Wenmight say that Wilhelm Busch was one of the first people in the worldnto write “graphic novels” or “comic books.” But henwouldn’t say that, because those terms hadn’t been invented yet.n(Plus, he spoke German!)
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nWilhelmnBusch was born on this date in 1832 in the village of Wiedesahl, innthe Kingdom of Hanover (today part of Germany). In his early 30s,nBusch wrote a very famous and influential book about two boys: Maxnand Moritz – A Story of Seven Boyish Pranks.
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Thenstory of the “terrible duo” is told in rhymed couplets andnthrough pictures. It is considered a very inventive example of “blacknhumor”—that is, it makes light of otherwise solemn subjects. Somenpeople say it is the first children’s book that acknowledges that anynchild has ever done anything wrong or mischievous. n
Thenstory of the “terrible duo” is told in rhymed couplets andnthrough pictures. It is considered a very inventive example of “blacknhumor”—that is, it makes light of otherwise solemn subjects. Somenpeople say it is the first children’s book that acknowledges that anynchild has ever done anything wrong or mischievous. nn
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nAnd,nas I said, some consider it an early example of a comic book.
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Evenntoday, parents in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland read the sevenntales to their young children, and people are assumed to know thenstory and the rhymes. There are many references to Max and Moritz innpopular culture, and the illustrations of their smiling faces arenused in both advertising and graffiti. People who have twin boysnoften name them Max and Moritz!
Evenntoday, parents in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland read the sevenntales to their young children, and people are assumed to know thenstory and the rhymes. There are many references to Max and Moritz innpopular culture, and the illustrations of their smiling faces arenused in both advertising and graffiti. People who have twin boysnoften name them Max and Moritz!n
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nInam amazed at the continued popularity of these stories with parentsnof young kids, and especially the fact that parents name their kidsnafter the main characters—given the horrible fate that befalls thenboys at the end of the book! I guess when critics say the book is annexample of “black humor,” they really mean it. Gallows humor,neven!
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nToncelebrate Busch’s birthday…
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n…readnMax and Moritz. In this Rosetta Project presentation of thenbook, English translations are available when you click the buttonnmarked “English.”
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n…readnother comics, either onlinenor in comic books.
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n…createnyour own comic book. It’snmost fun to create your own characters and draw your own stories bynhand. However, it can also be fun to use online tools such asnProfessor Garfield’s X-treme Comicsntool and this Marvel comic maker.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nNew Year Celebrations in Cambodia and Laos
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NationalnElnPaso HorsenCompetition in Peru
NationalnElnPaso HorsenCompetition in Perun
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Rubber Eraser Day
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Rubber Eraser Dayn
