Erich Kästner, born on February 23, 1899, in Dresden, studied German studies, history, and philosophy after World War I. In addition to his writing activities, Kästner was a theater critic and a freelance contributor to various newspapers. From 1945 until his death on July 29, 1974, Kästner lived in Munich, where he was, among other roles, the head of the feuilleton at the Neue Zeitung. In 1957, he received the Georg-Büchner Prize.

Hans Traxler, born in 1929 in Herrlich/Böhmen, studied painting and lithography at the Städelschule in Frankfurt. He was a founding member of the satire magazines Pardon and Titanic and worked for the magazines of Zeit, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and others. Additionally, he drew, wrote, and illustrated more than 40 books. In 2006, he received the Göttinger Elch satire prize, in 2007 the German Cartoon Prize, both for his lifetime achievement, and in 2012 the Cartoon Prize of the German Bar Association and the Ludwig-Emil-Grimm Prize. Hans Traxler lives in Frankfurt am Main.