Heinrich Hoffmann

Sobre Heinrich Hoffmann

Heinrich Hoffmann (1809-1894) was a German psychiatrist and author, best known for creating Der Struwwelpeter (Shockheaded Peter), one of the most famous and influential children's picture books ever published. Written and illustrated for his own young son, it became a beloved — and famously alarming — classic read around the world. Der Struwwelpeter is a collection of illustrated cautionary tales in verse, in which misbehaving children meet exaggerated, darkly comic ends — a boy who won't stop sucking his thumbs has them cut off, a girl who plays with matches burns up. Grimly funny and unforgettable, it both entertained and warned generations of children, and pioneered the modern illustrated children's book. A doctor who ran an asylum and cared deeply about children, Hoffmann wrote the book because he could find no suitable picture book to give his son. Its influence on children's literature and comics has been immense.