Horst Eckert, the German author and illustrator who gained worldwide fame under the pseudonym Janosch, has died at the age of 95. Known for creating iconic, whimsical characters such as Little Bear, Little Tiger, and the instantly recognizable "Tiger-Duck," the artist passed away peacefully at his home on the Canary Island of Tenerife, publisher Bernhard Feil confirmed.

Born in 1931 in Upper Silesia (present-day Zabrze, Poland), Eckert's early life was marked by displacement following World War II when his family fled westward. In 1953, he enrolled at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts, only to be unceremoniously dismissed after a few semesters due to an alleged "lack of talent" — a harsh verdict delivered by the rigid West German educational establishment of the era. Undeterred, he pursued independent work and released his debut children's book in 1960, eventually authoring more than 150 titles.

Behind the cheerful watercolor illustrations lay a profoundly troubled personal past. Raised in an austere, religiously oppressive environment plagued by domestic abuse and alcoholism, Eckert openly reflected on the deep scars left by his upbringing. These childhood traumas led him to avoid having children of his own and fueled an enduring skepticism toward Western religious and social institutions, which he frequently critiqued for hypocrisy.

Janosch achieved undisputed commercial success with his 1978 book "The Trip to Panama," a fable about two animal friends whose search for paradise leads them back to their own home. While the yellow-and-black wooden "Tiger-Duck" was aggressively commercialized across European markets on everything from merchandise to aircraft, Janosch himself shunned consumerist excess, preferring a minimalist life in his hammock and maintaining that true contentment comes from needing as little as possible.

Source: www.dw.com