Quentin Blake was born in 1932. He read English at Downing College, Cambridge and after teacher training at London University attended life classes at Chelsea School of Art. His professional life started in
Punch and
The Spectator, and his first children’s book was published in 1960. He was appointed the first Children’s Laureate in 1999. He is a CBE, an honorary doctor of Cambridge University, and an Officier des Arts et des Lettres. He lives in London and part of the year in France, but his books are known in most countries of the world.
Photo credit: Catherine Helie, Editions Gallimard