The Bear and The People

Reiner Zimnik was born in Poland and began drawing—horses and knights, mostly—at the age of five. At the end of the Second World War, he and his family left for the West, settling in Germany. After apprenticing as a cabinet-maker, Zimnik studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, and has since written and illustrated many books for children, including The Bear on the Motorcycle and The Crane. About himself he says, “I love nature, the simple life, and ordinary people. I like eating and drinking, and have a tendency toward idleness and daydreaming.”