Fedor Rojankowski, known as ‘Rojan’ was born in Poland but lived and worked in Paris in the 20’s and 30’s. He was best known as the illustrator of Le Pere Castor, an enormously successful children’s book of the period. His other artistic endeavours were, perhaps, less well-known but no less appreciated: Rojan regularly illustrated erotic fiction and his output was impressive. His drawings have graced the poetry of Raymond Radiguet and Pierre Louys.

However his chef d’oeuvre has always been considered to be Idylle Printaniere (Paris Spring 1933), a story without words telling of an encounter between two travellers on the metro. The couple are soon passionately entwined in a taxi passing through the Paris of Henry Miller and Anais Nin which delivers them to the maison de passé where they may consummate their mutual lust in more privacy and with less frantic urgency.