Ulrike Möltgen Ich war die ganze Welt
[I Was the Whole World]

Ulrike Möltgen’s poetic picture book about self-empowerment – I Was the Whole World.

The title conveys the concept: I Was the Whole World, a picture book by Ulrike Möltgen. Born in 1973, Möltgen studied her craft under renowned German illustrator Wolf Erlbruch and has won many artistic accolades for her work. With poetic verses written by the illustrator, this short tale takes us back to a childlike time, a time in which we believe we form the very centre of the world. Our eyes gaze in wonder as we witness the multicoloured events that happen around us, seeing them to be true, and we believe we have the power keep the visible world in check – when we are dreaming, at least. If we were to express what happens to the girl in the story in an utterly unpoetic, psychological way, the book is about a child’s self-empowerment.

From this childlike experience, the young girl with the jet-black hair who is lying in her little bed with her eyes already closed tells us poetically about her dreamworld and everything in it: “I lay in bed and dreamed / I was the whole world / The jungle lay in my hand / My knees turned to fields”. Her own body is a planet. During the day, these unique childhood experiences orbit her planet like moons, and at night they are laid down to sleep on top of it.

From the very first picture, we are captivated by the fantastic illustration of the child’s world as she experiences it. Like a soft, protective patchwork blanket it envelops the girl. Under her belly, you might catch a glimpse of a farm surrounded by rice fields. There, on her left arm is the ghostly shimmer of a nighttime jungle with a little monkey leaping around. Other parts of her memory blur in approximation, but on the child’s right foot, a queue of people waits in front of a red and white striped circus tent. It appears as one of the more recent memories, not yet a complete part of her whole world. You can almost feel the girl’s excitement - and perhaps some trepidation – when faced with unknown. But worry not! In her hair sits the little lion Trinidad, watching over her and ensuring the dream does not become a nightmare. “He simply sits there / His hair / Fluttering beautifully / In the gentle breeze.”

At this point, we must mention the unusual yet magical illustration style. It is not necessary to fully understand exactly how this artwork has been put together, but it is worth having some idea about it. The pictures are opulent and colourful with acrylics and oils painted, dotted and sprayed onto the paper. Chalks are used both for precise lines as well and being smudged and blurred. In each scene, different materials are collaged together on the page in analogue form. The digitalisation of the pictures then allowed individual scenes to shift into other narrative contexts.

Even on the edge of the dream, the living world passes by: the child is excited about a circus, the entrance into a fantastic new world. In the illustration we see the detailed expressions of the circus audience, the odd jester, and above all the fear-inducing figure of Ringmaster Zampano. The inclusion of this stranger increases the dream’s heart rate, especially when Zampano tries to tame the girl’s beloved lion Trinidad. But because the girl wants to be in charge of her own dream – despite the fear she feels – this spectacle must come to an end! “I’ve seen enough / It’s my dream / I make the ground shake”.

Ulrike Möltgen’s dream tale is a small yet impressive work of art in both picture and word form. In a dreamlike way it conveys how a child steers – or is able to steer – their world. And a small sand-yellow lion, whose mane flutters in the wind. We should all have a friend like him by our side, a small, sand-yellow friend who roars at the bad parts of our dreams, rescuing us from every plight without even batting an eyelid. “I place him on my hand / And carry him nimbly / Back / Because I can.”