Perhaps the most remarkable, final achievement with which we can credit author and artist Raymond Briggs, creator of classic comic stories such as Fungus the Bogeyman and The Snowman, is the coverage of his passing across British national media, and beyond. It’s extremely rare for a graphic novelist – and yes, like it or not, he was one, and one of the first in Britain – to attract such deserved attention.
Tributes included obituaries in newspapers as diverse as the BBC, the Daily Mail, The Guardian, The Independent, the Daily Telegraph and more, in addition to tributes on specialist comic and genre sites.
There is absolutely no doubt that Raymond Briggs, whose death, aged 88, was announced by his family earlier this week, changed the face of children’s picture books, with his innovations of both form and subject. Stylistically versatile, he illustrated some 60 books, 20 of them with his own text, and first became a household name in the late 1970s and early 1980s with a handful of books – Father Christmas, Fungus the Bogeyman, The Snowman, When the Wind Blows – that were entertaining and subversive and appealed to both children and adults.
““[To be an illustrator] you have to be a mini actor,” he once said of his craft. “If the figure is to walk jauntily with its nose in the air, you have to imagine what that feels like. You have to be the person and observe the person, and do both these things at once.”
In promotions for the retrospective of his career, Raymond Briggs: The Illustrators, released in 2020, written by Nicolette Jones, it’s noted the refrains of his work are class, family, love and loss. “Nevertheless, his default mode of expression is humour. Briggs is always funny, and the balance between this and melancholy is his defining characteristic, though his style ranges from the romantic to the grotesque, from the fanciful to the direct.”
Raymond Briggs was born in London in 1934, and studied at Wimbledon School of Art and the Slade School of Art, London. Back in 1984, interviewed by Paul Gravett for ESCAPE magazine, he revealed how, early on, he had aspirations to be a cartoonist for PUNCH.
“”He was a truly pioneering illustrator and a kind observer of people’s lives,” noted Olivia Ahmad and the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration in a tribute.
When Raymond Briggs said he wanted to be an illustrator as a painting student in the 1950s, his tutors at Slade School of Fine Art were horrified. Luckily for millions of readers around the world, he went for it anyway.
“Briggs recounted: ‘Below painting comes illustration… below that comes cartoons… then, below the gutter, are the sewers – strip cartoons! Comics! Ugh! The very cesspits of non-culture.'”
His first work was in advertising, but he soon began to win acclaim as a children’s book illustrator as well as teaching illustration at Brighton College of Art. He came to public attention when he illustrated a book of nursery rhymes, The Mother Goose Treasury, in 1966, winning a Kate Greenaway medal. He went on to become one of Britain’s most innovative and popular author-illustrators.
As well as illustrating books for authors such as Allan Ahlberg, Raymond Briggs wrote and illustrated many of his own books, including the hugely successful children’s strip illustration books Father Christmas (1973) and The Snowman (1978), books that have been translated into many languages and adapted into films, plays and TV cartoons.
Ethel & Ernest (1998) – a biography of his parents’ lives – tells the story of how his father met his mother, a lady’s maid, and how they continued to live in the same house for 41 years.
Other books he wrote and illustrated himself include the brilliant Fungus the Bogeyman (1977), Unlucky Wally (1987) and The Bear (1994).
Briggs also wrote books for adults (although he himself was keen to stress he never wrote with a particular audience in mind, young or old): When the Wind Blows (1982), a grim satire on nuclear war, which has also been made into a play and a film, and The Tin Pot Foreign General and The Old Iron Woman (1984), an attack on the Falklands War.
“I don’t usually think about whether a book is for children or adults., he once said. “After a child has learned to read fluently, at about eight or nine, then the whole idea of categorising them seems a bit daft.”
His final book, Time For Lights Out, was released in November 2019 by Jonathan Cape. In his customary pose as the grumpiest of grumpy old men, the award-winning graphic novelist contemplated old age and death… and didn’t like them much.
Illustrated with Briggs’s inimitable pencil drawings, some featured in the BBC’s 2018 documentary, Raymond Briggs: Snowmen, Bogeymen & Milkmen, Time for Lights Out is a collection of short pieces, some funny, some melancholy, some remembering his wife who died young, others about the joy of grandchildren, of walking the dog…
“In some ways all of Raymond’s books have been about death,” noted Dan Franklin, associate publisher of Cape who acquired the title for the publisher, in early 2019. “Here he confronts it head on in a book that is honest and truthful and very touching.”
Briggs won numerous prizes across his career, including the Kurt Maschler Award, the Children’s Book of the Year and the Dutch Silver Pen Award. He became the first person to be inducted into the British Comic Awards hall of fame in 2012, and, in February 2017, was honoured with the BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award. In the same year, he was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to literature.
“Raymond was a brilliantly observant, funny storyteller, honest about how life is rather than how adults might wish to tell it to children,” noted Francesca Dow, Managing Director, Penguin Random House Children’s. “A kindness, integrity, and generosity run through all his books.
“And so in life: Raymond was a generous, unjealous spirit who was a pleasure to work with, as well as to visit in his Sussex cottage and experience his teasing genius in its home. He was funny! He made us laugh a lot. I will miss him. All of us who had the privilege of working with him will miss him.
“Raymond was unique. He has inspired generations of creators of picture books, graphic novels, and animations. He leaves an extraordinary legacy, and a big hole.”
• Raymond Briggs, author and illustrator, born 18th January 1934, died 9th August 2022, survived by his two step-children and three step-grandchildren
• In tribute to the artist, BBC2 have aired Raymond Briggs: Snowmen, Bogeymen and Milkmen followed by the adaptation of Ethel & Ernest, now available on BBC iPlayer
• Raymond Briggs: A Retrospective – a touring exhibition from the House of Illustration – is currently running at Kirkcudbright Galleries, Dumfries and Galloway until 30th October 2022. Entry is free (£3 donation recommended) | More details here
Including never-before-seen artwork, this exhibition, co-curated by Nicolette Jones, is the first ever retrospective of Briggs work. It delves into the work of the author-illustrator behind some of the UK’s most influential children’s books and graphic novels. It includes work from Briggs’s pioneering titles, including The Snowman, and autobiographical graphic novel Ethel and Ernest. Also on show are his drawings, hand-lettered typography and page designs from his earliest commissions to his 2004 book, The Puddleman.
• Check out the official The Snowman web site at www.thesnowman.com
• Remembering Raymond Briggs by Olivia Ahmad, Quentin Blake Centre team
• Buy The Snowman by Raymond Briggs (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Tributes from Fellow Authors and Artists
“And the elephant said to the bad baby, would you like some crisps? And the bad baby said YES. My favourite Raymond Briggs book went rumpeta rumpeta through a small town. It was like Billy Liar as a picture book.”-
“RIP Raymond Briggs. Appreciated the way he went for truthful endings over forced happy endings. Such an amazing talent.”
– Malorie Blackman, creator of Noughts & Crosses
Cartoonist Steve Bright paid tribute to Briggs with a marvellous illustration. “Amidst the sadness, this was a pure joy to draw,” he said.”I make no apology for any over-sentimentality, since he was the master of sentimentality in all he created.”
“I’m so sad to hear about Raymond Briggs. His work was such a huge part of absolutely everyone’s childhood since the early eighties. What a wonderful talent and a very significant loss to the children’s book world.
“Deeply sad to hear of the death of Raymond Briggs. What a magnificent legacy he leaves, from his iconic Father Christmas and The Snowman to the terrifying Where the Wind Blows. His books brought so much joy and inspired so many, touching, hilarious and heartbreaking work. RIP.”
– Cressida Cowell, author of How to Train Your Dragon
“RIP To the mighty Raymond Briggs. Who despite his protestations did more for the idea of mature comics in Britain than just about anyone else. Fungus the Bogeyman was the first comic for ‘Adults’ I ever read. My Dad bought it. When the Wind Blows is an exquisitely moving story about love and nuclear war. Who else but Briggs could do that?”-
– Comic Artist Simon Fraser
“Raymond Briggs was one of the first comics that were around my house as a kid, and absolutely formative. I wrote a piece about this for a comic site back in the day, which I’ll see if I can find to lob in the newsletter later. Huge, unique talent.”
– Comics creator Kieron Gillen
“Raymond Briggs – never afraid to poke at the nostalgia of Britain and the ‘Blitz spirit.’ Such a wonderful writer/artist of many a working class themed story. A huge inspiration.”
“RIP Raymond Briggs. A foundational inspiration to illustrators everywhere. The texture, empathy and depth of feeling his work evokes will always be breathtaking.”
– Comic creator Owen Michael Johnson
“What a legacy he leaves behind. His books have touched millions of people all around the world, and what a debt of gratitude I owe to his greatest creation of all. Thank you, Raymond.”
Aled Jones, speaking on his radio show
“Thank you for the magical and heartbreaking stories, and for blurring the lines between graphic novels and picture books.”
– Sandra Marrs and John Chalmers, aka Metaphrog
“The man was a genius whose work spanned generations. He’ll be much missed.”
– Comic creator Monty Nero
“Raymond Briggs has inspired me since before I could hold a pencil.
His ability to communicate so much magic, humour, joy and darkness through a relatively simple hand-drawn style is timeless and remarkable.
“Sorry to hear that he’s died. Extremely glad that he lived.”
– Cartoonist and illustrator Bob Moran
“I first met Raymond at a publishing party 50 years ago, and he was doing what he always did: checking his watch. He had to make the last train home, he’d tell anyone who asked, desperate to dash off from the schmoozing as fast as he could..”
– Children’s author Helen Oxenbury
“I happened to be standing next to Raymond Briggs at some Buckingham Palace do, both of us wearing linen jackets. The Duke of Edinburgh came up and said ‘You two chaps have got the same tailor.’ ‘How dare you!’ said Briggs fiercely. The Duke vanished.”
“Raymond Briggs
RIP
xxxx
You are fantastic”
“An incomparably brilliant and profoundly humane storyteller. His work constantly made me smile and indeed laugh out-loud with joy. Yet it could also be heartbreakingly insightful and sad too. R.I.P. A Master has left the room… What a fabulous legacy he leaves us with.”
Raymond Briggs: Selected Works
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• Peter and the Piskies: Cornish Folk and Fairy Tales (Oxford, 1958), retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders, illustrated by Raymond Briggs
• The Fair to Middling (1959), by Arthur Calder-Marshall. Rupert Hart-Davis, London
• Strange House (1961) by Raymond Briggs, re-released in paperback in 1977 with a cover by Tony Morris
• Ring-a-ring o’ Roses (Hamish Hamilton, 1962), a collection of nursery rhymes
• Fee Fi Fo Fum (1964) – a picture book of nursery rhymes
• The Mother Goose Treasury (Hamilton, 1966), from Mother Goose – winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal
• Jimmy Murphy and the White Duesenberg (1968) by Raymond Briggs and Bruce Carter
• Richthofen: The Red Baron (1968) by Raymond Briggs and Nicholas Fisk
• Lindbergh: The Lone Flier (1968) by Raymond Briggs and Nicholas Fisk
• The Christmas Book (1968), by James Reeves, with black and white illustrations by Briggs
• Shackleton’s Epic Voyage (1969), by Michael Brown
• The Elephant and the Bad Baby (1971), by Elfrida Vipont, illustrated by Raymond Briggs
• Jim and the Beanstalk (1971), by Raymond Briggs
• Father Christmas (1973), by Raymond Briggs – winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal, adapted for film and stage
• Father Christmas Goes on Holiday (1975), by Raymond Briggs
• Fungus the Bogeyman (1977), by Raymond Briggs, adapted for television (2004, 2015)
• The Snowman (1978), by Raymond Briggs, also adapted for television in 1982
• Gentleman Jim (1980), by Raymond Briggs, adapted for radio (2008)
• When the Wind Blows (1982), by Raymond Briggs, a sequel to Gentleman Jim, also adapted for theatre (1983) and film (1986)
• The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman (Hamilton, 1984), by Raymond Briggs
• Midnight Adventure (1985) by Raymond Briggs
• All in a Day (Philomel Books, 1986), written by Mitsumasa Anno, illustrated by Raymond Briggs, Ron Brooks, Eric Carle, Gian Calvi, Zhu Chengliang, Leo and Diane Dillon, Akiko Hayashi, and Nicolai Ye. Popov
• Unlucky Wally (1987)
• Unlucky Wally 20 Years On (1989)
• The Fairy Tale Treasury (1991) by Raymond Briggs
• The Man (1992), by Raymond Briggs
• The Bear (1994), by Raymond Briggs, adapted for film (1998)
• Ethel & Ernest: A True Story (1998) – about his parents, also adapted for film (2016)
• Ivor the Invisible (2001) by Raymond Briggs
• Ug: Boy Genius of the Stone Age, and His Search for Soft Trousers (2001), by Raymond Briggs
• The Adventures of Bert (2001), by Allan Ahlberg & Raymond Briggs
• A Bit More Bert (2002), by Allan Ahlberg & Raymond Briggs
• The Puddleman (2004), by Raymond Briggs
• Collected Poems for Children (2007) by Ted Hughes, illustrated by Raymond Briggs
• The Father Christmas it’s a Bloomin’ Terrible Joke Book (2008), by Raymond Briggs
• Notes from the Sofa (Unbound 2015)
• The Puffin Book of Nursery Rhymes (2016) by Raymond Briggs
• Time for Lights Out (2019) by Raymond Briggs
• Raymond Briggs: The Illustrators Series (2020) by Nicolette Jones
• The White Land: a Picture Book of Traditional Rhymes and Verses, (2021) compiled and illustrated by Raymond Briggs
• Raymond Briggs: A Retrospective – a touring exhibition from the House of Illustration – is currently running at Kirkcudbright Galleries, Dumfries and Galloway until 30th October 2022. Entry is free (£3 donation recommended) | More details here
Including never-before-seen artwork, this exhibition, co-curated by Nicolette Jones, is the first ever retrospective of Briggs work. It delves into the work of the author-illustrator behind some of the UK’s most influential children’s books and graphic novels. It includes work from Briggs’s pioneering titles, including The Snowman, and autobiographical graphic novel Ethel and Ernest. Also on show are his drawings, hand-lettered typography and page designs from his earliest commissions to his 2004 book, The Puddleman.
• Check out the official The Snowman web site at www.thesnowman.com
• Remembering Raymond Briggs by Olivia Ahmad, Quentin Blake Centre team
• Buy The Snowman by Raymond Briggs (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
John Freeman
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Star Trek Explorer (previously known as Star Trek Magazine) and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War and “Dan Dare”. He’s the writer of "Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies" for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
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