F. K. Waechter


Friedrich Karl Waechter was a renowned German cartoonist, author, and playwright.

Life

Waechter was born in Danzig as a son of a teacher. His family fled over the Baltic Sea after World War II and settled in Sahms.
Waechter attended the Lauenburg Scholar School in Ratzeburg, where his graphic talents became apparent. He then studied graphic art in Hamburg. In 1962, he moved to Frankfurt and took a job drawing cartoons in an advertisement magazine Die Zeit. His work attracted the attention of the editors of the soon-to-be satire magazine, Pardon. They gave Waechter a preliminary copy and asked for his suggestions. Waechter's constructive criticism earned him a job with the fledgling magazine.
While at Pardon, he co-founded the Neue Frankfurter Schule, a group of eminent comic writers and cartoonists. The name was a play on the Frankfurter Schule of Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. The group included Robert Gernhardt, F. W. Bernstein, Bernd Eilert, Eckhard Henscheid, Peter Knorr, Hans Traxler, and Chlodwig Poth. Their work celebrated subversive nonsense, typified by Pardon's regular "Welt in Spiegel" feature.
Waechter became a father and, by 1970, began writing children's books. Many of these encouraged the reader to complete puzzles and drawings, write in the book, cut it up, or otherwise participate in the story. The books appealed to both children and adults and showcased his artistic talents: simple yet expressive cartoons, carefully cross-hatched pen and ink, collage, and realistic paintings. He would write some forty books throughout his life. They are typified by Anti-Struwwwelpeter, Die Schoepfung, and Der Kronenklauer.
In 1979 he co-founded Titanic, another satirical magazine. His cartoons featured regularly until 1992, when he began focusing on teaching, writing books, and writing and directing plays.
Waechter's final work was Vollmond, a fantastic tale of a space journey. He completed it while undergoing treatment for lung cancer. He died on September 16, 2005, at the age of 67, leaving behind a wife and three sons.

Honors

Books

Ich bin der Größte, 1966 Die Wahrheit über Arnold Hau, 1966.Der kleine Zweckermann, 1969 Der Anti-Struwwelpeter, 1970Die Kronenklauer, 1972 Tischlein deck dich und Knüppel aus dem Sack, 1972 Brülle ich zum Fenster raus, 1973Wir können noch viel zusammen machen, 1973 So dumm waren die Hebräer, 1973Das Ungeheuer-Spiel, 1975Opa Huckes Mitmach-Kabinett, 1976Schule mit Clowns, Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren, Pustekuchen Die Bauern im Brunnen, 1978Wahrscheinlich guckt wieder kein Schwein, 1978Kiebich und Dutz, 1979Die Reise, 1980 Es lebe die Freihei..., 1981 Fühlmäuse, 1981Wer kommt mit auf die Lofoten?, 1982Das Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland, 1982Männer auf verlorenem Posten, 1983Nur den Kopf nicht hängen lassen, 1983Glückliche Stunde, 1986Die Mondtücher, 1988Mich wundert, daß ich fröhlich bin, 1991Die letzten Dinge, 1992Da bin ich, 1997F. K. Waechters Erzähltheater, 1997Der rote Wolf, 1998Mein 1. Glas Bier, 1998Der Kleine im Glaspott, 1999Die Geschichte vom albernen Hans, 2000Der Frosch und das Mädchen, 2000Steinhauers Fuß, 2001Die Schöpfung, 2002Waechter, 2002Prinz Hamlet, 2005Vollmond, 2005

Plays (selection)

  • Die Beinemacher
  • Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren
  • Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten
  • Die Reise nach Aschenfeld
  • Ausflug mit Clowns
  • F. K. Waechters Ixypsilonzett
  • Die letzten Dinge
  • Die Eisprinzessin
  • Prinz Hamlet
  • Lysistrata
  • Die Aschenputtler
  • Tristan und Isolde
  • Karneval der Tiere
  • Der Narr des Königs

Criticism

Die schärfsten Kritiker der Elche. Die Neue Frankfurter Schule in Wort und Strich und Bild, Oliver Maria Schmitt, Berlin: Alexander Fest Verlag 2001.