Ludwig Bemelmans (1898–1962)
Author of Madeline
About the Author
Ludwig Bemelmans, April 27, 1898 - October 1, 1962 Ludwig Bemelmans was born on April 27, 1898 in Meran, then Austria. At the age of eight, his parents divorced and he moved with his mother to Regensburg, Germany. He was enrolled into various public and private schools and failed out of most of show more them. At the age of twelve, unsure of what else to do with him, Bemelmans was apprenticed to an uncle in the hotel business and proceeded to go through many jobs, being repeatedly dismissed. After supposedly shooting and almost killing a waiter, his family gave him the ultimatum of reform school or emigration to the United States. He arrived in America in 1914 with reference letters from his uncle to various hotel managers in New York. Bemelmans obtained a job as a waiter in the Ritz-Carlton, but left that job to join the Army in 1917. In the Army, he worked with German speaking recruits and as a military hospital guard. In 1918, Bemelmans became a naturalized citizen, returning to hotel and restaurant work a year later, eventually opening his own restaurant. In the 1934, at the suggestion of one of his friends, Bemelmans began to write, producing his first children's book, "Hansi." He was best known though, for his series of books about the little french girl, "Madeline," which is still a childhood favorite. "Madeline's Rescue," the second book in the series, won the Caldecott Medal in 1953. His first book for adults was entitled, "My War with the United States" and was a diary of his experiences in the service during World War I. In fact, Bemelmans usually wrote his books based on his life experiences, such as "Life Class" and "Hotel Splendide," about his life as a restaurateur, his travels to Ecuador and Italy appeared in "The Donkey Inside" and "Italian Holiday," and his brief stint as a screenwriter in Hollywood was the basis for "Dirty Eddie." Bemelmans wrote about a book or two a year and was a contributor to Town and Country and Horizon, as well as a cover illustrator for The New Yorker. In his later years, Bemelmans enjoyed some small fame from painting, with some of his work appearing in various galleries. Ludwig Bemelmans died of pancreatic cancer in New York on October 1, 1962. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Cut down scan of dust jacket back cover of Penguin Book No.615 (pub.1948). No attribution.
Series
Works by Ludwig Bemelmans
Madeline Quartet: Madeline / Madeline's Rescue / Madeline and the Bad Hat / Madeline in London (1961) 81 copies
How to Have Europe All to Yourself 2 copies
A Tale of Two Glimps 2 copies
New Yorker cover 2 copies
Putzi 2 copies
להציל את מדלן 1 copy
Made 1 copy
CD MADELINE Puffin Storytime 1 copy
Hotel Spendide 1 copy
The Madeline Classic Storybook Library Box Set (Madeline, Madeline In London, Madeline's Rescue) (1989) 1 copy
Madeline Collection 1 copy
The Borrowed Christmas 1 copy
Sacre du Printemps 1 copy
Associated Works
The 20th-Century Children's Book Treasury: Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud (1998) — Author — 1,528 copies
Voor en na middernacht : vierendertig beroemde spook- en griezelverhalen (1949) — Contributor — 7 copies
Writing Books for Boys and Girls — Contributor, some editions — 5 copies
A Caravan of Music Stories by the World's Great Authors — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1898-04-27
- Date of death
- 1962-10-01
- Burial location
- Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, USA
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- Belgium
Germany
USA (1918)
Austria (birth) - Birthplace
- Meran, Austria-Hungary
- Place of death
- New York, New York, USA
- Cause of death
- cancer
- Places of residence
- Merano, Austria
Regensburg, Germany
New York, New York, USA - Occupations
- hotel work
artist
writer
illustrator
Restaurateur - Relationships
- Marciano, John Bemelmans (grandson)
- Awards and honors
- Caldecott Medal
Members
Reviews
Madeline (Picture Books) by Ludwig Bemelmans
Yay, Madeline! I checked this book out at least five times when I was in second grade.
This is not the best Madeline I’ve ever read but sometimes a child just likes what they like. 🎄
YMMV- some people avoid magic and there is a magician and a spell when the magician helps with the dishes. Later the girls are flown on magic carpets.
YMMV- some people avoid magic and there is a magician and a spell when the magician helps with the dishes. Later the girls are flown on magic carpets.
At an orphanage in Paris, a little redheaded girl gets appendicitis.
I thought I remembered this having more of a backstory for Madeline, but no. She just gets her appendix out and that’s it. Still lovely illustrations though.
I thought I remembered this having more of a backstory for Madeline, but no. She just gets her appendix out and that’s it. Still lovely illustrations though.
I always enjoyed the Madeline cartoon as a kid. The song was catchy and Madeline (and Pierre) were amusing. That said, I don't think I ever read the books.
But the first book is not bad. Very similar to the show but lacking music. The story is a little confusing - orphans? Papa? boarding school? I don't really get the circumstances of Madeline's living arrangements but it's a minor thing to ignore.
I enjoyed the rhymes and the illustrations were gorgeous. Particularly the watercolour ones. I really liked the text arrangement on the last page, the way it echoed the trailing off of the rhyme. The story itself was fairly simple but entertaining to follow.
Target audience 4.5 stars, rounded to 5. For myself 3.5.
… (more)
But the first book is not bad. Very similar to the show but lacking music. The story is a little confusing - orphans? Papa? boarding school? I don't really get the circumstances of Madeline's living arrangements but it's a minor thing to ignore.
I enjoyed the rhymes and the illustrations were gorgeous. Particularly the watercolour ones. I really liked the text arrangement on the last page, the way it echoed the trailing off of the rhyme. The story itself was fairly simple but entertaining to follow.
Target audience 4.5 stars, rounded to 5. For myself 3.5.
… (more)
Lists
Newbery Adjacent (1)
Christmas Books (1)
Childhood books (1)
al.vick-series (1)
1930s (1)
Sonlight Books (1)
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 85
- Also by
- 30
- Members
- 24,475
- Popularity
- #857
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 468
- ISBNs
- 381
- Languages
- 12
- Favorited
- 8
- Touchstones
- 133