Walter Moers


Walter Moers is a German comic artist, illustrator and writer. He is the creator of the character of Captain Bluebear and became a best-selling author in Europe with his Zamonia novels.

Life

Moers was born in Mönchengladbach. According to his own statements, he ended his school career prematurely and initially supported himself by doing odd jobs. He began a commercial apprenticeship, but did not finish it. The odd jobs included his first drawing commissions, such as little bedtime stories for the "Sandmännchen". Moers acquired his drawing skills through self-study.
Walter Moers is married and has lived in Hamburg since 1992. He is considered publicity-shy, does not make public appearances, gives his few interviews by e-mail and rarely allows himself to be photographed. The only recordings of him that exist are older photographs and a short film in the NDR archives showing Moers at an exhibition in 1994. Some of the few pictures also date from before 2000, and in the case of some of them it is disputed whether the person depicted is really Walter Moers. His dealings with the public have meanwhile become a kind of trademark, so that he is often dubbed a "phantom". Therefore, biographical information on Moers must be treated with caution, as there are few truly reliable sources.

Work

Zamonia series

Walter Moers's Zamonia novels are works of fantasy literature presented as literary fragments of the world of Zamonia. In the course of the publications, Moers's authorship was fictitiously reduced further and further, from author and helper to editor and illustrator to second-tier editor.
The books are characterised by their intermedial and intertextual presentation. Thus, there are many references to other works of literature, film and music. The parallels are sometimes so obvious that the Zamonia novels have been called "plagiarism poetry" and "art of copying". However, the combination of maps, illustrations and texts in which the novels are written also contributes to the intermediality. Both adolescent and adult readers are given as the target audience, although it can be assumed that Moers intended the works primarily for adults. As of 2025 there are eleven books in the series, of which five have been translated to English:
  • The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear
  • Ensel und Krete
  • Rumo and His Miraculous Adventures
  • The City of Dreaming Books
  • The Alchemaster's Apprentice
  • The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books
  • Princess Insomnia & the Nightmare-colored Night-mare
  • Weihnachten auf der Lindwurmfeste
  • Der Bücherdrache
  • Die Insel der Tausend Leuchttürme
  • Das Einhörnchen, das rückwärts leben wollte
  • ''Qwert''

    Language and style

Moers' style is overall strongly influenced by the tradition of the grotesque. The Zamonia novels are in themselves easy to understand and partly influenced by everyday language, and therefore belong more to popular literature. However, by repeatedly alluding to works that are usually considered "canonical" through intermedial and intertextual references, sometimes even whole set pieces, Moers blurs or negates the sometimes imaginary boundary between "high literature" and "trivial literature".
Among the obvious references are the dedication of entire novels; with Ensel und Krete, inspired by the Grimm's fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel, and The Alchemaster's Apprentice, behind which Gottfried Keller's novella Spiegel, das Kätzchen is hidden. In addition, elements from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, William Goldman's The Princess Bride or Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 are evident.

Translations

Walter Moers' works have already been translated into over 20 languages, including mainly the Zamonia novels. Because of the many stylistic devices and word creations, translating Moers' novels is considered a particular challenge. For example, the translator of most of the works into English, John Brownjohn, describes how many names had to be Latinised and the large number of anagrams had to be re-imagined. Several works dealt with translation problems based on Walter Moers' works and showed difficulties in translating neologisms and phrasemes.

Comics

His best-known comic characters are:
  • Das kleine Arschloch, a precocious and irreverent little boy who constantly gets one over on the adults.
  • Der alte Sack, a terminally ill old man in a wheel chair who makes sarcastic comments on what he sees.
  • Adolf, die Nazisau, an absurd satirical interpretation of Adolf Hitler in today's world.
  • Käpt'n Blaubär, a sea-faring bear with blue fur, who spins ridiculous pirate yarns, all of which, he claims, are true.

    German Works

Children's Books

  • Die Schimauski-Methode. 1987,.
  • Käpt'n Blaubärs Seemannsgarn. 3 Bände, 1990. Volume 1, Opachens Mondfahrt,. Volume 2, Moby Duck, die weiße Riesenente,. Volume 3, ''Die Piraten von der Haifischbucht,''

    Satirical Comics

  • Aha! 1985,.
  • Wenn er gut drauf ist, erläßt er alle Sünden. So treiben's die Klerikalen. 1985,.
  • Hey! 1986,.
  • Schweinewelt. 1987,.
  • Herzlichen Glückwunsch. 1988,.
  • Von ganzem Herzen. 1989,.
  • „Huhu!" 1989,.
  • Schwulxx-Comix. 1990,.
  • Kleines Arschloch. 1990,.
  • Das kleine Arschloch kehrt zurück. 1991,.
  • Schöne Geschichten. 1991,.
  • Schöner leben mit dem kleinen Arschloch. 1992,.
  • Es ist ein Arschloch, Maria! 1992,.
  • Der alte Sack, ein kleines Arschloch und andere Höhepunkte des Kapitalismus. 1993,.
  • Arschloch in Öl. 1993,.
  • Du bist ein Arschloch, mein Sohn. 1995,.
  • Sex und Gewalt. 1995,.
  • Peppi & Co . 1996
  • Buckel & Co. 1996,.
  • Vagina & Co. 1996,.
  • Wenn der Pinguin zweimal klopft… 1997,.
  • Adolf. oder Adolf / 1, Äch bin wieder da. 1998,.
  • Feuchte Träume. 1999,.
  • Adolf, Teil 2. oder Adolf / 2, Äch bin schon wieder da!. 1999,.
  • Schamlos!. 2001,.
  • Adolf, Der Bonker. 2006,.
  • Der Pinguin: A Very Graphic Novel. 2012,.
  • Jesus total – Die wahre Geschichte. 2013,.
  • Sex, Absinth und falsche Hasen – Eine Weltgeschichte der Kunst. 2013,.
  • Adolf total – Alles über den Führer in einem Volume. 2016,.

    Illustrated lyric poetry

  • Das Tier. 1987,.

    Illustrated prose

  • Wilde Reise durch die Nacht. Hardcover, 2001,, Softcover,, audiobook,.
  • Der Fönig. Hardcover, 2002,, Softcover,, audiobook,.

    Zamonia series

  • Die 13½ Leben des Käpt'n Blaubär. Hardcover, 1999,, Softcover,, audiobook,.
  • Ensel und Krete. Hardcover, 2000,, Softcover,, audiobook,.
  • Rumo & Die Wunder im Dunkeln. Hardcover, 2003,, Softcover,, audiobook,.
  • Die Stadt der Träumenden Bücher. Hardcover, 2004,, Softcover,, audiobook,.
  • Der Schrecksenmeister. Hardcover, 2007,, Softcover,, audiobook,.
  • Das Labyrinth der Träumenden Bücher. Print, 2011,, audiobook , audiobook .
  • Prinzessin Insomnia & der alptraumfarbene Nachtmahr. Print, 2017,, E-Book, audiobook .
  • Weihnachten auf der Lindwurmfeste. Print, 2018,, E-Book, audiobook.
  • Der Bücherdrache. Print, 2019,, E-Book, audiobook.
  • Die Insel der Tausend Leuchttürme. Print, 2023,, E-Book, audiobook.
  • Das Einhörnchen, das rückwärts leben wollte. Print, 2024,, E-Book, audiobook.

    Screenplay

  • Kleines Arschloch – Der Film. 1997,.
  • Käpt'n Blaubär – Der Film. 1999,.
  • Das kleine Arschloch und der alte Sack – Sterben ist Scheiße. 2006
  • Drachengespräche. 2007
  • Adolf – Er ist wieder da! 2012

    Graphic Novels

  • Die Stadt der Träumenden Bücher. Volume 1, Knaus, Munich 2017,, Volume 2, Knaus, Munich 2018,.

    Works available in English translation

Zamonia

  • The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear, 2000 / 2005,, including audiobook, 2010,
  • Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures : a novel in two books, 2004,, including audiobook, 2010,
  • The City of Dreaming Books, 2006., including audiobook, 2011,
  • The Alchemaster's Apprentice, 2009,, including audiobook, 2011,
  • The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books, 2012,

    Others

  • Little Asshole, 1991, Eichborn,
  • A Wild Ride Through the Night, 2004,, including audiobook, 2012,