Carll Cneut
In case you noticed the unusual spelling of his first name, Carll will tell you that it was a mistake when his birth was registered. No one knows if his father did it on purpose or if it really was just a mistake. Born in West Flanders on the French Belgium border, he grew up in an area where if you climbed over the hedge you would be in France. His Dad passed away at a very early age (36) and his mother was the one at home raising Carll and his two younger sisters. He went to school in Ghent, the Saint-Lucas Arts School which is very well known in Belgium.
When he started, one of his goals was to publish in the United States, because he greatly admires artists like J. Otto Seibold and Calef Brown and Maira Kalman. Carll studied fine art and became an art director undertaking a great deal of publicity assignments. For six years he worked at an agency and also managed the work that was being done on the accounts. Then in 1966 he did an illustration for a magazine and by the end of the year his first children's book. He has now completed nearly a dozen children's books for the Belgian children's market and has recently had his first appearances in the US marketplace. The most recent book is Antonio on the Other Side of the World Getting Smaller. It was written by the well known author Malachy Doyle so that made the experience even more exciting for Carll.
Stepping back to how he got started in the world of children's book publishing, he like many others had a fortuitous event literally bring about his first break. He had a friend at a woman's magazine, where the regular illustrator had broke his hand. Carll was asked to help with some illustrations and he did it. Whilst showing his portfolio to the sister of his publisher-the one for whom he did publicity work. The small illustration that he did caught their attention and he did a few more for their publication and by the end of the year was asked to do a book. The first book was entitle Varkentjes van Marsepein (Piglets of Marsepain) written by Geert De Kockere and illustrated by Carll. It is written in Dutch which is the language of Flanders. He did several others with the same author including a collection of songs and with an accompanying CD. His books have done very well given the size of the Belgian population with some selling 10,000 copies (a normal print run is about 2,000).
The real turning point came in 1999 with a book entitled Wily. It won a prize, and Carll had found his style. It was also the first book bought by a foreign publisher. Wild Winnie another book with Kockere garnered an honorable mention at Bologna. It really is more of an adult picture book as it has lots of text and is a love story. "More a book that a husband would give his wife or a young man might give it as a gift to his girlfriend" says Carll.
According to Carll his next move was into "real picture books" in 1989. He is unusual in that he needs to meet and be comfortable with the author. He worked with Brigitte Minne's manuscript Witchfairy and the book went into multiple print runs and was sold and translated. It is the story of a fairy who wants to be a witch or at least be a witch at least half of the time, because she is tired of being good all the time. That sounds like a book that would really resonate with kids.
Carll does a lot of school visits and also receives a stipend from the government for being an acclaimed illustrator. The government's goal is to nurture young artists and the book industry in Belgium. He left the agency in 2002 and now is devoting all of his time to children's books. Carll like many others who I have interviewed also remarked on the importance of balance between the text and the pictures. He also feels it is important to balance what children and parents like. There is a real difference between what parents in the US may find acceptable as compared to those in France, Japan, or Germany.
His books are selling fast and it appears that he is truly moving into the bigger market for children's books. Mr. Morf is his first American picture book which appeared in 2003. It was originally published in the 2002 in the UK by Macmillan and in the US it was published by Clarion. The rights have been sold to about half a dozen countries. His most recent book in the US market (Antonio...) mentioned previously came out in the fall of 2003. It didn't come easy and he went through about fifteen dummies before he "got it right." As Carll says-he learned at lot from his editor and also the art director while creating this book. He has a novel by Sam Swope (Jack and the Seven Deadly Giants) that he has illustrated for Farrar Straus & Giroux which is due out in 2004.
On a more personal note, Carll lives in a lovely old home in a quiet neighborhood in Ghent. His studio is in his home. Carll works in acrylics, spices with pastels, pencil and ink. I also noted that he uses a lot of red and the color has actually come to be know as "Cneut red." (It appears in his books but I didn't see it in the house) His house has woodened beams, carved panels and a circular stairway and reaches up three stories. It also has charming garden, garage, attic and half basement. One of his goals is to earn enough in the future to remodel the kitchen-now there is a man after my own heart. You can learn more about this fascinating illustrator by visiting his web site www.carllcneut.com
Contributor: Marilyn Courtot
Reviews
Antonio on the Other Side of the World Getting SmallerMalachy Doyle
Illustrated by Carll Cneut
While enjoying his visit with his grandmother "on the other side of the world," Antonio finds himself growing smaller and smaller. His granny tells him it's because he misses his mom, and sends him home. On his way, he continues to shrink as he works on ship, train, and horseback. When he finally arrives, he is so tiny that he has trouble getting his mother's attention. But then, she feeds him up until he is tall enough to wave happily to his granny "on the other side..." The simple fantasy reinforces the joy of returning home. Cneut's classy acrylic illustrations are subtle, with details and characters interacting to create the somewhat tongue-in-cheek visual narrative. Mice, birds, a cat, and a pair of wonderful "snippy-snappy sea monsters" add to the fantasy, while a double-page horse gives elegant evidence of the artist's esthetic sensibility. Scene after scene is designed to keep us amused, perhaps while we muse on our human condition. 2003, Candlewick Press, Ages 4 to 8, $15.99. Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
ISBN: 0-7636-2173-0
The Amazing Love Story of Mr. Morf
Carll Cneut
Mr. Morf is a circus dog who walks the tightrope. Happy with his circus life until recently, Mr. Morf is saddened as he realizes that everyone he knows is happily paired with someone except him. Although he has many circus friends, such as Igor and Brunhilde, the rolling bears, Mr. Morf decides he needs someone to love, and he leaves the circus to begin his quest. Mr. Morf meets several potential friends with whom to share his life, but there is always an obstacle. For instance, Penelope the swallow is interested, but she is leaving for her holiday abroad, and the mole who would like to join Mr. Morf, loses his way while digging underground. Unsuccessful in his search, Mr. Morf sadly returns to the circus. Will his quest end or will Mr. Morf find someone to love? The story's resolution is ultimately a bit disappointing, but the illustrations of the animal circus are colorful and expressive and suit the tale's quirky feel. 2002, Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin, $15.00. Ages 1 to 4. Reviewer: Linda Ruble (Children's Literature)
The Amazing Love Story of Mr. Morf
Carll Cneut
It is not a myth that anyone can feel lonely. Even a successful and popular dog like Mr. Walter Morf discovers that he can feel the emptiness of loneliness. So he decides to take a leave of absence from his job as high wire artist in the circus and goes off to look for a friend to share his life with him. Poor Mr. Morf soon finds that it is not going to be as easy as perhaps he thought it was to find a friend. A beautiful swallow is fond of him but has to leave for her yearly holiday; a mole loses its way trying to get to Mr. Morf; a cat announces that cats can never be friends with dogs because "we cats dislike dogs." In many ways, this is a rather sad story, though the quirky and colorful illustrations add humor. It is with great relief that we find a happy ending to the story and that Mr. Morf needn't have gone so far to look for a friend after all. There is certainly a message in this tale: What you seek may not be as far away as you think. With highly original and delightful illustrations this book offers both a thoughtful story and plenty of visual entertainment. 2002, Clarion Books, $15.00. Ages 6 up. Reviewer: Marya Jansen-Gruber (Children's Literature)
ISBN: 0-618-33170-0
Updated 11/30/03
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