Vladimir Radunsky

Vladimir Radunsky was born in the Ural Mountains in 1954 and grew up in Moscow, where he studied art, design and architecture. In 1982 he moved to New York and started working as a designer of art books, gradually moving into writing and illustrating children’s books. Radunsky’s dynamic style and curious stories quickly made him famous. Since then he has published more than twenty works, which have been translated into numerous languages, received many awards, and been exhibited in France, Italy, Japan and the USA. From early on in his career, the trademark of Radunsky’s art has been apparent: he creates unconventional books, richly diverse in text and images, and employs styles and techniques ranging from those of realist painters to stylized advertising posters of the thirties to abstract collages. Radunsky comments on the diversity of his work: »The technique and style I choose for each new book depends entirely on its subject. I don’t draw pictures, I create books.« Vladimir Radunsky had emphasized this point with his early illustrated books »The Pup Grew Up!« (1989) and »Hail to Mail« (1990). He subsequently worked with writer Bill Martin Jr., and their collaborative picture book »The Maestro Plays« (1994) inspired animated short films for »Sesame Street«. He used an original blend of painting and collage for illustrations for children’s songs by the American trade unionist and songwriter Woody Guthrie (among them »Howdi Do«, 2000), while the award-winning work »What Does Peace Feel Like?« (2004) grew out of talks with school children in the USA and Europe. Among Radunsky’s most well-known works is »The Mighty Asparagus« (2004), inspired by the Italian Renaissance painting. Here he presents the curious story of a magical kingdom: one day an enormous asparagus shoots out of the ground in front of the royal palace and the king bids his entire entourage – the enchanting princess, the king’s beloved rhino and the brave knight – to help him. The picture book was named »Best Illustrated Book of the Year« by »The New York Times Book Review«. In 2004 »# 10 (ten)« was published in German translation, the story of an armadillo couple who are thrilled at the birth of ten adorable armadillo babies. Here Radunsky captivates his audience with exciting combination of collage, painting and typography, disregarding formal laws of layout and composition. In »Le grand bazar« (2006), published in France (the original version written in English and entitled »Big Busy Book« has not been released yet), the artist once more proves his gift for creating lively picture books: illustrations in the style of paintings, punch-out postcards and a myriad of printed models and objects for use invite readers from »ages 5-105« to be creative with scissors, pen and stapler. In collaboration with the dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, Radunsky recently produced the absurdly comical fairytale »Because…« (2007) about a chubby ballerina. The book has received critical acclaim and has been named on the New York Times Bestseller list. His latest book »Where the Giant Sleeps«, written by an Australian poet, Mem Fox, is coming out in October. The Russian New Yorker currently lives in Rome with his wife, daughters, and a dachshund.

© international literature festival berlin

The Pup Grew Up
[Text: Samuel Marshak]
Henry Holt and Company
New York, 1989

Hail to Mail
[Text: Samuel Marshak]
Henry Holt and Company
New York, 1990
[Ü: Richard Pevear]

The story of a boy named Will, who went sledding down the hill
[Text: Daniil Kharms]
North-South Books
New York, 1993
[Ü: Jamey Gambrell]

The maestro plays
[Text: Bill Martin Jr.]
Harcourt Brace & Co.
San Diego, 1994

Telephone
[Text: Gambrell, Jamey]
North-South Books
New York, 1996

Yucka Drucka Droni
[mit Eugenia Radunsky]
Scholastic Press
New York, 1998

Discovery
[Text: Joseph Brossky]
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
New York, 1999

An Edward Lear Alphabet
[Text: Edward Lear]
Harper Collins
New York, 1999

Bling Blang
[Text: Woody Guthrie]
Candlewick Press
Cambridge, 2000

Howdi do
[Text: Woody Guthrie]
Candlewick Press
Cambridge, 2000

My Dolly
[Text: Woody Guthrie]
Candlewick Press
Cambridge, 2001

Table Manners
[Text: Chris Raschka]
Candlewick Press
Cambridge, Mass., 2001

Manneken Pis
Simon & Schuster
New York, 2002

Square, triangle, round, skinny
Candlewick Press
Cambridge, 2002

# 1 (one)
Viking
New York, 2003

Boy Meets Girl
[Text: Chris Raschka]
Chronicle Books
San Francisco, 2004

The Mighty Asparagus
Harcourt Inc.
San Diego, New York, 2004

10 (zehn)
Carlsen
Hamburg, 2004
[Ü: Sophie Birkenstädt]

What Does Peace Feel Like?
Simon & Schuster
New York, 2004

I Love You Dude
Harcourt Inc.
San Diego, New York, 2005

Fire! Fire! Said Mrs. McGuire
Harcourt Inc.
San Diego, New York, 2006

Le grand bazar
Editions du Panama
Paris, 2006

Because…
[Text: Mikhail Baryshnikov]
Simon & Schuster
New York, 2007

Where the Giant Sleeps
[Text: Mem Fox]
Harcourt Inc.
San Diego, New York, 2007

Übersetzer: Sophie Birkenstädt