Friedrich Karl Waechter (3 November 1937 in Danzig – 16 September 2005 in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

) was a renowned

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

cartoonist, author, and playwright.

Life

Waechter was born in Danzig as a son of a teacher. His family fled over the Baltic Sea after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and settled in Sahms (Schleswig-Holstein). Waechter attended the Lauenburg Scholar School in Ratzeburg, where his graphic talents became apparent. He then studied graphic art in Hamburg. In 1962, he moved to

and took a job drawing cartoons in an advertisement magazine ''Die Zeit''. His work attracted the attention of the editors of the soon-to-be satire magazine, ''

Pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

''. They gave Waechter a preliminary copy and asked for his suggestions. Waechter's constructive criticism earned him a job with the fledgling magazine. While at ''Pardon'', he co-founded the

Neue Frankfurter Schule Neue Frankfurter Schule (NFS, New Frankfurt School) is a group of writers and artists which was founded by former members of the editorial staff of the German satirical magazine ''Pardon (magazine), pardon''. They have published the magazine ''Tita ...

(New Frankfurt School), a group of eminent comic writers and cartoonists. The name was a play on the

Frankfurter Schule The Frankfurt School is a school of thought in sociology and critical theory. It is associated with the Institute for Social Research founded in 1923 at the University of Frankfurt am Main (today known as Goethe University Frankfurt). Formed du ...

Theodor Adorno Theodor is a masculine given name. It is a German form of Theodore. It is also a variant of Teodor. List of people with the given name Theodor * Theodor Adorno, (1903–1969), German philosopher * Theodor Aman, Romanian painter * Theodor Blue ...

and

Max Horkheimer Max Horkheimer ( ; ; 14 February 1895 – 7 July 1973) was a German philosopher and sociologist best known for his role in developing critical theory as director of the Institute for Social Research, commonly associated with the Frankfurt Schoo ...

. The group included

Robert Gernhardt Robert Gernhardt (13 December 1937 – 30 June 2006) was a German writer, painter, graphic artist and poet. Life Robert Gernhardt was born the son of a judge and a chemist in Tallinn, where his family was part of the Baltic German minority. In ...

, F. W. Bernstein, Bernd Eilert,

Eckhard Henscheid Ekkehard (and Eckardt, Eckard, Eckart, Eckhardt, Ekkehart) is a German given name. It is composed of the elements ''ekke'' "edge, blade; sword" and ''hart'' "brave; hardy". Variant forms include Eckard, Eckhard, Eckhart, Eckart. The Anglo-Saxon for ...

Peter Knorr Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

, Hans Traxler, and Chlodwig Poth. Their work celebrated subversive nonsense, typified by ''Pardon's'' regular "Welt in Spiegel" ("In the Mirror") feature. Waechter became a father and, by 1970, began writing children's books. Many of these encouraged the reader to complete puzzles and drawings, write in the book, cut it up, or otherwise participate in the story. The books appealed to both children and adults and showcased his artistic talents: simple yet expressive cartoons, carefully cross-hatched pen and ink, collage, and realistic paintings. He would write some forty books throughout his life. They are typified by ''Anti-Struwwwelpeter'' ("Anti-Strawpeter," a parody of

Heinrich Hoffman Heinrich Hoffman was born on December 23, 1836. He served in the American Civil War, and was a Medal of Honor Recipient. He served as a Corporal in the Union Army in Company M, 2nd Ohio Cavalry. He received the Medal of Honor for action on April ...

's popular German children's book, ''

Struwwelpeter ''Der Struwwelpeter'' ('Shock-Headed Peter') is an 1845 German children's book written and illustrated by Heinrich Hoffmann. It comprises ten illustrated and rhymed stories, mostly about children. Each cautionary tale has a clear moral lesson ...

''), ''Die Schoepfung'' (Waechter's re-telling of Biblical creation), and ''Der Kronenklauer'' (" The Crown Snatchers," an anti-authoritarian fable). In 1979 he co-founded ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'', another satirical magazine. His cartoons featured regularly until 1992, when he began focusing on teaching, writing books, and writing and directing plays. Waechter's final work was ''Vollmond'' ("Full Moon"), a fantastic tale of a space journey. He completed it while undergoing treatment for

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

. He died on September 16, 2005, at the age of 67, leaving behind a wife and three sons.

Honors

* 1975:

Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis The (German Youth Literature Award) is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's and young adult literature. It is Germany's only ...

for ''Wir können noch viel zusammen machen'' * 1983: Brüder-Grimm-Preis des Landes Berlin * 1993:

Hessischer Kulturpreis The Hessian Cultural Prize () is an annual German culture prize awarded by the Government of Hesse. The prize was established in 1982. With a trophy of 60,000 German marks, now 45,000 Euro, it is currently the highest endowed culture prize in Germ ...

* 1999:

for ''Der rote Wolf'' * 2003:

Alex-Wedding-Preis The Alex Wedding Prize is a German literary prize awarded to authors of works for children and young people. It is named after children's author Grete Weiskopf-Bernheim (1905–1966), who wrote under the pen name "Alex Wedding". From 1968 to 199 ...

* 2003: Preis der Binding-Kulturstiftung

Books

* ''Ich bin der Größte'', 1966 (Frankfurt am Main: Bärmeier & Nikel) * ''Die Wahrheit über Arnold Hau'', 1966 (with F. W. Bernstein and

). * ''Der kleine Zweckermann'', 1969 (Frankfurt am Main: Bärmeier & Nikel) * ''Der Anti-Struwwelpeter'', 1970 * '' Die Kronenklauer'', 1972 (with Bernd Eilert) * ''Tischlein deck dich und Knüppel aus dem Sack'', 1972 (Subtitle: ''Ein neues Märchen'') * ''Brülle ich zum Fenster raus'', 1973 * ''Wir können noch viel zusammen machen'', 1973 (picture book) * ''So dumm waren die Hebräer'', 1973 * ''Das Ungeheuer-Spiel'', 1975 * ''Opa Huckes Mitmach-Kabinett'', 1976 * ''Schule mit Clowns'', ''Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren'', ''Pustekuchen'' (1975/76 Ellermann Verlag, Verlag der Autoren) * ''Die Bauern im Brunnen'', 1978 * ''Wahrscheinlich guckt wieder kein Schwein'', 1978 * ''Kiebich und Dutz'', 1979 * ''Die Reise'', 1980 (Subtitle: ''Eine schrecklich schöne Bildergeschichte'', "A Terribly Beautiful Picture History") * ''Es lebe die Freihei...'', 1981 * ''Fühlmäuse'', 1981 * ''Wer kommt mit auf die Lofoten?'', 1982 * ''Das Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland'', 1982 * ''Männer auf verlorenem Posten'', 1983 * ''Nur den Kopf nicht hängen lassen'', 1983 * ''Glückliche Stunde'', 1986 * ''Die Mondtücher'', 1988 * ''Mich wundert, daß ich fröhlich bin'', 1991 * ''Die letzten Dinge'', 1992 * ''Da bin ich'', 1997 * ''F. K. Waechters Erzähltheater'', 1997 * ''Der rote Wolf'', 1998 * ''Mein 1. Glas Bier'', 1998 * ''Der Kleine im Glaspott'', 1999 * ''Die Geschichte vom albernen Hans'', 2000 * ''Der Frosch und das Mädchen'', 2000 * ''Steinhauers Fuß'', 2001 * ''Die Schöpfung'', 2002 * ''Waechter'', 2002 * ''Prinz Hamlet'', 2005 * ''Vollmond'', 2005

Plays (selection)

* Die Beinemacher (1974) * Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren (1975) * Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten (1977) * Die Reise nach Aschenfeld (1984) * Ausflug mit Clowns (1985) * F. K. Waechters Ixypsilonzett (1990) * Die letzten Dinge (1992) * Die Eisprinzessin (1993, in two versions) * Prinz Hamlet (1995) * Lysistrata (after

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

, 1997) * Die Aschenputtler ( 1998) * Tristan und Isolde (2002) * Karneval der Tiere (2002) * Der Narr des Königs (Kwast) (2003)

Criticism

* ''Die schärfsten Kritiker der Elche. Die Neue Frankfurter Schule in Wort und Strich und Bild,'' Oliver Maria Schmitt, Berlin: Alexander Fest Verlag 2001.

External links

A short bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waechter, F.K. 1937 births 2005 deaths Writers from Gdańsk Naturalized citizens of Germany People from the Free City of Danzig Burials at Frankfurt Main Cemetery German male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century German dramatists and playwrights 21st-century German dramatists and playwrights German draughtsmen German children's writers German children's book illustrators German editorial cartoonists German parodists German humorists German satirists German satirical comics writers German satirical comics artists