|
|
|
This month The Edge of the Forest sat down for a long-distance
cyber visit with
Sebastian Meschenmoser to talk books, writing, illustration, and penguins.
Sebastian Meschenmoser's first book for
children, Learning to Fly, was published this year in the U.S. by Kane/Miller, a publishing house specializing in translated and foreign literature for children. Originally published in
Meschenmoser's native Germany as Fliegen lernen, Learning to Fly
quickly became a beloved picture book in the kitlitosphere (it's my favorite picture book of 2006) because of its humor,
hopeful message, and wonderful pencil illustrations.
The Edge of the Forest: Thank you very much, Sebastian, for agreeing to talk with us! We at
The Edge of the Forest love Learning to Fly. Can you tell us more
about why you chose a penguin as a hero?
Sebastian Meschenmoser: I think I chose a penguin because it is a competely strange animal, a bird that doesn't
fly and who is black and white. Also, because of the way he walks, you can draw parallels to a human being.
Penguins live in big groups, they all look the same. I tried to pick one of them out to make him different and give him a
character.
The Edge of the Forest: Does your penguin have a name, or did you have a name for him when you were working on
Learning to Fly?
Sebastian Meschenmoser: The penguin's name is Penguin.
The Edge of the Forest: One of my favorite pages in Learning to Fly has the penguin hero dressed as
Batman. Are you a fan of Batman in particular?
Sebastian Meschenmoser: I like very much the old Tim Burton Batman movie, which I saw for the first time when I was small.
I like Batman, because he is a strange and lonely hero, so he's maybe really a bit like my penguin. (I must say I really
dislike Robin, because he destroys, in my opinion, the real character of Batman!). But, I didn't really search for a deep
connection to Batman. I just like quoting things like this.
The Edge of the Forest: In writing Learning to Fly, which came first—the story or the
illustrations?
Sebastian Meschenmoser: I had the idea of a penguin trying to learn to fly long time before I started my book. I had
some images in my head and started with drawing the kite scene. (The penguin, with the help of his human friend, attaches
himself to a kite in a first attempt to fly.) Afterwards I drew other sequences but in a completely confused order
(I'm missing some vocabulary now). I switched them around, like zapping from channel to channel on tv, from the beginning to
the end and back again.
The problem was that I didn't know how the story should end! But this kept it interesting. I had to invent new scenes and
ideas of
how to learn to fly. Finally I found the perfect ending and when I finnished all the drawings, I wrote the text. For me
this way of working on a book is the best, because the text can say what pictures don't and the drawings have a language
that just can't be written in letters.
The Edge of the Forest: The human hero of Learning to Fly resembles your photo. Is he you?
Sebastian Meschenmoser: I was the cheapest model I could find—that's why the main character is me.
Maybe I will continue to draw myself into my books, like Hitchkock who always appears in his own films. By the way, if you
want to see more photos of me and the penguin, take a look at my
website.
The Edge of the Forest: Tell us more about Sebastian Meschenmoser. Where do you live? Do you work in
addition to writing?
Sebastian Meschenmoser: Sebastian Meschenmoser usually lives and works in Mainz (Germany)—a small city next to
Frankfurt. I'm still studying at the Akademie-fuer-bildende-kuenste-Mainz (the Art Academy) there. I am training as a
painter. This semester I am in France on an exchange program and studying art at the Ecole-Superieure-des-beaux-arts-Dijon.
I live in the middle of Dijon in an medieval tower which is very cold and wet. The winter will be hard for me (as I pay for my
room always at the end of the month when I'm sure I survived). Nonetheless, I like it—it's a nice, strange experience
and it gives me lots of new ideas. I will return to warm Germany in March 2007.
The Edge of the Forest: Learning to Fly was originally published in German as Fliegen lernen. Do
you have other books available in German?
Sebastian Meschenmoser: My German publisher has published a second book:
Herr
eichhorn und der Mond ("Mr Squirrel and the Moon").
The Edge of the Forest: What are you working on now?
Sebastian Meschenmoser: At the moment I'm painting some pictures for an exhibition in Frankfurt in December. But, YES,
of course I will go on making books! The storyboard for my next project is complete, and I'm looking forward to starting
on the final drawings!
Learning to Fly, by Sebastian Meschenmoser. Kane/Miller, 2006. 1-9291-3293-5.
|
| |
|
|