Fiona Moodie

Fiona Moodie was born in Cape Town on 6 May 1952. She grew up on an apple farm in Elgin, Cape, where she attended a little farm school ( 24 pupils) until the age of 8. She attended boarding school from std 3 at St Cyprian’s School, Cape Town where she matriculated in 1968. She obtained a BA degree from the University of Cape Town in 1971 with English, Drama and French as majors. In 1972 she received her Secondary Teacher’s Diploma at the same university.
From a very young age Fiona wanted to write and illustrate children’s books. "As a child at boarding school I was the dormitory story teller after lights out and I was always drawing. But I had no idea how to begin to do it professionally and no confidence to speak of. After university I left South Africa for Europe, where I taught English as a foreign language in Madrid. I travelled in Greece and lived in an uninhabited monastery on the island of Siphnos and drew for a while. On returning to Cape Town I worked (not very successfully) as a salesperson in the jewellery department of Stuttafords, Cavendish Square and then in the advertising department of Foschini’s in Parow." Because she still wanted to write and illustrate children’s books (and to speak French ) she left for Europe again and went to Paris where she attended art school (Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs) in 1975, while simultaneously working as a psychiatrist’s receptionist in return for accommodation.
"By chance in Paris I met an Austrian book illustrator who advised me to go to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair with a portfolio of work. At Bologna I met several encouraging editors and many illustrators. As a result, in 1976 I began living outside a small village called Rugolo in Northern Italy in the rather rugged ( no hot water in the bathroom) farm house of Stepan Zavrel, a well known Czech illustrator. I began learning from (and cooking for) the many illustrators (German, Czech, Polish, Belgian, Spanish, Italian, Swiss- but only one English illustrator in those years, David McKee) who were always passing through Zavrel’s house or staying and working for a while."
The first book that Fiona illustrated, Benjamin Rocking Horse, was published by Bohem Press in Zurich 1979. She lived in Italy for 4 years, travelling all over Europe with Zavrel, helping set up illustrator’s exhibitions and learning about children’s book publishing- and learning to illustrate. "At this time I was influenced by the more painterly Eastern European (particularly Polish and Czech ) illustrators by whom I was surrounded. Josef Wilkon, for example, was a frequent guest at Rugolo and I would sit and watch him work."

In 1980 she left Rugolo and went to live and work in Provence. In 1981 she married Sean Baumann and the couple returned to Cape Town. She continued to write and illustrate children’s books and in Cape Town met up with Niki and Jude Daly, who were always encouraging. Not having much hope for a peaceful solution to South Africa’s problems and in the privileged position of being able to leave, Fiona and her husband moved to the UK., where Sean worked as a doctor in Wales and London for five years.

In 1986 their twin daughters Anna and Clara were born "and they became the main focus of my life but I continued doing books."

When Nelson Mandela was released, Sean wanted to work as a doctor in South Africa and they returned to Cape Town with their two small girls in December 1991. They have been living in the city since then. "I feel very lucky to have as my work, something I enjoy doing so much". Fiona uses pen and ink and watercolour or acrylic and sometimes mixed media.
	Books illustrated by Fiona Moodie: Benjamin Rocking Horse. 1979. (Text by Paula Geldenhuis). Zurich: Bohem Press. Also published by Human & Rousseau and MacDonald U.K Beauty and the Beast. 1980. Zurich: Bohem Press. Also published in the UK, Finland, Denmark & France.

A mermaid’s tale. 1982. Zurich: Bohem Press. Also published in the UK, Italy, Spain, Catalonia & China

The Sugar Prince. 1984. Zurich: Bohem Press. Also published in the UK & China

The Unicorn and the Sea. 1986. Zurich: Bohem Press. Also published in the UK, Italy, Norway, Faroe Islands, Spain & China

The Wonder Shoes. 1990. (Text by Eva Bernatova). New York: Farrah Straus & Giroux.

The Boy & the Giants. 1993. New York: Farrah Straus & Giroux.

Haddock. 1994. (Text by Jan Mark). London: Simon & Schuster.

Nabulela. 1996. London: Andersen. Published in South Africa by Tafelberg Publishers in Afrikaans, English, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Xhosa and Zulu. Also published in the USA, Denmark, Holland & France

Atlantis Rises. 2000. (Text by by Deborah Curtis-Setchell). New York: Paul-Beth &Montague.

Noko and the Night Monster. 2001. London: Frances Lincoln. Also published in Holland, Denmark and the USA

Illustrations shown at exhibitions:

Galerie MAAG – Zurich 1979, International Youth Library- Munich 1981, Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art – New York 1983, Centro Culturale di Esposizione- Venice 1991, Centre Georges Pompidou – Paris 1993, Museum of Modern Art- Madrid 1984, Otani Museum- Tokyo 1984. Also Brno (Slovakia), Sarmede (Northern Italy) Cape Town and the Illustrator’s Exhibition at the Bologna Book Fair.

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