View source for Anthony Browne (author)

{{Short description|British writer and illustrator (born 1946)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name         = Anthony Browne<br><small>{{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}}</small>
| image        = Anthony Browne November 2010 (cropped).JPG
| caption      = Browne in 2010
| birth_name   = Anthony Edward  Browne
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1946|9|11}}
| birth_place  = [[Sheffield]], [[Yorkshire]], England
| spouse       = 
| children     = 2
| occupation   = Illustrator, writer
| period       = 1976–present
| genre        = [[Children's literature|Children's]] picture books
| subject      =
| notableworks = ''Gorilla''
| awards       = {{awd |[[Kate Greenaway Medal]] |1983, 1992}}  {{awd |[[Hans Christian Andersen Award]] for Illustration |2000}}
| website      = {{url|anthonybrownebooks.com}}
}}

'''Anthony Edward Tudor Browne''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}} (born 11 September 1946<ref name=z/>) is a British writer and illustrator of children's books, primarily [[picture books]]. Browne has written or illustrated over fifty books, and received the [[Hans Christian Andersen Award]] in 2000.<ref name=Images/><ref name=andersen/><ref name=ibby-browne/> From 2009 to 2011 he was [[Children's Laureate]].<ref name=w/><ref name=laureate/>

Browne won two [[Kate Greenaway Medal]]s from the [[CILIP|Library Association]], recognising the year's best children's book illustration. For the 50th anniversary of the Medal (1955–2005), a panel named his 1983 medalist ''Gorilla'' one of the top ten winning works, which composed the ballot for a public election of the nation's favourite.<ref name=topten/>

==Life and work ==
Browne was born on 11 September 1946 in [[Sheffield]], [[Yorkshire]]. His parents, Jack and Doris May Browne, ran a pub called the Red Lion (now the Wyke Lion) at Hellfire Corner between [[Bradford]], and [[Huddersfield]] in [[West Yorkshire]], and Browne and his older brother Michael grew up there.{{cn|date=August 2022}} As a young boy, he enjoyed art and used to draw with his father. He also played [[Rugby union|rugby]] and cricket. His career ambition was then to be a journalist, a [[cartoonist]], or a [[Boxing|boxer]].<ref name=Walker/> He studied [[graphic design]] at [[Leeds College of Art]], where he graduated in 1967.

When he finished school, Browne intended to become a painter, but being short of money he took a job as a medical illustrator, producing detailed paintings of operations for [[Manchester Royal Infirmary]]. After three years, he grew tired of the job's repetitiveness and moved on to design [[greeting cards]] for [[Gordon Fraser (publisher)|Gordon Fraser]]. He designed cards for five years before he started writing and illustrating his books.

Browne's debut book both as a writer and as an illustrator was ''Through the Magic Mirror'', published by [[Hamish Hamilton]] in 1976. ''A Walk in the Park'' followed next year and gained a cult following{{citation needed |date=June 2012}} and ''Bear Hunt'' (1979) was more successful commercially.<ref name=y/> His breakthrough came with ''Gorilla'', published by Julia MacRae in 1983, based on one of his greeting cards. For it he won the [[Kate Greenaway Medal]] from the [[CILIP|Library Association]], recognizing the year's best children's book illustration by a [[British subject]].<ref name=medal1983/>
He was a highly commended runner-up{{efn |name=HC}} for an edition of ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'' (1988),<ref name=ccsu/> he won the 1992 Medal for ''Zoo''<ref name=medal1992/> and he was again highly commended for ''Willy's Pictures'' (2000).<ref name=ccsu/>

Gorillas are frequently featured in Browne's books, as he has said he is fascinated by them. He was once asked to present a children's program, whilst sitting in a cage of gorillas, and despite being badly bitten by one of them he completed the interview before being taken to hospital.<ref name=x/> his character "Willy" is said to be based on himself.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anthony Browne interview |url=https://justimagine.co.uk/podcast/anthony-browne-childrens-books-interview/ |access-date=2023-06-03 |website=Just Imagine |date=20 January 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

Browne and writer [[Annalena McAfee]] won the 1985 [[Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis]], Picture Book category, for ''Mein Papi, nur meiner!'' (The Visitors Who Came to Stay).<!-- source is the two linked articles --> He also won the [[Kurt Maschler Award]] "Emil" three times, which annually (1982 to 1999) recognized one British "work of imagination for children, in which text and illustration are integrated so that each enhances and balances the other."<ref name=bizland/> Browne was a winner for ''Gorilla'' (Julia MacRae Books, 1983), ''Alice's Adventure in Wonderland'' (MacRae, 1988) and ''Voices in the Park'' (Doubleday, 1998), as the illustrator of all three books and the writer of two.<ref name=bizland/>

In 2000, Browne was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, an international award given to an illustrator for their body of work. This prize is the highest honour a children's writer or illustrator can win and Browne was the first British illustrator to receive the award.

In 2001–2002, Browne took a job as writer and illustrator at Tate Britain, working with children using art as a stimulus to inspire visual literacy and creative writing activities. It was during this time that Browne conceived and produced ''The Shape Game'' (Doubleday, 2003).

In June 2009, he was appointed the sixth [[Children's Laureate]] (2009–2011), selected by a panel that former Poet Laureate [[Andrew Motion]] chaired.<ref name=w/>

Browne's books are translated into 26 languages and his illustrations have been exhibited in many countries including; The United States, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, France, Korea, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, and Taiwan. He currently lives in Canterbury, England.

Browne was appointed [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the [[2021 New Year Honours]] for services to literature.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=63218|supp=y|page=N8|date=31 December 2020}}</ref>

==Works==
<!-- 2013-02-28, these include all 33 listed at British Council (1976–2008, perhaps complete for books as writer/illustrator or illustrator of classics); all listed in LCCatalog (as a source for books by other writers, see TALK); and his top 20 in WorldCat -->

===As writer and illustrator===
* ''Through the Magic Mirror'' (Hamish Hamilton, 1976)
* ''A Walk in the Park'' (Hamilton, 1977)
* ''Bear Hunt'' (Hamilton, 1979)
* ''Look What I've Got!'' (Julia MacRae Books, 1980)
* ''Bear Goes To Town'' (Hamilton, 1982)
*  ''Gorilla'' (MacRae, 1983) —winner of the [[Kate Greenaway Medal]] for illustration<ref name=medal1983/> and the Emil<ref name=bizland/>
*  ''Willy the Wimp'' (MacRae, 1984)
* ''Willy the Champ'' (MacRae, 1985)
*  ''Piggybook'' (MacRae, 1986)
*  ''I Like Books'' (MacRae, 1988)
* ''The Little Bear Book'' (Hamilton, 1988)
* ''A Bear-y Tale'' (Hamilton, 1989)
*  ''Things I Like'' (MacRae, 1989)
*  ''The Tunnel'' (MacRae, 1989)
*  ''Changes'' (MacRae, 1990)
*  ''Willy and Hugh'' (MacRae, 1991)
*  ''Zoo'' (MacRae, 1992) —winner of the Greenaway Medal<ref name=medal1992/>
* ''The Big Baby: a little joke'' (MacRae, 1993)
*  ''Willy the Wizard'' (MacRae, 1995)
*  ''Willy the Dreamer'' (Walker, 1997) <!--KGM shortlist-->
*  ''Voices in the Park'' (Doubleday, 1998) —winner of the Emil<ref name=bizland/><!--KGM shortlist-->
*  ''My Dad'' (Doubleday, 2000)
*  ''Willy's Pictures'' (Walker, 2000) —highly commended for the Greenaway<ref name=ccsu/>{{efn |name=HC}}
* ''Anthony Browne Presents the Animal Fair: a spectacular pop-up'' (Walker,2002)
*  ''The Shape Game'' (MacRae, 2003) <!-- KGM shortlist-->
*  ''Into the Forest'' (MacRae, 2004)
* ''My Mum'' (Doubleday, 2005)
*  ''Silly Billy'' (Walker, 2006) <!--KGM shortlist-->
*  ''My Brother'' (Doubleday, 2007)
*  ''Little Beauty'' (Walker, 2008)
* ''Me and You'' (Doubleday, 2011) <!--KGM shortlist--> —a retelling of ''[[The Story of the Three Bears]]'' in a contemporary setting
* ''Play the Shape Game'' (Walker, 2011)
* ''How Do You Feel?'' (Walker, 2011, {{ISBN|9781406330175}}) <!-- picture book, sequel to I Like Books 1988 and Things I Like 1989 -->
* ''One Gorilla, A Counting Book'' (Walker, 2012)
* ''What If...?'' (Doubleday, 2013)
* ''Willy's Stories'' (Walker, 2014)
* ''Frida and Bear'' (Walker, 2015)
* ''Willy and the Cloud'' (Walker, 2016)
* ''Hide and Seek'' (Doubleday, 2017, {{ISBN|9780857534910}})

===As illustrator===
* ''Hansel and Gretel'' by [[Brothers Grimm]] (MacRae, 1981)
* ''The Visitors Who Came to Stay'' by Annalena McAfee (Hamilton, 1984) – winner of the 1985 German youth literature prize for picture books in its [[German-language]] translation retaining Browne's illustrations <!-- source is our DJP article -->
* ''Knock, knock! Who's there?'' by Sally Grindley (Hamilton, 1985), picture book
* ''Kirsty Knows Best'' by Annalena McAfee (MacRae, 1987), picture book
* ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' by [[Lewis Carroll]] (MacRae, 1988) – an edition of the [[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland|1865 classic]], highly commended for the Greenaway<ref name=ccsu/>{{efn |name=HC}} and winner of the Emil<ref name=bizland/>
* ''Trail of Stones'' by Gwen Strauss (MacRae, 1990), picture book
* ''The Night Shimmy'' by Gwen Strauss (MacRae, 1991), picture book
* ''The Topiary Garden'' by [[Janni Howker]] (Hamilton, 1993), short stories published 1991
* ''Anthony Browne's King Kong'' (MacRae, 1994) – from the [[King Kong#Print media|1932 novelised story of King Kong]]
*  ''The Daydreamer'' by [[Ian McEwan]] (New York: [[HarperCollins]], 1994), novella
* ''Anthony Browne, Playing the Shape Game'' by Joe Browne (Doubleday, 2011), biography

==See also ==
{{Portal bar |Children's literature |Visual arts}} <!-- delete "bar" when there are about two ordinary See also -->

==Notes==
{{notelist |25em |notes=
{{efn |name=HC |1=
Today there are usually eight books on the Greenaway Medal shortlist.
According to CCSU, some runners-up through 2002 up were Commended (from 1959) or Highly Commended (from 1974). There were 99 commendations of both kinds in 44 years; 31 high commendations in 29 years, including Browne and two others for 1988, Browne alone for 2000.<br>
• No one has won three Greenaways. Among the fourteen illustrators with two Medals, Browne is one of seven with one book named to the top ten (1955–2005) and one of seven with at least one Highly Commended runner-up (1974–2002), led by [[Helen Oxenbury]] with four and Browne with two.
}}
}}

== References ==
{{Reflist |25em |refs=
<ref name=medal1983>
[http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/livingarchive/title.php?id=23 (Greenaway Winner 1983)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017105939/http://carnegiegreenaway.org.uk//livingarchive/title.php?id=23 |date=17 October 2012 }}. Living Archive: Celebrating the Carnegie and Greenaway Winners. CILIP. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
</ref>
<ref name=medal1992>
[http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/livingarchive/title.php?id=14 (Greenaway Winner 1992)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129235708/http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/livingarchive/title.php?id=14 |date=29 January 2013 }}. Living Archive: Celebrating the Carnegie and Greenaway Winners. CILIP. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
</ref>
<ref name=topten>
[http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/celebration/top_tens.php?action=list "70 Years Celebration: Anniversary Top Tens"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027022418/http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/celebration/top_tens.php?action=list |date=27 October 2016 }}. The CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Children's Book Awards. [[CILIP]]. Retrieved 30 June 2012.</ref>
<ref name=ccsu>
[http://web.ccsu.edu/library/nadeau/award%20books/KateGreenaway.htm "Kate Greenaway Medal"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140916192441/http://web.ccsu.edu/library/nadeau/award%20books/KateGreenaway.htm |date=16 September 2014 }}. 2007(?). Curriculum Lab. Elihu Burritt Library. [[Central Connecticut State University]] ('''CCSU'''). Retrieved 26 June 2012.</ref>
<ref name=bizland>
[http://www.bookawards.bizland.com/kurt_maschler_award_for_children.htm "Kurt Maschler Awards"]. Book Awards. ''bizland.com''. Retrieved 26 June 2008.</ref>
<ref name=andersen>
[http://www.ibby.org/index.php?id=273 "Hans Christian Andersen Awards"].[[International Board on Books for Young People]] ('''IBBY'''). Retrieved 23 July 2013.</ref>
<ref name=ibby-browne>
[http://www.literature.at/viewer.alo?objid=14769&viewmode=fullscreen&scale=3.33&rotate=&page=99 "Anthony Browne"] (pp. 104–05, by Sus Rostrup).<br> <!-- full-page profile not used here; Introduction p. 13 identifies those written by Rostrup -->
''The Hans Christian Andersen Awards, 1956–2002''. IBBY. [[Gyldendal]]. 2002. Hosted by [[Austrian Literature Online]] (''literature.at''). Retrieved 2013-07-23.</ref>
<ref name=laureate>
[http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk/previous-laureates/anthony-browne/ "Anthony Browne: Children's Laureate 2009–11"]. Children's Laureate (childrenslaureate.org.uk). [[Booktrust]]. Retrieved 28 September 2013.</ref>

<!-- old reference data -->
<ref name=z>
{{cite web|title=Anthony Browne |work=Author & Illustrator Archive |publisher=The Wee Web (theweeweb.co.uk) |url=http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/public/author_profile.php?id=757 |access-date=26 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022201034/http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/public/author_profile.php?id=757 |archive-date=22 October 2008 }}</ref>
<ref name=Images>
{{cite web
 |title       = Browne, Anthony
 |work        = Original artwork from children's book illustrators
 |publisher   = Images of Delight
 |url         = http://www.imagesofdelight.com/client.asp?id=44
 |access-date  = 26 December 2007
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929190403/http://www.imagesofdelight.com/client.asp?id=44
 |archive-date = 29 September 2007
 |url-status     = dead
 |df          = dmy
}}</ref>
<ref name=Walker>
{{cite web | title =Anthony Browne | publisher =Walker Books | url =http://www.walkerbooks.co.uk/Anthony-Browne | access-date =26 December 2007 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071214225615/http://www.walkerbooks.co.uk/Anthony-Browne | archive-date =14 December 2007 | url-status =dead }}
</ref>
<ref name=y>
{{cite news|last=Eccleshare |first=Julia |author-link=Julia Eccleshare |title=Portrait of the artist as a gorilla. Interview: Anthony Browne |newspaper=The Guardian |date=28 July 2000 |url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/childrenandteens/story/0,6000,348137,00.html |access-date=26 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080107181428/http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/childrenandteens/story/0%2C6000%2C348137%2C00.html |archive-date=7 January 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name=x>
{{cite news | last =Atkinson| first =Frances | title =Monkey Business| newspaper =The Age| date =2 July 2006| url =http://www.theage.com.au/news/books/monkey-business/2006/06/29/1151174330843.html?page=2 |access-date =26 December 2007 }}</ref>
<ref name=w>
Flood, Alison (9 June 2009). [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jun/09/gorilla-anthony-browne-childrens-laureate "Gorilla artist Anthony Browne becomes children's laureate"]. ''The Guardian''.</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
* D. Martin, "Anthony Browne", in Douglas Martin, ''The Telling Line: Essays On Fifteen Contemporary Book Illustrators'' (Julia MacRae Books, 1989), pp.&nbsp;279–90.
* Jane Doonan, "The object lesson: picture books of Anthony Browne", ''Word & Image'' '''2:2''' (1986 April–June), pp.&nbsp;159–72.
* [[Tony Bradman]], "Through the magic mirror: the work of Anthony Browne", ''British Book News'', 1984 Autumn [Children's Books], pp.&nbsp;2–5.
* Ellen Handler Spitz, ''Inside Picture Books'', Yale University Press, 1999, pp.&nbsp;192–94.

==External links==
* [http://www.anthonybrownebooks.com Anthony Browne] Personal website
* {{british council|anthony-browne|Anthony Browne}}
* [https://www.theguardian.com/books/anthony-browne Anthony Browne] index at ''The Guardian'' —includes [https://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2009/jun/08/childrens-laureate-gallery-anthony-browne?picture=348546969 one Gallery (14 pictures)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110308022245/http://www.childrensbookillustration.com/view_artist.php?id=5 Anthony Browne] at Children's Book Illustration —with extensive Gallery

{{s-start}}
{{s-culture}}
{{succession box
|title=[[Children's Laureate|Children's Laureate of the United Kingdom]]
|before=[[Michael Rosen]]
|after=[[Julia Donaldson]]
|years=2009–2011}}
{{s-end}}

{{Hans Christian Andersen Medal}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, Anthony}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century British writers]]
[[Category:21st-century British writers]]
[[Category:Alumni of Leeds Arts University]]
[[Category:British children's book illustrators]]
[[Category:British Children's Laureate]]
[[Category:British children's writers]]
[[Category:British illustrators]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration winners]]
[[Category:Kate Greenaway Medal winners]]
[[Category:Writers from Sheffield]]
[[Category:Writers who illustrated their own writing]]