Died 26 March 1965 | ||
H.J. Kaeser (Hildegard Johanna Kaeser) (April 4 1904 - March 26 1965) was a German Jewish author, many of whose books have been translated into English and published by OUP. She is perhaps best known for her series of charming children's books about Mimff, all of which were illustrated by Edward Ardizzone. The Mimff translators included David Ascoli and Kathleen Williamson.
Contents
Personal life
Kaeser had a birth defect that impaired her walking, and as a child became an avid reader. Educated in Berlin, she worked at a publishing company after leaving school, and in 1925 became editor of a children's magazine. On Hitler's access to power in 1933, she and her husband left Germany, first for France, then to Denmark in 1934, and finally in 1935 to Sweden. She wrote journal articles (in Swedish) under the pseudonym Hillevi Hill. She became a Swedish citizen in 1946, and chose not to return to Germany. In 1965, shortly after her husband's death, she herself died from an overdose of sleeping pills.
Publications
The Mimff books are aimed at readers from 9-12 years, and the series comprised:
H.J. Kaeser's other works include:
A Jewish feminist, Kaeser also wrote biographies, primarily of significant women in history, including:
Many of her books were published in Swedish, Danish, Finnish and Norwegian (as well as German and English).