Celebrated author and illustrator Russell Hoban has passed away. He was 86-years-old. He published both adult works and children’s books.
In children’s publishing, Hoban became especially famous for his Frances picture book series; he published a total of seven titles starring the temperamental badger.
According to The New York Times, Hoban preferred not to illustrate his own picture books; a majority of the Frances titles featured the drawings of his first wife Lillian Hoban. On the adult side, Hoban wrote and published the popular science fiction novel Riddley Walker. It went on to win the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best science fiction novel in 1982.
Here’s more from the article: “Mr. Hoban had several distinct careers. Trained as an illustrator, he wrote copy for advertising agencies and produced paintings for books and magazines, including several for Sports Illustrated and for Time magazine. His illustrations included a portrait of Holden Caulfield, the fictional protagonist of J. D. Salinger‘s Catcher in the Rye, and cover portraits of Joan Baez and Jackie Gleason.” (Photo Credit: Gundula Hoban)