 = Wilhelm Busch = 
 
 Heinrich Christian Wilhelm Busch ( 15 April 1832 – 9 January 1908 ) was a German humorist , poet , illustrator and painter . He published comic illustrated <unk> tales from 1859 , achieving his most notable works in the 1870s . Busch 's illustrations used wood engraving , and later , zincography . 
 Busch drew on contemporary parochial and city life , <unk> Catholicism , <unk> , strict religious morality and <unk> . His comic text was colourful and entertaining , using onomatopoeia , <unk> and other figures of speech , and led to some work being banned by the authorities . 
 Busch was influential in both poetry and illustration , and became a source for future generations of comic artists . The Katzenjammer Kids was inspired by Busch 's Max and Moritz , one of a number of imitations produced in Germany and the United States . The Wilhelm Busch Prize and the Wilhelm Busch Museum help maintain his legacy . His <unk> anniversary in 2007 was celebrated throughout Germany . Busch remains one of the most influential poets and artists in Western Europe . 
 
 = = Family background = = 
 
 In the late 18th century Johann Georg Kleine , Wilhelm Busch 's maternal grandfather , settled in the small village of Wiedensahl . There , in 1817 , he bought a <unk> half @-@ <unk> house , where Wilhelm Busch was to be born about 15 years later . <unk> Kleine , Johann 's wife and Wilhelm Busch 's grandmother , kept a shop in which Busch 's mother Henriette assisted while her two brothers attended high school . When Johann Georg Kleine died in 1820 , his widow continued to run the shop with Henriette . 
 At the age of 19 Henriette Kleine married surgeon Friedrich Wilhelm <unk> . Henriette became widowed at the age of 26 , with her three children to <unk> dying as infants . About 1830 Friedrich Wilhelm Busch , the illegitimate son of a farmer , settled in Wiedensahl after completing a business apprenticeship in the nearby village of <unk> . He took over the Kleine shop in Wiedensahl , which he completely modernised . 
 
 = = Life = = 
 
 
 = = = Childhood = = = 
 
 Wilhelm Busch was born on 15 April 1832 , the first of seven children to the marriage of Henriette Kleine and Friedrich Wilhelm Busch . His six siblings followed shortly after : Fanny ( 1834 ) , Gustav ( 1836 ) , Adolf ( 1838 ) , Otto ( 1841 ) , Anna ( 1843 ) and Hermann ( 1845 ) ; all survived childhood . His parents were ambitious , hard @-@ working and devout Protestants who later , despite becoming relatively prosperous , could not afford to educate all three sons . Busch 's biographer <unk> W. <unk> suggested that Friedrich Wilhelm Busch invested heavily in his sons ' education partly because his own <unk> held significant stigma in rural areas . 
 The young Wilhelm Busch was a tall child , but with a rather delicate and graceful physique . The coarse <unk> of his later protagonists " Max and Moritz " was rare in his childhood . He described himself in autobiographical sketches and letters as sensitive and timid , as someone who " carefully studied apprehension " , and who reacted with fascination , compassion and distress when animals were killed in the autumn . He described the " transformation to sausage " as " <unk> compelling " , leaving a lasting impression ; pork <unk> him throughout his life . 
 In the autumn of 1841 , after the birth of his brother Otto , Busch 's education was entrusted to the 35 @-@ year @-@ old clergyman Georg Kleine , his maternal uncle at Ebergötzen , this probably through lack of space in the Busch family home , and his father 's desire for a better education than the small local school could provide , where 100 children were taught within a space of 66 m2 ( 710 sq ft ) . The nearest convenient school was located in <unk> , 20 km ( 12 mi ) from Wiedensahl . Kleine , with his wife Fanny Petri , lived in a rectory at Ebergötzen , while Busch was lodged with an unrelated family . Kleine and his wife were responsible and caring , exercised a substitute parental role , and provided refuge for him in future unsuccessful times . 
 Kleine 's private lessons for Busch were also attended by Erich Bachmann , the son of a wealthy Ebergötzen <unk> . Both became friends , according to Busch the strongest friendship of his childhood . This friendship was echoed in the 1865 story Max and Moritz . A small pencil portrait by the 14 @-@ year @-@ old Busch depicted Bachmann as a <unk> , confident boy , and showed similarities with Max . Busch portrayed himself with a " <unk> " , in the later " Moritzian " <unk> style . 
 Kleine was a <unk> , his lessons not held in contemporary language , and it is not known for certain all subjects Busch and his friend were taught . Busch did learn elementary arithmetic from his uncle , although science lessons might have been more comprehensive , as Kleine , like many other clergymen , was a <unk> , and published essays and textbooks on the subject — Busch demonstrated his knowledge of bee @-@ keeping in his future stories . Drawing , and German and English poetry , were also taught by Kleine . 
 Busch had little contact with his natural parents during this period . At the time , the 165 km ( 103 mi ) journey between Wiedensahl and Ebergötzen took three days by horse . His father visited Ebergötzen two to three times a year , while his mother stayed in Wiedensahl to look after the children . The 12 @-@ year @-@ old Busch visited his family once ; his mother at first did not recognize him . Some Busch biographers think that this early separation from his parents , especially from his mother , resulted in his eccentric <unk> . In the autumn of 1846 , Busch moved with the Kleine 's to Lüthorst , where , on 11 April 1847 , he was confirmed . 
 
 = = = Study = = = 
 
 In September 1847 Busch began studying mechanical engineering at Hanover Polytechnic . Busch 's biographers are not in agreement as to why his Hanover education ended ; most believe that his father had little appreciation of his son 's artistic inclination . Biographer Eva Weissweiler suspects that Kleine played a major role , and that other possible causes were Busch 's friendship with an <unk> , <unk> , political debates in <unk> 's tavern , and Busch 's reluctance to believe every word of the Bible and catechism . 
 Busch studied for nearly four years at Hanover , despite initial difficulties in understanding the subject matter . A few months before graduation he confronted his parents with his aspiration to study at the Düsseldorf Art Academy . According to Bush 's nephew Hermann Nöldeke , his mother supported this inclination . His father eventually <unk> and Busch moved to Düsseldorf in June 1851 , where , to his disappointment at not being admitted to the advanced class , he entered preparatory classes . Busch 's parents had his tuition fees paid for one year , so in May 1852 he traveled to Antwerp to continue study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts under <unk> <unk> <unk> . He led his parents to believe that the Academy was less <unk> than Düsseldorf , and had the opportunity to study old masters . At Antwerp he saw for the first time paintings by Peter Paul Rubens , <unk> <unk> , David <unk> and <unk> <unk> . The pictures aroused his interest , but made him doubt his own skills . Eventually , in 1853 , after suffering heavily from <unk> , he abandoned his Antwerp studies and returned <unk> to Wiedensahl . 
 
 = = = Munich = = = 
 
 Busch was ravaged by disease , and for five months spent time painting and collecting folk tales , legends , songs , ballads , rhymes and fragments of regional <unk> . Busch 's biographer Joseph Kraus saw these collections as useful additions to folklore , as Busch noted the narrative background to tales and the idiosyncrasies of <unk> . Busch tried to release the collections , but as a publisher could not be found at the time they were issued after his death . During the Nazi era Busch was known as an " ethnic seer " . 
 After Busch had spent six months with his uncle Kleine at Lüthorst , he expressed an aim to continue study in Munich . This request caused a rift with his father who , however , eventually funded this move ; - see for comparison Busch 's illustrated story of Painter Klecksel . Busch 's expectations of the Munich Academy of Fine Arts were not met . His life became <unk> ; there were occasional return visits to Lüthorst , but contact with his parents had been broken off . In 1857 and 1858 , as his position seemed to be without prospects , he contemplated emigration to Brazil to keep bees . 
 Busch made contact with the artist association Jung <unk> ( Young Munich ) , met several notable Munich artists , and wrote and provided cartoons for the Jung <unk> newspaper . Kaspar Braun , who published the satirical newspapers Münchener Bilderbogen ( Picture Sheets from Munich ) and <unk> Blätter ( Flying <unk> ) , proposed a collaboration with Busch . This association provided Busch with sufficient funds to live . An existing self @-@ caricature suggests that at this time he had an intense relationship with a woman from <unk> . His courtship with a seventeen @-@ year @-@ old merchant 's daughter , Anna Richter , whom Busch met through his brother Gustav , ended in 1862 . Busch 's biographer , <unk> , suggests that her father probably refused to <unk> his daughter to an almost unknown artist without regular income . 
 In his early Munich years Busch 's attempt to write libretti , which are almost forgotten today , were unsuccessful . Up to 1863 he worked on two or three major works ; the third was composed by Georg Kremplsetzer . Busch 's <unk> und <unk> , a romantic opera in three acts , <unk> und <unk> and Der <unk> <unk> <unk> , an opera <unk> of sorts , were not particularly successful . There was a dispute between Busch and Kremplsetzer during the staging of Der <unk> <unk> <unk> , leading to the removal of Busch 's name from the production ; the piece was renamed <unk> von Georg Kremplsetzer . 
 In 1873 Busch returned several times to Munich , and took part in the intense life of the Munich Art Society as an escape from provincial life . In 1877 , in a last attempt to be a serious artist , he took a studio in Munich . He left Munich abruptly in 1881 , after he disrupted a variety show and subsequently made a scene through the effects of alcohol The 1878 nine episode illustrated tale Eight Sheets in the Wind describes how humans behave like animals when drunk . Busch 's biographer Weissweiler felt the story was only superficially funny and harmless , but was a study on addiction and its induced state of delusion . 
 
 = = = Publication of Max and Moritz = = = 
 
 Between 1860 and 1863 Busch wrote over one hundred articles for the Münchener Bilderbogen and <unk> Blätter , but he felt his dependence on publisher Kaspar Braun had become <unk> . Busch appointed Dresden publisher Heinrich Richter , the son of Saxon painter Ludwig Richter , as his new publisher — Richter 's press up to that time was producing children 's books and religious Christian devotional literature . Busch could choose themes , although Richter raised some concerns regarding four suggested illustrated tales that were proposed . However , some were published in the 1864 as <unk> , proving a failure . Busch then offered Richter the manuscripts of Max and Moritz , <unk> any fees . Richter rejected the manuscript as sales prospects seemed poor . Busch 's former publisher , Braun , purchased the right to Max and Moritz for 1 @,@ 000 <unk> , corresponding to approximately double the annual wage of a craftsman . 
 For Braun the manuscript was <unk> . Initially the sales of Max and Moritz were slow , but sales figures improved after the 1868 second edition . Overall there were 56 editions and more than 430 @,@ 000 copies sold up to Busch 's death in 1908 . Despite at first being ignored by critics , teachers in the 1870s described Max and Moritz as frivolous and an undesirable influence on the moral development of young people . 
 
 = = = Frankfurt = = = 
 
 Increasing economic success allowed Busch to visit Wiedensahl more frequently . Busch had decided to leave Munich , as only few relatives lived there , and the artists ' association was temporarily disbanded . In June 1867 Busch met his brother Otto for the first time , in Frankfurt . Otto was working as a tutor to the family of a wealthy banker and industrialist , Kessler . Busch became friends with Kessler 's wife , Johanna , a mother of seven and an influential art and music patron of Frankfurt . She regularly opened salons at her villa , frequented by artists , musicians and philosophers . She believed Busch to be a great painter , a view supported by Anton Burger , a leading painter of the <unk> <unk> , the <unk> @-@ based group of painters . While his humorous drawings did not appeal to her , she supported his painting career . At first she established an apartment and studio for Busch in her villa , later providing him with an apartment nearby . <unk> by Kessler 's support and admiration , and introduction to the cultural life of Frankfurt , the ' Frankfurter Years ' were the most artistically productive for Busch . At this time he and Otto discovered the philosophical works of Arthur Schopenhauer . 
 Busch did not remain in Frankfurt . Towards the end of the 1860s he alternated between Wiedensahl and Lüthorst , and <unk> where his brother Gustav lived . The association with Johanna Kessler lasted five years , and after his return to Wiedensahl in 1872 they communicated by letter . This contact was interrupted between 1877 and 1891 , after which it was revived with the help of Kessler 's daughters . 
 
 = = = Later life = = = 
 
 Biographer Weissweiler does not dismiss the possibility that Busch 's increasing alcohol dependence hindered self @-@ criticism . He refused invitations to parties , and publisher Otto <unk> sent him to Wiedensahl to keep his alcohol problem undetected from those around him . Busch was also a heavy smoker , resulting in symptoms of severe <unk> poisoning in 1874 . He began to illustrate drunkards more often . 
 Dutch writer Marie Anderson corresponded with Busch . More than fifty letters were exchanged between January and October 1875 in which they discussed philosophy , religion and ethics . Although only one Anderson letter survives , Busch 's letters are in manuscripts . They met in <unk> in October 1875 , after which he returned to <unk> at <unk> in a " horrible mood " . According to several people at the time , Busch 's failure to find a wife was responsible for his conspicuous behaviour . There is no evidence that Busch had a close relationship with any woman after that with Anderson . 
 Busch lived with his sister Fanny 's family after her husband Pastor Hermann Nöldeke 's death in 1879 . His nephew Adolf Nöldeke remembers that Busch wanted to move back to Wiedensahl with the family . Busch renovated the house , which Fanny looked after even though he was a rich man , and became " father " to his three young nephews . She would , however , have preferred to live in a more urban area for the education of her sons . For Fanny and her three sons , Busch could not replace their former idyllic life . The years around 1880 were <unk> and emotionally exhausting for Busch , who was still reliant on alcohol . He would not invite visitors to Wiedensahl ; because of this Fanny lost contact with her friends in the village , and whenever she questioned his wishes , Busch became furious ; Even his friends Otto Friedrich Bassermann , Franz von <unk> , Hermann Levi and Wilhelm von <unk> were not invited ; he would meet them in <unk> or Hanover . 
 Busch stopped painting in 1896 and signed @-@ over all publication rights to Bassermann <unk> for 50 @,@ 000 gold marks . Busch , now aged 64 , felt old . He needed <unk> for writing and painting , and his hands <unk> slightly . In 1898 , together with his aging sister Fanny Nöldeke , he accepted Bassermann 's suggestion to move into a large <unk> in Mechtshausen . Busch read biographies , novels and stories in German , English and French . He organized his works and wrote letters and poems . Most of the poems from the collections <unk> und <unk> and <unk> <unk> <unk> were written in 1899 . The following years were <unk> for Busch . He developed a sore throat in early January 1908 , and his doctor detected a weak heart . During the night of 8 – 9 January 1908 Busch slept <unk> , taking camphor , and a few drops of morphine as a tranquilizer . Busch died the following morning before his physician , called by Otto Nöldeke , came to assist . 
 
 = = Work = = 
 
 During the Frankfort period Busch published three self @-@ contained illustrated satires . Their anti @-@ clerical themes proved popular during the <unk> . Busch 's satires typically did not address political questions , but exaggerated <unk> , superstition and <unk> double @-@ standards . This exaggeration made at least two of the works historically erroneous . The third illustrated satire , Father Filucius ( <unk> Filucius ) , described by Busch as an " allegorical <unk> " , has greater historical context . 
 
 = = = Max and Moritz = = = 
 
 In German <unk> <unk> in <unk> <unk> , Max and Moritz is a series of seven illustrated stories concerning the mischievous antics of two boys , who are eventually ground @-@ down and fed to ducks . 
 
 = = = Saint Antonius of Padua and Helen Who Couldn 't Help It = = = 
 
 In Saint Antonius of Padua ( Der <unk> Antonius von Padua ) Busch challenges Catholic belief . It was released by the publisher Moritz Schauenburg at the time Pope Pius IX proclaimed the <unk> of papal <unk> that was harshly criticized by Protestants . The publisher 's works were heavily <unk> or censored , and the state 's attorney in <unk> charged <unk> with " <unk> of religion and offending public decency through indecent writings " — a decision which affected Busch . Scenes of Antonius accompanied by a pig being admitted to heaven , and the devil being shown as a half @-@ naked ballet dancer <unk> Antonius , were deemed controversial . The district court of Düsseldorf subsequently banned Saint Antonius . Schauenburg was acquitted on 27 March 1871 in <unk> , but in Austria the satire 's distribution was prohibited until 1902 . Schauenburg refused to publish further Busch satires to avoid future accusations . 
 Busch 's following work , Helen Who Couldn 't Help It ( Die <unk> <unk> ) , was published by Otto Friedrich Bassermann , a friend whom Busch met in Munich . Helen Who Couldn 't Help It , which was soon translated into other European languages , <unk> religious hypocrisy and dubious morality : 
 Many details from Helen Who Couldn 't Help It criticizes the way of life of the <unk> . Johanna Kessler was married to a much older man and entrusted her children to governesses and tutors , while she played an active role in the social life of Frankfurt . 
 The character of Mr. <unk> — the name based on the Yiddish insult " <unk> " — shows similarities with Johanna Kessler 's husband , who was <unk> in art and culture . 
 In the second part of Helen Who Couldn 't Help It Busch attacks Catholic <unk> . The <unk> Helen goes on a pilgrimage , accompanied by her cousin and Catholic priest Franz . The pilgrimage is successful as later Helen gives birth to twins , who resemble Helen and Franz . Franz is later killed by a jealous <unk> , Jean , for his interest in female kitchen staff . The now widowed Helen is left with only a rosary , prayer book and alcohol . Drunk , she falls into a burning oil lamp . Finally , <unk> coins a moral phrase , echoing the philosophy of Schopenhauer : 
 <unk> Filucius ( Father Filucius ) is the only illustrated satire of this period suggested by the publisher . Also aimed at anti @-@ Catholic taste and <unk> , it criticizes the Jesuit Order . Kraus felt it was the weakest of all three anti @-@ clerical works . Some satires refer to contemporary events , such as Monsieur Jacques à Paris during the Siege of 1870 ( Monsieur Jacques à Paris <unk> der <unk> von 1870 ) . Busch biographer Manuela <unk> declares the story " <unk> work , drawing on anti @-@ French emotions and mocking the misery of French people in Paris , which is occupied by Prussian troops " . It depicts an increasingly desperate French citizen who at first eats a mouse during the German siege , then <unk> his dog 's tail to cook it , and finally <unk> an explosion pill which kills his dog and two fellow citizens . Weissweiler believes that Busch wrote with irony . In <unk> and Emma ( 1864 ) , a fictional family story that takes place in the <unk> era , he criticizes the Holy Roman Empire and calls for a German empire in its place ; in The <unk> or the <unk> ( Der <unk> oder die <unk> ) he <unk> the anti @-@ Prussian sentiments of his Hanover countrymen . 
 
 = = = Critique of the Heart = = = 
 
 Busch did not write further illustrated tales for a while , and focused on the literary <unk> des <unk> ( Critique of the Heart ) , wanting to appear more serious to his readers . Contemporary reception for the collection of 81 poems was mainly poor ; it was criticized for its focus on marriage and sexuality . His long @-@ time friend Paul <unk> called it " very serious , heartfelt , charming poems " . Dutch writer Marie Anderson was one of few people who enjoyed his <unk> des <unk> , and even planned to publish it in a Dutch newspaper . 
 
 = = = Adventures of a Bachelor = = = 
 
 Notwithstanding the hiatus after moving from Frankfurt , the 1870s were one of Busch 's most productive decades . In 1874 he produced the short illustrated tale <unk> @-@ Boom ! ( <unk> ! ) . 
 Following , in 1875 , was the Knopp Trilogy , about the life of Tobias Knopp : Adventures of a Bachelor ( <unk> <unk> <unk> ) , Mr. and Mrs. Knopp ( Herr und <unk> Knopp ) ( 1876 ) , and " Julie " ( <unk> ) ( 1877 ) . The antagonists of the trilogy are not pairs of <unk> as with Max and Moritz or Jack <unk> , Bird of Evil ( Hans <unk> , der <unk> ) . Without pathos , Busch makes Knopp become aware of his mortality : 
 In the first part of the trilogy , Knopp is depressed and will look for a wife . He visits his old friends and their wives who he finds in unenviable relationships . Still not convinced that the life of a bachelor is one for him , he returns home , and without further <unk> proposes to his housekeeper . The following marriage proposal is , according to Busch biographer Joseph Kraus , one of the shortest in the history of German literature : 
 According to <unk> , Busch became skeptical of marriage after writing the story . To Marie Anderson he wrote : " I will never marry ( ... ) I am already in good hands with my sister " . 
 
 = = = Last works = = = 
 
 Among Busch 's last works were the stories Clement Dove , the Poet <unk> ( <unk> <unk> , der <unk> <unk> ) ( 1883 ) and Painter Squirtle ( Maler Klecksel ) ( 1884 ) , both of which focus on artistic failure , and indirectly his own failure . Both stories begin with a preface , which , for biographer Joseph Kraus , were <unk> pieces of " <unk> <unk> " — German comic poetry . Clement Dove ridicules the <unk> amateur poet circle of Munich , " The <unk> " ( Die <unk> ) , and their prominent members Emanuel <unk> , Paul von <unk> and Adolf <unk> . Painter Squirtle criticizes the <unk> art <unk> , who believes the worth of art is <unk> by its price . 
 The prose play Edwards Dream ( <unk> <unk> ) was released in 1891 , composed of several small grouped episodes , rather than one linear storyline . The work received mixed reception . Joseph Kraus felt it was the peak of Busch 's life 's work , his nephews called it a <unk> of world literature , and the publisher of a critical collective edition spoke of a narrative style that is not found in contemporary literature . Eva Weissweiler saw in the play Busch 's attempt to prove himself in the novella genre , believing that everything that angered or insulted him , and his accompanying emotional depths , are apparent in the story . The 1895 story The Butterfly ( Der <unk> ) parodies themes and motifs and ridicules the religious optimism of a German <unk> which contradicted Busch 's realistic anthropology influenced by Schopenhauer and Charles Darwin . Its prose is more stringent in narrative style compared to Edwards Dream . Both were not popular amongst readers , because of their unfamiliar style . 
 
 = = = Painting = = = 
 
 Busch felt his painting skills could not compete with those of the Dutch masters . He regarded few of his paintings as finished , often <unk> them one on top of the other in <unk> corners of his studio , where they stuck together . If the pile of paintings became too high , he burnt some in his garden . Since only a few remaining pictures are dated , <unk> them is difficult . His doubts regarding his skills are expressed in his choice of materials . His ground was usually chosen carelessly . Sometimes he used uneven cardboard or poorly @-@ prepared spruce @-@ wood boards . One exception is a portrait of Johanna Kessler , on a canvas support measuring 63 centimetres ( 25 in ) by 53 centimetres ( 21 in ) , one of his largest paintings . Most of his works , even landscapes , are small . As Busch used poor grounds and colours , most are heavily <unk> and have an almost monochrome effect . 
 Many pictures depict the countryside at Wiedensahl and Lüthorst . They include <unk> willows , cottages in <unk> , <unk> , autumn landscapes and meadows with streams . A particular feature is the use of red jackets , found in about 280 of 1000 Busch paintings and drawings . The muted or bright red coats are worn usually by a small figure , depicted from behind . The paintings generally represent typical villages . <unk> of the <unk> , and a series of other portraits depicting <unk> <unk> in the mid @-@ 1870s , are exceptions . A painting of a 10 @-@ year @-@ old girl from a Jewish family at Lüthorst portrays her as serious , and having dark , oriental features . 
 The influence of Dutch painters is clearly visible in Busch 's work . " <unk> diluted and shortened ( ... ) but still <unk> " , wrote Paul <unk> after visiting a Busch memorial exhibition in 1908 . A strong influence on Busch was <unk> <unk> , whose themes were farming and inn life , <unk> dances , card players , smokers , drunkards and <unk> . He dismissed the techniques of <unk> with its strong preoccupation with the effect of light , and used new colours , such as <unk> Yellow , and photographs , as an aid . The landscapes from the mid @-@ 1880s show the same broad <unk> as seen in the paintings of the young Franz von <unk> . Busch refused to exhibit work even though he was befriended by many artists of the Munich School , which would have allowed him to do so ; it was not until near the end of his life that he presented his paintings to the public . 
 
 = = Themes , technique and style = = 
 
 Busch biographer Joseph Kraus divided his work into three periods . He points out , however , that this classification is a <unk> , as some works by their nature can be of a later or earlier period . All three periods show Busch 's obsession with German middle class life . His peasants are devoid of sensitivity and village life is marked by a vivid lack of sentiment . 
 From 1858 to 1865 Busch chiefly worked for the <unk> Blätter and the Münchener Bilderbogen . The period from 1866 to 1884 is characterized by his major illustrated stories , such as Helen Who Couldn 't Help It . These stories are different in theme from works of his earlier period . The life of his characters start well , but <unk> , as in Painter Squirtle ( Maler Klecksel ) ; someone sensitive who becomes a <unk> . Others concern <unk> children or animals , or make the great or significant foolish and ridiculous . The early stories follow the pattern of children 's books of orthodox education , such as those by Heinrich Hoffmann 's <unk> , that aim to teach the devastating consequences of bad behaviour . Busch did not assign value to his work , as he once explained to Heinrich Richter : " I look at my things for what they are , as <unk> <unk> [ toys ] , as <unk> <unk> [ worthless and useless things ] whose value is to be found not in its artistic content , but in public demand ( ... ) " . 
 From 1885 until his death in 1908 his work was dominated by prose and poems . The 1895 prose text Der <unk> contains autobiographical accounts . Peter 's <unk> by the witch <unk> , of whom he regards himself a slave , is possibly in reference to Johanna Kessler . Peter , like Busch , returns to his birthplace . It is similar in style to the romantic travel story that Ludwig <unk> established with his 1798 Franz <unk> 's <unk> . Busch plays with its traditional forms , motifs , pictures , literary topics and form of narration . 
 
 = = = <unk> = = = 
 
 Publisher Kaspar Braun , who commissioned Busch 's first illustrations , had established the first workshop in Germany to use wood engraving . This <unk> printing technique was developed by English graphic artist Thomas <unk> near the end of the 18th century and became the most widely used reproduction system for illustrations over the years . Busch insisted on first making the drawings , afterwards writing the verse . Surviving preparatory drawings show line notes , ideas , and movement and <unk> studies . The draft was then transferred by pencil on white @-@ <unk> panels of hardwood end grain . Not only was it hard work , but the quality of the printing block was crucial . Everything left white on the block , around Busch 's drawn lines , was cut from the plate by skilled <unk> . Wood engraving allows a finer differentiation than woodcut and the potential tonal values are of almost the quality of intaglio printing , such as copper engraving . Sometimes the result was not satisfactory , leading Busch to rework or reproduce plates . The wood engraving technique did not allow for fine lines , which is why Busch 's drawing , especially in his illustrated tales up to the mid @-@ 1870s , are boldly drawn , giving his work its particular characteristic . 
 From the mid @-@ 1870s Busch 's illustrations were printed using zincography . With this technique there was no longer any danger that a wood engraver could change the character of his drawings . The originals were photographed and transferred onto a <unk> zinc plate . This process allowed for the application of a clear , free pen @-@ drawn ink line , and was a much faster printing method . Busch 's use of zincography began with Mr. and Mrs. Knopp . 
 
 = = = Language = = = 
 
 The effect of Busch 's illustrations are enhanced by his <unk> verse , with taunts , <unk> , ironic twists , exaggeration , ambiguity and startling rhymes . His language had an influence on the humorous poetry of Erich <unk> , Kurt <unk> , Joachim <unk> and Christian <unk> . The contrast in his later work between comic illustration and its seemingly serious accompanying text — already demonstrated in his earlier Max and Moritz — is shown in Widow <unk> 's <unk> dignity which is <unk> to the loss of her chickens : 
 Many of <unk> 's couplets , part of contemporary common usage , give the impression of <unk> wisdom , but in his hands become only apparent truths , hypocrisy or <unk> . His use of onomatopoeia is a characteristic of his work : " <unk> @-@ <unk> @-@ da " — Max and Moritz steal fried chickens with a fishing rod down a chimney — " <unk> @-@ <unk> " ; " at the plank from bank to bank " ; " <unk> @-@ <unk> " , " hear the <unk> grind and <unk> " ; and " <unk> @-@ <unk> " as Eric the cat <unk> a <unk> from a ceiling in Helen Who Couldn 't Help It . Busch uses names he gives characters to describe their personality . " <unk> <unk> " ( Young <unk> ) has little mental ability ; " <unk> " ( <unk> ) would not be of a cheerful disposition ; and " Förster <unk> " ( Forester <unk> ) could hardly be a <unk> . 
 Many of his picture stories use verses with <unk> structure : 
 The <unk> of the stressed syllables strengthens the humour of the lines . Busch also uses <unk> , where one accented syllable is followed by two <unk> syllables , as in his <unk> und Plum , where they underline the <unk> and solemn words with which teacher <unk> <unk> his pupils . They create tension in the <unk> chapter from Adventures of a Bachelor , through the <unk> of <unk> and <unk> . Busch often <unk> format and content in his poems , as in <unk> the Monkey , where he uses the epic <unk> in a speech about wisdom . 
 In both his illustrations and poems Busch uses familiar fables , occasionally appropriating their morality and stories , spinning them to illustrate a very different and comic " truth " , and bringing to bear his pessimistic view of the world and human condition . While traditional fables follow the typical philosophy of <unk> between good and evil behaviour , Busch combines both . 
 
 = = = <unk> and other <unk> = = = 
 
 It is not unusual to see <unk> , <unk> and <unk> in Busch 's works . Sharp pencils pierced through models , housewives fall onto kitchen knives , thieves are spiked by <unk> , <unk> cut their <unk> with <unk> , <unk> are ground in corn mills , drunkards burn , and cats , dogs and monkeys <unk> while being tormented . Busch has been frequently called a <unk> by educators and <unk> . <unk> that are burnt , pulled off , trapped , stretched or eaten is seen by Weissweiler as not aggression against animals , but a phallic allusion to Busch 's undeveloped sexual life . Such graphic text and imagery in cartoon form was not unusual at the time , and publishers , the public or censors found it not particularly noteworthy . <unk> and motifs for his early work were derived from <unk> and 19th @-@ century popular literature , the gruesome endings of which he often softened . 
 <unk> , a common aspect of 19th @-@ century teaching , is prevalent in many of his works , for example <unk> <unk> in Adventures of a Bachelor and <unk> <unk> in <unk> and Plum , where is shown an almost sexual pleasure in applying punishment . <unk> and humiliation are found in his later work too ; biographer <unk> <unk> described this as Busch 's life @-@ motif . 
 In the estate of Busch there is the note " <unk> die <unk> <unk> " ( <unk> through the childhood years ) , however there is no evidence that Busch was referring to himself . He couldn 't recall any beating from his father . His uncle Kleine beat him once , not with the conventional <unk> stick , but symbolically with dried <unk> stalks , this for <unk> cow hairs into a village <unk> 's pipe . Weissweiler observes that Busch probably saw <unk> at his village school , where he went for three years , and quite possibly also received this punishment . In <unk> <unk> <unk> Busch illustrates a form of nonviolent progressive education that fails in one scene , and <unk> in the following scene ; the <unk> that ensued indicate Busch 's pessimistic picture of life , which has its roots in the Protestant ethic of the 19th century , in which he believed that man is inherently evil and will never master his vices . Civilisation is the aim of education , but it can only mask man 's instincts superficially . <unk> only leads to a continuation of man 's <unk> , therefore punishment is required , even if he retains his unrepentant character , becomes a trained puppet , or in extreme cases , dies . 
 
 = = = <unk> = = = 
 
 The Panic of 1873 led to growing criticism of high finance and the spread of radical <unk> , which in the 1880s became a broad <unk> . These criticisms saw a separation of capital into what was construed as " <unk> " ( speculative capital ) , and what constituted " constructive " creative production capital . The " good " , " native " and " German " manufacturer was praised by <unk> <unk> , such as Theodor Fritsch , who opposed what he saw as " ' <unk> ' ' greedy ' , ' blood @-@ sucking ' , ' Jewish ' financial capitalism in the form of ' <unk> ' and ' <unk> ' " . Busch was thought to have embraced those stereotypes . Two passages are often <unk> , one in Helen Who Couldn 't Help It : 
 Robert <unk> defended Busch by stating that Jews are <unk> only in three passages , of which the oldest is an illustration of a text by another author , published in 1860 . He stated that Busch 's Jewish figures are merely stereotypical , one of a number of stereotypes , such as the " limited Bavarian farmer " and the " Prussian tourist " . Joseph Kraus shares the same view , and uses a couplet from Eight Sheets in the Wind ( Die <unk> ) , in which profit @-@ seeking people are : 
 Although <unk> felt that Jews for Busch were alien , the Jewish conductor Hermann Levi befriended him , suggesting that Busch had a slight bias towards Jews . 
 
 = = Biographies = = 
 
 The first biography on Busch , <unk> Wilhelm Busch und <unk> <unk> ( About Wilhelm Busch and His Importance ) , was released in 1886 . The publisher Eduard <unk> , also an artist and writer , echoed Busch 's anti @-@ Catholic bias , putting him on equal footing with Leonardo da Vinci , Peter Paul Rubens and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz , and <unk> quoting <unk> . Even Busch and his friends were embarrassed . Literary scholar Friedrich Theodor <unk> attacked <unk> 's biography and called him the " envious <unk> of the <unk> <unk> " . After reading this biography Johannes <unk> posted an essay in the Frankfurter Zeitung , which contained many biographical <unk> — as a response to this , Busch wrote two articles in the same newspaper . Published in October and December 1886 , the autobiographical essay Regarding Myself ( Was <unk> <unk> ) includes basic facts , and some description of his troubles ; analysts see within the essay a deep identity crisis . Busch revised his autobiography over the following years . The last such essay was published under the title From Me About Me ( Von <unk> <unk> <unk> ) , which includes fewer biographical details and less reflection on bitterness and amusement than Regarding Myself . 
 
 = = Legacy = = 
 
 Busch celebrated his 70th anniversary at his nephew 's house in <unk> am <unk> . Over 1 @,@ 000 <unk> messages were sent to Mechtshausen from around the world . Wilhelm II praised the poet and artist , whose " exquisite works are full of genuine humour and are <unk> for the German people " . The Austrian <unk> <unk> ( Pan @-@ German Association ) repealed the ban on Der <unk> Antonius von Padua . <unk> Braun & Schneider , who owned the rights of Max and Moritz , gave Busch 20 @,@ 000 <unk> ( around € 200 @,@ 000 or $ 270 @,@ 000 ) , which was donated to two hospitals in Hanover . 
 Since then , on the dates of his birth and death , he has been celebrated frequently . During the <unk> anniversary in 2007 , there were numerous re @-@ publications of Busch works . Deutsche Post issued stamps depicting the Busch character Hans <unk> — itself the inspiration for the nickname of the never @-@ built <unk> @-@ <unk> Ta 183 German jet fighter design of 1945 — and the German Republic minted a 10 Euro silver coin faced with his portrait . Hanover declared 2007 the " Wilhelm Busch Year " , with images featuring Busch works erected within the city centre . 
 The Wilhelm Busch Prize is awarded annually for satirical and humorous poetry . The Wilhelm Busch Society , active since 1930 , aims to " ( ... ) collect , scientifically revise and promote Wilhelm Busch 's works with the public " . It supports the development of caricature and satirical artwork as a recognized branch of the visual arts . It is an advocate of the Wilhelm Busch Museum . <unk> are located in places he lived , including Wiedensahl , Ebergötzen , Lüthorst , Mechtshausen and <unk> am <unk> . 
 
 = = = Influence on comics = = = 
 
 Andreas C. <unk> described Busch as the " first virtuoso " of illustrated stories . From the second half of the 20th century he was considered the " <unk> of Comics " . His early illustrations differ from those of the colleagues of Kaspar Braun . They show an increasing focus on protagonists , are less detailed in drawing and atmosphere , and develop from a dramatic understanding of the whole story . All Busch 's illustrated tales have a plot that firstly describes the circumstance , then a resulting conflict , then solution . <unk> are developed through consecutive scenes , similar to film <unk> . Busch conveys an impression of movement and action , at times strengthened through a change of perspective . According to <unk> <unk> , his depiction of movement is unique . 
 One of Busch 's notable stories is Der <unk> ( 1865 ) , which describes the life of a pianist who plays privately for an excited listener . <unk> the self @-@ <unk> artist 's attitude and his overblown adoration , it varies from Busch 's other stories as each scene does not contain prose , but is defined with music terminology , such as " <unk> " , " <unk> " and " <unk> <unk> " . As the scenes increase in tempo , each part of his body and <unk> run around . The penultimate scene again depicts the pianist 's movements , with score sheets floating above the grand piano on which musical notes are dancing . Over the years graphic artists have been fascinated by Der <unk> . August <unk> , in a letter to gallery owner <unk> <unk> , described Busch as the first <unk> , stating how well he captured time and movement . Similar pioneering scenes are in <unk> zur <unk> ( 1872 ) . Job fails to answer rather easy questions set by twelve clergy , who shake their heads in <unk> . Each scene is a movement study that <unk> <unk> Muybridge 's photography . Muybridge began his work in 1872 , not released until 1893 . 
 
 = = = " Moritzian " influence = = = 
 
 Busch 's greatest success , both within Germany and internationally , was with Max and Moritz : Up to the time of his death it was translated into English , Danish , Hebrew , Japanese , Latin , Polish , Portuguese , Russian , Hungarian , Swedish and <unk> . Several countries banned the story – about 1929 the <unk> school board prohibited sales of Max and Moritz to teens under eighteen . By 1997 more than 281 dialect and language translations had been produced . 
 Some early " Moritzian " comic strips were heavily influenced by Busch in plot and narrative style . <unk> and <unk> ( 1896 ) , borrowed so much content from Max and Moritz that it was described as a pirate edition . The true " Moritzian " recreation is The Katzenjammer Kids by German artist Rudolph <unk> , published in the New York Journal from 1897 . It was published though William Randolph <unk> 's suggestion that a pair of siblings following the pattern of " Max and Moritz " should be created . The Katzenjammer Kids is regarded as one of the oldest , continuous comic strips . 
 German " Moritzian " <unk> stories include Lies und <unk> ; die <unk> von Max und Moritz ( <unk> <unk> , F. <unk> , 1896 ) , <unk> und <unk> ( 1922 ) , <unk> und Waldemar , des Max und Moritz <unk> ( <unk> Günther , 1932 ) and Mac und <unk> ( Thomas <unk> , <unk> <unk> , 1987 ) . These are shaped by observations of the First and Second World Wars , while the original is a moral story . In 1958 the Christian Democratic Union used the Max and Moritz characters for a campaign in North Rhine @-@ <unk> , the same year that the East German satirical magazine <unk> used them to caricature black labour . In 1969 Max and Moritz " participated " in late 1960s student activism . 
 
 = = Partial list of works = = 
 
 
 