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Raymond Briggs facts for kids

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For the British general, see Raymond Briggs (British Army officer). For the American general, see Raymond Westcott Briggs.
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Raymond Briggs
Strips, schrijvers, kernwapens, Briggs, Raymond, Bestanddeelnr 932-5852 (cropped).jpg
Briggs in 1983
Born Raymond Redvers Briggs
(1934-01-18)18 January 1934
Wimbledon, Surrey, England
Died 9 August 2022(2022-08-09) (aged 88)
Brighton, England
Area(s)
  • Artist
  • writer
  • cartoonist
  • graphic novelist
  • illustrator
Notable works
Awards
Spouse(s)
Jean Briggs
​
​
(m. 1963; her death 1973)​

Raymond Redvers Briggs (born January 18, 1934 – died August 9, 2022) was a famous English artist. He was an illustrator, cartoonist, and author. He wrote and drew many popular books for both kids and adults.

Briggs is best known for his 1978 book The Snowman. This book has no words, only pictures. It was later made into a cartoon movie that is shown every Christmas. There is also a musical show based on it.

He won the Kate Greenaway Medal twice, in 1966 and 1973. This award is for the best children's book illustrations by a British artist. His book Father Christmas (1973) was even chosen as one of the top ten winning works for the Medal's 50th anniversary.

Early Life of Raymond Briggs

Raymond Briggs was born on January 18, 1934. His hometown was Wimbledon, which is now part of London. His father, Ernest, was a milkman, and his mother, Ethel, was a housewife.

During World War II, Raymond was sent away to Dorset for safety. He came back to London after the war ended.

Raymond loved drawing cartoons from a young age. Even though his father thought it wasn't a good job, Raymond went to art school. He studied painting at Wimbledon School of Art from 1949 to 1953. Then he studied typography at Central School of Art.

After art school, he spent two years in the military. He worked as a draughtsman, which is someone who draws plans. Then he went back to study painting at Slade School of Fine Art. He finished his studies in 1957.

Briggs's Creative Career

After trying painting for a short time, Raymond Briggs became a professional illustrator. He soon started working on children's books. In 1958, he illustrated Peter and the Piskies: Cornish Folk and Fairy Tales. This was a collection of fairy tales by Ruth Manning-Sanders.

In 1961, Briggs began teaching art at Brighton School of Art. He taught there until 1986. One of his students, Chris Riddell, also became a famous illustrator. Briggs won his first Kate Greenaway Medal in 1966 for illustrating The Mother Goose Treasury. This book has over 800 colorful pictures for 408 nursery rhymes.

Famous Books and Comics

Briggs started writing and illustrating his own books. His first three important works were like comics. They were Father Christmas (1973) and its sequel Father Christmas Goes on Holiday (1975). These books show a grumpy Father Christmas who often complains about the snow. He won his second Greenaway Medal for Father Christmas. Both books were later made into a film.

His third early comic book was Fungus the Bogeyman (1977). This book shows a day in the life of a working-class bogeyman.

The Snowman (1978) was a very special book. It had no words at all, only pictures drawn with pencil crayons. Briggs said he wanted to create something "clean, pleasant, fresh and wordless" after working on Fungus.

The Snowman became very popular. In 1982, it was made into an animated cartoon by Channel 4. This cartoon is shown on British television every Christmas. A sequel, The Snowman and the Snowdog, was released in 2012.

Briggs also created books for older readers. Gentleman Jim (1980) looked at the lives of a working-class couple. When the Wind Blows (1982) showed the same couple dealing with the idea of nuclear war. This book was made into a radio play and an animated film. The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman (1984) was a story about the Falklands War.

Personal Life

Raymond Briggs's wife, Jean, passed away in 1973. His parents also passed away in 1971. He did not have any children.

Later in his life, Briggs lived in a small house in Westmeston, Sussex. His long-term partner, Liz, passed away in 2015. Raymond Briggs continued to write and illustrate books.

Raymond Briggs passed away on August 9, 2022, at the age of 88.

Awards and Honours

Raymond Briggs received many awards for his work.

  • In 1992, he won the Kurt Maschler Award for The Man. This award is for British children's books that combine text and illustrations well.
  • His graphic novel Ethel & Ernest, which told the true story of his parents' marriage, won Best Illustrated Book in 1999. This book was also made into an animated film in 2016.
  • In 2012, he was the first person to be added to the British Comic Awards Hall of Fame.
  • In 2014, he received the Phoenix Picture Book Award for The Bear (1994). The award committee praised his creative way of combining pictures and text.

The Hans Christian Andersen Award is a very important international award for children's books. Briggs was a runner-up for the illustration award in 1984.

Here are some of his other awards:

Briggs was also appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2017. This honour was for his great contributions to literature. A book about his life's work, Raymond Briggs: The Illustrators, was published in 2020.

Selected Works

Here are some of the books Raymond Briggs wrote or illustrated:

Adaptations

Many of Raymond Briggs's books have been made into films, TV shows, or plays:

  • The Snowman (1982 film)
  • When the Wind Blows (1983 radio play)
  • When the Wind Blows (1986 film)
  • Father Christmas (1991 film)
  • The Bear (1998 film)
  • Fungus the Bogeyman (2004 TV series, 2015 TV series)
  • Gentleman Jim (2008 radio play)
  • Ethel & Ernest (2016 film)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Raymond Briggs para niños

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