Raymond Briggs: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}

{{Infobox comics creator

| image = Strips, schrijvers, kernwapens, Briggs, Raymond, Bestanddeelnr 932-5852 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Briggs in 1983

| birth_name = Raymond Redvers Briggs

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1934|1|18|df=y}}

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2022|8|09|1934|1|18|df=y}}

| death_place = [[Brighton]], England

| area = {{cslist |Artist |writer |cartoonist |graphic novelist |illustrator}}

| notable works = {{plainlist|

* ''[[Father Christmas (book)|Father Christmas]]''

* {{Awd|[[Boston Globe–Horn Book Award|Horn Book Award]]|1979}}

* {{Awd|[[British Book Awards|British Book Award]]|1993, 1999}}<!-- see TALK-->}}

|spouse={{Marriage|Jean Briggs|1963|1973|end=her death}}}}

 

 

Briggs won the 1966 and 1973 [[Kate Greenaway Medal]]s from the British [[Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals|Library Association]], recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a [[British subject]].<ref name=medal1966/><ref name=medal1973/> For the 50th anniversary of the Medal (1955–2005), a panel named ''[[Father Christmas (book)|Father Christmas]]'' (1973) one of the top-ten winning works, which composed the ballot for a public election of the nation's favourite.<ref name=topten/> For his contribution as a children's illustrator, Briggs was a runner-up for the [[Hans Christian Andersen Award]] in 1984.<ref name=andersen/><ref name=ibby-nominee/> He was a patron of the [[Association of Illustrators]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theaoi.com/about.php|title=Association of Illustrators|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160712103223/http://www.theaoi.com/about.php|archive-date=12 July 2016}}</ref>

 

==Early life==

 

Briggs attended [[Rutlish School]], at that time a grammar school, pursued cartooning from an early age and, despite his father's attempts to discourage him from this unprofitable pursuit, attended the [[Wimbledon College of Arts|Wimbledon School of Art]] from 1949 to 1953 to study painting, and [[Central School of Art and Design|Central School of Art]] to study typography.<ref name="encarta">[http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_1481587757/briggs_raymond.html Raymond Briggs] Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2009. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201005158/http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_1481587757/briggs_raymond.html |date=1 February 2009 }}</ref>

 

 

==Career==

An American edition was produced by [[Random House]] in the same year, for which Briggs won the [[Boston Globe–Horn Book Award]], picture book category.<ref name="Boston Globe–Horn Book Award" /> In 1982, it was [[film adaptation|adapted]] by British [[Television channel|TV channel]] [[Channel 4]] as an animated cartoon, with a short narrated introduction by [[David Bowie]].<ref name="david bowie - the snowman">{{citation | title= 'Let's all remember David Bowie's forgotten intro for 'The Snowman' | publisher= NME new musical express | year=2016 | url= https://www.nme.com/blogs/tv-blogs/lets-remember-david-bowies-forgotten-intro-snowman-1920311}}</ref> It was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film]] in 1982, and has since been shown every year on [[Television in the United Kingdom|British television]] (except 1984).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anjorin |first1=Israel |title=Raymond Briggs, a Snowman author has passed away at age 88 – Death |url=https://snbc13.com/raymond-briggs-a-snowman-author-has-passed-away-at-age-88-death/ |access-date=11 August 2022 |work=SNBC13.com |date=10 August 2022}}</ref> On Christmas Eve 2012 the 30th anniversary of the original was marked by the airing of the sequel ''[[The Snowman and the Snowdog]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Lawson |first1=Mark |author1-link=Mark Lawson |title=The Snowman and the Snowdog: the pitfalls of remakes |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2012/dec/14/the-snowman-and-snowdog-remakes |access-date=10 August 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=14 December 2012 |language=en}}</ref>

 

 

 

 

Briggs stated that he used to be a staunch supporter of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], although he lost faith in the party under the leadership of [[Jeremy Corbyn]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/dec/24/raymond-briggs-interview-the-snowman-ethel-and-ernest|title=Raymond Briggs: 'There could be another world war. Terrifying, isn't it?'|last=Aitkenhead|first=Decca|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=24 December 2016}}</ref>

 

Briggs died of [[pneumonia]] at [[Royal Sussex County Hospital]] in Brighton on 9 August 2022, aged 88.<ref name="lea" /><ref name = Bailey/>

 

==Awards and honours==

Briggs won the 1992 [[Kurt Maschler Award]], or the "Emil", both for writing and for illustrating ''[[The Man (comics)|The Man]]'', a short graphic novel featuring a boy and a [[homunculus]]. The award annually recognised one British children's book for integration of text and illustration.<ref name=bizland/> His [[graphic novel]] ''[[Ethel & Ernest]]'', which portrayed his parents' 41-year marriage, won Best Illustrated Book in the 1999 [[British Book Awards]]. In 2016, it was turned into a hand-drawn animated film.<ref name=AnMag /> In 2012, he was the first person to be inducted into the [[British Comic Awards]] Hall of Fame.<ref name="britishcomicawards.com">{{Cite web |url=http://britishcomicawards.com/hall-of-fame-raymond-briggs/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=11 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311073030/http://britishcomicawards.com/hall-of-fame-raymond-briggs/ |archive-date=11 March 2016 }}</ref>

 

 

<blockquote>With surprising page-turns, felicitous pauses, and pitch-perfect dialogue, Briggs renders the drama and humour of child–adult and child–bear relations, while questioning the nature of imagination and reality. As a picture book presented in [[graphic novel]] format, Briggs's work was ground-breaking when first published and remains cutting edge twenty years later in its creative unity of text and picture.<ref name=PA>[http://issuu.com/meetingexpectations/docs/chla_newsletter_autumn_2013 ''ChLA Newsletter''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714184931/http://issuu.com/meetingexpectations/docs/chla_newsletter_autumn_2013 |date=14 July 2014 }}, Vol. 20, Issue 2 (Autumn 2013)]. pp. 6–7. Retrieved 2014-07-12.</ref></blockquote>

The [[National Portrait Gallery, London|National Portrait Gallery]], London, holds several photographic portraits of Briggs in its permanent collection.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Raymond Briggs – Person – National Portrait Gallery |url=https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp17915 |access-date=10 August 2022 |website=National Portrait Gallery, London}}</ref>

 

 

==Selected works==

* ''The Mother Goose Treasury'' ([[Hamish Hamilton|Hamilton]], 1966), from [[Mother Goose]] – winner of the [[Kate Greenaway Medal]]<ref name=medal1966/>

* ''[[Father Christmas (graphic novel)|Father Christmas]]'' (1973), by Briggs – winner of the [[Kate Greenaway Medal]]<ref name=medal1973/>

 

==Adaptations==

 

* ''When the Wind Blows'' (1983) BBC radio adaptation with [[Peter Sallis]] and [[Brenda Bruce]]<ref>{{cite web |title=BBC Programme Index |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/9144b6c80b9b4c7c97d8da016c46f047 |website=BBC Genome |access-date=11 August 2022}}</ref>

* ''When the Wind Blows'' (1983) Little Theatre, Bristol and [[Whitehall Theatre]], London.

* ''[[Father Christmas (1991 film)|Father Christmas]]'' (1991)<ref name=lea /><ref name=BFI />

* ''[[The Bear (1998 film)|The Bear]]'' (1998)<ref name=BFI />

 

==References==

<ref name=ccsu>

[http://web.ccsu.edu/library/nadeau/award%20books/KateGreenaway.htm "Kate Greenaway Medal"]. 2007?. Curriculum Lab. Elihu Burritt Library. [[Central Connecticut State University]] ('''CCSU'''). Retrieved 25 June 2012.</ref>

[http://literature.britishcouncil.org/raymond-briggs "Raymond Briggs"]. [[British Council]]: Literature. Retrieved 4 December 2012.</ref>

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<ref name=briggs1>

 

==Further reading==

 

==External links==

 

{{The Snowman}}

[[Category:1934 births]]

[[Category:2022 deaths]]

[[Category:20th-century British Army personnel]]

[[Category:20th-century English male writers]]

[[Category:English comics artists]]

[[Category:English graphic novelists]]

[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature]]

[[Category:Kate Greenaway Medal winners]]