Janosch was born as Horst Eckert on 11 March 1931 in what was then Hindenburg (now Zabrze, Poland) in Upper Silesia to a family of mixed German and Polish origin, though he identifies his nationality as "Silesian". His mother was a pious Catholic, and his father a violent alcoholic. After World War II, the family fled to West Germany. In the area of Oldenburg, Janosch worked in a textile mill.... see more