Bemelmans

Ludwig Bemelmans (April 27, 1898-October 1, 1962) was an American author and children's book writer and illustrator. He is most famous today for the series of Madeline books.

Life

Bemelmans was born to Belgian painter Lambert Bemelmans and German Frances Fischer in Meran (Merano), Austria (today in Italy). His father owned a hotel. He grew up in Gmunden on the Traunsee in Upper Austria. His first language was French and his second German.

In 1904, his father left the family, leaving for Ludwig's governess. His mother, Frances, took Ludwig and his brother to her native city of Regensburg. Bemelmans had difficulty in school and hated the German discipline. He was apprenticed to his uncle Hans Bemelmans at a hotel in Austria, but after a fight with a hotel manager was sent to the United States where his father had moved and worked as a jewelry designer.

He spent the next several years working at hotels and restaurants, and in 1917 joined the U.S. Army but was not ordered to Europe because of his German heritage. He did become an officer, however, and rose to second lieutenant. In 1918, he was naturalized as an American citizen.

In the twenties, he tried to become an artist and painter while working at hotels, but had substantial difficulties. His cartoon series "The Thrilling Adventures of the Count Bric a Brac" was dropped from the New York World after six months.

In the early 1930s he met May Massee the children's book editor at Viking Press who became a sort of partner, and he began to publish a number of children's books beginning with Hansi in 1934.

The first Madeline book was published in 1939 and was actually rejected by Viking and published by Simon and Schuster.

In 1953, he felt in love with a small bistro in Paris "La Colombe" in the "Ile de la Cité", bought it, and painted murals. He remained the owner of the place during two years until he sold it to Michel Valette who made it into a famous cabaret.

However, Bemelmans also wrote a number of adult books, including travel and humorous works, and movie scripts for films like Yolanda and the Thief. Spending time in Hollywood, he also became a close friend of Lady Elsie de Wolfe Mendl.

Bemelmans' "Central Park," a mural on the walls of the Carlyle Hotel's Bemelman's Bar in New York City, is his only remaining artwork on display to the public.

Madeline books

Each story begins: "In an old house in Paris, that was covered with vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines... the smallest one was Madeline."

The girls are cared for by a nun, Miss Clavel. Other characters include Pepito, son of the Spanish Ambassador, who lives next door; Lord Covington (called Cucuface by the girls), owner of the house; and Genevieve, a dog who rescues Madeline from drowning in the second book.

Bemelmans published six Madeline stories in his lifetime, and a seventh was discovered and published posthumously:

1. Madeline, 1939: Madeline gets her appendix out.
2. Madeline's Rescue, 1953: Madeline gets rescued by a dog (later on named Genevieve). Winner of the Caldecott Medal for 1954.
3. Madeline and the Bad Hat, 1956: The "bad hat" Pepito, is the Spanish ambassador's son.
4. Madeline and the Gypsies, 1959: Madeline and Pepito have an adventure at a gypsy circus.
5. Madeline in London, 1961: Pepito moves to London, and Madeline and the girls go to visit him.
6. Madeline's Christmas, 1985: Everyone in the house has a cold, except Madeline. (First published in McCall's in 1956).
7. Madeline in America and Other Holiday Tales, 1999: Madeline inherits a fortune from her rich American great-grandfather. The book also reveals Madeline's surname, which is Fogg, as in Madeline Fogg.

Adaptations

• The first book, Madeline, was made into an award-winning 1952 short animated cartoon directed by Robert Cannon for UPA, also titled "Madeline".

• Between 1990 and 1995 an animated Madeline series was made for television, with narration in appropriately rhyming style read by Christopher Plummer.

• A live action Madeline film based on several of the books appeared in 1998, directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer and starring Hatty Jones as Madeline, Frances McDormand as Miss Clavel, and Nigel Hawthorne as Lord Covington (aka "Cucuface").

External links

• "The Man Who Dreamed Up Madeline" from Smithsonian Magazine
• Ludwig Bemelmans at the Internet Movie Database
• 1989 interview with Ludwig Bremelmans by Don Swaim at Wired for Books
• 1989 interview with Madeleine Bemelmans, wife of Ludwig Bemelmans by Don Swaim at Wired for Books

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