Literary Life

A handsome selection of Posy Simmonds cartoons that originally appeared in the weekly book review supplement of the London Guardian. They all relate to literature and especially publishing, either as strips or whole page cartoons. My favorites are the strips for Ask Doctor Derek, where a handsome young MD solves medical (literary) problems like a bout of plagiarism, the incredibly contagious writers cliché or dreadful critics mauling syndrome. Simmonds drawing style is typically English, slightly soft and with a caricature edge as opposed to the slick graphic style of Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury for instance.Posy has a wicked sense of humor, especially when she is exposing the phonies of the English publishing establishment. A bull's-eye every time and great fun, too.