind of life story that reads straight from the pages of a Boys’ Own story.
He saw the Nazis invade his hometown in Alsace, western France; joined the French Camel Corps in Algeria; came to New York just as Madison Avenue was changing the face of advertising; he hung out with Maurice "Where the Wild Things Are" Sendak, and Leo Castelli, Warhol’s gallerist; created some of the best children’s books, as well as the most emotive anti-Vietnam War posters; before abandoning big city life for the splendid isolation of Nova Scotia.
Phaidon became part of the story a few years back, republishing a number of his brilliant, out-of-print children’s stories, such as The Three Robbers and Moon Man. Tomi has since gone on to revive his career, authoring such books as the award-winning Fog Island.
Now British readers have the chance to hear Tomi’s story first hand, as part of the celebrations to mark the publication our new Tomi Ungerer collection, published 24 October. Tomi Ungerer: A Treasury of 8 Books brings together eight iconic tales by Tomi Ungerer, featuring well-known classics, such as The Three Robbers, Moon Man, Otto, as well as acclaimed recent works and lost gems, such as Zeralda's Ogre, Flix, The Hat, and Emile, some of which are being published for the first time in 50 years.
On the evening of Monday 7th November, Tomi will come to Waterstones bookshop in Piccadilly, London, to discuss his life and work with the acclaimed children’s book journalist Julia Eccleshare.
You can book tickets here; you can pre-order Tomi’s Treasury here, and you can see all his Phaidon books here.