Tomi Ungerer

Books

Tomi’s books provide a wonderful insight into his creative genius and diverse visual styles. Not one to rest on his laurels; he is always pushing boundaries, exploring humanity and challenging his audience.

Tomi’s diverse body of work is notoriously difficult to pigeonhole or categorise because he believes that each project necessitates its own style. His books range from children’s books such as The Three Robbers and Fog Island to memoirs documenting different chapters in his life such as A Childhood Under the Nazis and Far Out Isn’t Far Enough.  From books of social satire such as The Party and Babylon to books expressing his political views such as Amnesty Animal and Schwartzbuch.

Over the years Tomi has had close and long standing relationships with some key publishers, including Diogenes Verlag and l’Ècole des Loisirs,  who have always been ready to push boundaries and take risks.  Showing an axe on the cover of a children’s book was once seen as outrageous for example.  For some of course, it still is!  It hasn’t always been easy accommodating the range of Tomi’s work and dealing with the fallout some of his books have been met with over the years.  (AU)

“My repertory of books diverges into many branches: books for children, autobiographical books, philosophical writings, satirical and erotic drawings.

I am perfectly trilingual. I love words and to give them a new life beyond spelling and grammar. My sources of inspiration are not only the human condition, but also nature, plants and animals which have always filled me with wonderment. It shows in the Liederbuch for example, which reveals my romantic side, as well as my love for landscapes, old buildings, and traditional crafts and traditions.

I would say that overall most of my work was driven by causes to fight for. Looking back at this mind-boggling diversity I have to face all the different identities (not split but united) that constitute myself. All haunted by death and sex which drive “la condition humaine.” It’s don’t hope, cope!”  Tomi

Here are some examples of Tomi’s book covers – he has published over 140 books so really this is just an amuse bouche!