'Babar et ce Coquin d'Arthur' (1946).
Laurent de Brunhoff was a French novelist and illustrator, who, from 1946 on, continued the internationally popular 'Babar the elephant' series, originally created by his father Jean de Brunhoff.
Early life
Laurent de Brunhoff was born in 1925 in Paris as the eldest of three sons of Jean and Cécile de Brunhoff. His youngest brother Thierry de Brunhoff later gained fame as a pianist, and his cousin Brigitte Sabouraud became a singer-songwriter and cabaret performer, writing lyrics for the singer Barbara (pseudonym of Monique Serf). Laurent was five and his brother Mathieu four years old when his mother thought up a bedtime story about an elephant who leaves the jungle to live in the city. By the siblings' demand, the story was turned into the illustrated novel 'Histoire de Babar' by their father Jean de Brunhoff. Over the course of the 1930s, six additional books with the character were released. After Jean De Brunhoff died in 1937, thirteen-year old Laurent colored the illustrations for two unfinished publications, 'Babar en famille' (1938) and 'Babar et le père Noël' (1941).
Continuing 'Babar'
Feeling a void after his father's death, Laurent de Brunhoff went to study at the same academy as his father, having the same tutor at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. Trained as a painter, Laurent worked in oils and exhibited his abstract works at a Paris gallery. In 1946, Laurent de Brunhoff felt he had to continue the 'Babar' franchise. His first effort, 'Babar's Cousin: That Rascal Arthur', was published in 1946. Over the next couple of decades, he wrote several new stories, sending Babar into a haunted castle, to New York City and into outer space. For the illustrations, he mimicked his father's drawing style so closely that few readers noticed the difference. Laurent met several people who assumed that no new 'Babar' titles had been published because of World War II and that Jean de Brunhoff was still the original author. Other times, people mistook him for the original creator and, much to his amusement, thought he must be over a 100 years old. In an interview with biographer Nicholas Fox Weber, De Brunhoff admitted that the revival of Babar felt like reviving his father, who passed away too soon.
Over the course of half a century, Laurent de Brunhoff published a new title every few years, eventually working in a steady collaboration with his second wife Phyllis Rose and assistant Paul Vleminckx. Together with composer Jean-Jacques Debout, De Brunhoff wrote the song 'Babar' (1983), set to music by Chantal Goya. In 1985, Laurent de Brunhoff moved to the USA after marrying his second wife, Phyllis Rose (b. 1942), who worked as a literary critic, essayist and biographer. In the States, De Brunhoff sold the licensing rights of 'Babar' to the business man and artist Clifford Ross, who launched a wide range of merchandise with the character, including Babar pajamas, slippers, wallpaper, wrapping paper, perfume, fruit drinks, backpacks and blankets.
Ross also began a partnership with Nelvana Limited, the Canadian animation studio behind the 1989-1991 'Babar' TV series and ill-received 1989 film 'Babar: The Movie'. Not satisfied with the quality of Nelvana's work, the Clifford Ross Company sued the Canadian firm, and a lengthy court battle followed, which wasn't resolved until 2000. Laurent de Brunhoff made sure he did not get involved in all the legal fights. As he stated to The New York Times: "Celesteville is a sort of utopian city, a place where there’s no robbery or crime, where everyone has a nice relationship with the other, so there’s really no need for lawyers there."
Other books
Besides 'Babar', Laurent de Brunhoff has also made children's books with characters of his own invention, like 'Sefafina the Giraffe' (World Publishing Co., Cleveland, 1961), 'Anatole and his Donkey' (Macmillan, New York, 1963), 'Bonhomme' (Pantheon, 1965) and 'Gregory and the Lady Turtle in the Valley of the Music Trees' (Pantheon, 1997).
Recognition
On 8 December 2011, Laurent de Brunhoff was named an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He was also knighted as a Chevalier du Légion d'Honneur.
Death
Laurent's mother Cécile de Brunhoff lived to a ripe old age. She died in 2003, only six months ahead of what would have been her 100th birthday. Laurent survived her for another 21 years, dying in 2024 in Key West, Florida, from a stroke. He was 98 years old.
Laurent De Brunhoff was an influence on Joost Swarte.
'Babar Dans L'Île Aux Oiseaux' and 'Babar à New York'.