Jean Dulieu

Nature lover Jean Dulieu (1921–2006), the French translation of his real name Jan van Oort (John of the place), was an unparalleled all-round artist. After being forced to give up working as a concert violinist during the Second World War, he began a new career as a strip cartoonist, illustrator, author, puppetmaker, and actor and voice artist for radio plays. Although Dulieu created several cartoon characters and books, including the internationally acclaimed Francesco (1956, about St Francis of Assisi), his artistic career is inextricably linked to his creation Paulus the Wood Gnome, an important figure in the Dutch canon of children’s literature. Dulieu’s versatility is demonstrated by the prizes he was awarded: in 1962 he won a Golden Slate Pencil for Paulus en de hulpsinterklaas and an Edison for the record Paulus is jarig. In 1981, he was awarded the Stripschapsprijs for his oeuvre.