ZDENĚK MILER CELEBRATED HIS NINETIETH BIRTHDAY ON FEBRUARY 21ST

On February21^st, 2011, illustrator Zdeněk Miler celebrated his 90^th birthday. For five decades his creation, Little Mole, has been the most belovedcharacter in Czech children’s literature and film. Hugely successful here andabroad, Albatros has sold more than five million copies of Miler’s books andpublished fifty of his titles in nineteen foreign languages.

ZdeněkMiler studied at the National School of Graphics in Prague and in the GraphicDesign department of the Prague Academy of Art, Architecture, and Design with professorsJaroslav Benda and Antonín Strnadel. In 1941 he began working for Zlín AnimatedFilm Studios, and from 1945 he worked for Prague’s Bratři v Triku (“Brothersin T-Shirts”) animated studio.

In 1953 heillustrated his first children’s book, Hrubin’s The Chick and the Grain, for the National Publishing House ofChildren’s Books (named Albatros after 1968). Many of his books includedcharacters from his animated movies, such as Little Mole and the Puppy. They were published in many editions asconcertina and coloring books. He also illustrated the books of otherauthors—the most famous of these include Vladislav Vančura’s Kubula and Kuba Kubikula and Jan Čarek’sThe Happy Little Train, which arestill popular among children. The first story about Little Mole, How Little Mole Got His Trousers, waspublished by Albatros in 1961.

In additionto his picture books, a number of new concertina books for young children andeducational stories—all featuring Little Mole as the hero—have been produced.The latest books from Albatros are LittleMole and the Mother (2002), the educational book for young children, Let’s Draw Little Mole’s Year (2011) andLittle Mole’s Stories from Spring toWinter (2011).

Thedefining element of Miler’s work is his animation, which is reflected in hisillustrations. His artistic expression extends the classical realism of Czechchildren’s literature, remarkable for its humor and lyricism. Zdeněk Miler’sillustrations finely balance delicate drawings with poetically subtle coloring.The peacefulness that his pictures evoke is the key to the artist’s success.

ZdeněkMiler has received numerous awards for both his work in illustrations andanimation. In 1999 he received Albatros’ Golden Palette Award for illustratingmore than five million copies of books sold. In 2001 Albatros awarded ZdeněkMiler the Lifetime Achievement Award for Children’s Literature.

Miler’s LittleMole remains the most beloved character of Albatros, both at home and abroad. Littlereaders in dozens of countries know him by names like Krtek, Krot, Myyrän,Mulvad, La Talpa, La Petite Taupe or Tudodži. In Poland alone, Albatros hassold more than one hundred and twenty thousand books with Little Mole since2007. In just the last year, thirty-five thousand copies were bought byNorwegian readers. Last year, he appeared for the first time in France and aftera long break also in Sweden.