Oliver Jeffers is an artist and author from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who makes art and tells stories: fine art for (mostly) adults, and picture books for (mostly) children. As a visual artist and author working in painting, bookmaking, illustration, collage, performance, and sculpture, curiosity and humor are underlying themes throughout Oliver’s practice as an artist and storyteller. His books, many of which are bestsellers, have sold more than 15 million copies and been translated into more than 50 languages. He is the recipient of an MBE for Services to the Arts from her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Laura: Let’s start at the very beginning. I love your new book, Begin Again, and I especially enjoyed reading the poem and the author’s note at the end. There’s so much to unpack, but firstly, who did you write this book for?
Oliver: Well, I think it’s for human beings. At the start, I’d said it’s not for kids, it’d be over their heads, but in reflection, and the more I’ve been talking and thinking about it, I feel it may be a wonderful entry point for conversations between kids and parents. It is for parents, but it’s also for older children who are about to set forth, venture out into the world. I think it’s also for people who feel lost or forgotten, regardless of where they’re from or what they do or their age.
Laura: You bring up the idea of belonging as a human need. What’s the role of this story in pulling those people into community?
Oliver: Well, take the role of the story. For way too long, we’ve undervalued or not fully seen the role of story, the role of art. Art represents our first attempt to make sense out of chaos and make stories of the constellations of stars in the sky, giving things around us meaning, which in turn gave us meaning and direction.
