Heinz Janisch

Heinz Janisch was born in Güssing, in the Austrian state of Burgenland and studied German literature and journalism at the University of Vienna.  Since 1982 he has been working as a freelancer for ORF-radio and is the chief editor of the series ‘Menschenbilder’. Since the publication of his first children’s book ‘Mario, der Tagmaler’ (1989; Engl: Mario the Daypainter), he has produced a number of picture books, poetry collections and stories for children and adults.  Heinz Janisch is capable of bestowing his texts with a lyric note and of carrying the magic of poetry into the world of children’s literature. The tone of his language, the surprising twists, and the ability to lyrically bring figures and objects to life make Heinz Janisch inimitable and unmistakable (“1001 Buch”). ‘Ich schenk Dir einen Ton aus meinem Saxofon’ (Engl: I’ll Give You a Tone from my Saxophone) – a collection of whimsical tales and pleasurable verses for children over the age of seven – was a big success. The individual texts encapsulate themes that are close to both adults and children: the self, the home, grandparents, animals, love, hopes and dreams.  In Janisch’s texts, familiar things and events mutate, gain new contours, an unusual strangeness: a house has a headache and moves to the country, a cactus shaves and makes its way to the sea, and a frog wants to travel to Africa in a Jaguar. Sensitively and fleet-footedly, the author traces the meanings of words, revealing a quiet observer and a carefree daydreamer.  The effect which grows from his texts and Linda Wolfsgruber’s insistent black and white illustrations is sometimes comic, sometimes tragic, sometimes thought-provoking and sometimes high-spirited. “Yesterday my house was drunk! Stood there and stumbled and mumbled and growled / and sang very loudly!”. In his picture book about the resolute ‘Prinzessin auf dem Kürbis’ (1998; Engl: Princess on the Pumpkin) he depicts a new image of a princess, which no longer has anything to do with the princess and the pea.  Using magical pictures, also illustrated by Linda Wolfsgruber, his picture book fluctuates between a fairytale tone and the fresh and cheeky comments of the emancipated princess.  In his tragicomic story about a bird, the author uses a fine sense of humour and a great deal of empathy to unfold the psychosis of the little bird Sigmund, who, after falling from his nest, can only croak “Zack bumm!”. Illustrated by Helga Bansch, it tells the tale of Sigmund’s healing on the big grass-green “reflecting sofa”, which belongs to the old and white hare Carl Gustav. Following the publication of ‘Schenk mir Flügel’ (2003; Engl: Give Me Wings) is a picture book for all ages, ‘Einer für alle! Alle für einen!’  (Engl: One for All, All for One!) and »Ein ganz gewöhnlicher Montag« (Engl: Just an Ordinary Monday) came out in 2004. In the picture book »Rote Wangen« (2005; t: Red cheeks) the reader learns how deep and loving the relationship between two generations can be beyond death. To a grandson, the fantastic and adventurous stories once told him by his beloved grandfather about his own life cannot be forgotten. In the memory of these stories the old man lives on for his grandchild. The book, sensitively illustrated by Aljoscha Blau, was nominated for the German Young People’s Literature Prize and received the renowned Bologna Ragazzio Award 2006. In Janisch’s children’s book »Schatten« (t: Shadows), the young reader accompanies Sven on his fantastical excursion into the city, during which the shadows come to life and frolic behind their casters’ backs.

Heinz Janisch has already received numerous awards for his children’s books, including the Österreichischer Kinder- und Jugendbuchpreis (1998, 1999, 2001) as well as the Kinderbuchpreis der Stadt Wien several times. He is a member of the Grazer Autorenversammlung and lives in Vienna and in Burgenland.

© international literature festival berlin

Mario, der Tagmaler
Breitschopf
Wien, Stuttgart, 1989
[Ill. Leszek Wisniewski]

Till Eulenspiegel
Bilder-Buch-Studio, Neugebauer Press
Salzburg, 1990
[Ill. Lisbeth Zwerger]

Gute Reise, Leo
St. Gabriel
Wien, 1993
[Ill: Eugen Sopko]

Ein Krokodil zuviel
Betz
Wien, 1994
[Ill: Gabriele Kernke]

Benni und die sieben Löwen
Betz
Wien, 1995
[Ill: Gabriele Kernke]

Sarah und der Wundervogel 
Bernhard Oberdieck 
Betz
Wien, 1996
[Ill. Bernhard Oberdieck]

Die kleine Marie und der große Bär
Betz
Wien, 1997
[Ill: Dušan Kállay]

Grüner Schnee, roter Klee
Jungbrunnen
Wien, 1997
[Ill: Susanne Wechdorn]

Die Prinzessin auf dem Kürbis
Gabriel
Wien, 1998
[Ill: Linda Wolfsgruber]

Der Sonntagsriese
Jungbrunnen
Wien, 1998
[Ill: Susanne Wechdorn]

Josef ist im Büro oder der Weg nach Bethlehem
Betz
Wien, 1998
[Ill: Gabriele Kernke]

Heut bin ich stark
Betz
Wien, 2001
[Ill. Silke Brix-Henker]

Ich schenk dir einen Ton aus meinem Saxofon
Jungbrunnen
Wien, 2000
[Ill: Linda Wolfsgruber]

Es gibt so Tage…
Jungbrunnen
Wien, 2001
[Ill Helga Bansch]

Zack bumm
Jungbrunnen
Wien, 2001
[Ill: Helga Bansch]

Die Reise zu den fliegenden Inseln
Jungbrunnen
Wien, 2001

Her mit den Prinzen!
Betz
Wien, 2002
[Ill: Birgit Antoni]

Wenn Anna Angst hat
Jungbrunnen
Wien, 2002
[Ill: Barbara Jung]

Zu Haus
Jungbrunnen
Wien, 2002
[Ill Helga Bansch]

Ich bin noch gar nicht müde
Betz
Wien, 2003
[Ill. Gisela Dürr]

Schenk mir Flügel
NP
St. Pölten, 2003
[Ill: Selda Marlin Soganci]

Bärenhunger
Jungbrunnen
Wien, 2003
[Ill: Helga Bansch]

Einer für alle! Alle für einen!
Betz
Wien, 2004
[Ill. Birgit Antoni]

Ein ganz gewöhnlicher Montag
Betz
Wien, 2004
[Ill: Sabine Wiemers]

Herr Jemineh hat Glück
NP
St. Pölten, 2004
[Ill: Selda Marlin Soganci]

Katzensprung
Jungbrunnen
Wien, 2004
[Ill: Helga Bansch]

Der Prinz im Pyjama
Betz
Wien, 2004
[Ill: Birgit Antoni]

Heute will ich langsam sein
Jungbrunnen
Wien, 2005
[Ill: Linda Wolfsgruber]

Morgenatz und Ringelstern
Ueberreuter
Wien, 2005
[Ill. Christine Sormann]

Rote Wangen
Aufbau-Verlag
Berlin, 2005
[Ill: Aljoscha Blau]

Cleo in der Klemme
Nord-Süd-Verlag
Gossau, Zürich, 2005
[Ill: Philippe Goossens]

Drei Birken
NP
St. Pölten, 2005
[Ill: Marion Goedelt]

Bist du morgen auch noch da?
Thienemann
Stuttgart, Wien, 2005
[Ill: Julia Kaergel]

Ho ruck!
Betz
Wien, 2005
[Ill. Carola Holland]

Ein Haus am Meer
Jungbrunnen
Wien, 2006
[Ill: Helga Bansch]

Ich bin Flonx
Residenz-Verlag
St. Pölten, 2006

Die kluge Katze
Betz
Wien, 2006
[Ill. Goedelt, Marion]

Krone sucht König
Jungbrunnen
Wien, 2006
[Ill: Helga Bansch]

Schatten
Bajazzo,
Zürich, 2007
[Ill: Artem Kostyukevich]

Zeppelin
Bajazzo
Zürich, 2007
[Ill: Heide Stöllinger]

Wenn ich nachts nicht schlafen kann
Jungbrunnen,
Wien, 2007
[Ill:Helga  Bansch]

Der Ritt auf einem Seepferd
Aufbau-Verlag
Berlin, 2007
[Ill: Aljoscha Blau]