This page was generated automatically. To view the article in its original context, you may follow the link below:
https://www.npr.org/2025/01/21/839273361/jules-feiffer-dead
and if you’d prefer to have this article removed from our platform, please get in touch with us
Underwood Archives/Getty Images
Certain artists approach each stroke with an innate understanding of its endpoint. Jules Feiffer was not one of them. He eschewed the delicate feathering, meticulous crosshatching, or obsessive pointillism of the overly meticulous artisan. His lines cascaded across the surface like banners of the subconscious, darting ahead, retracing their steps, and guiding the viewer’s attention (and even, one could presume, his own) in uncharted territories.
It wasn’t solely on paper that he boldly ventured into the unknown. In life as well, he consistently reached for uncharted vistas. When he passed away on Jan. 17 due to congestive heart failure at his residence in Richfield Springs, N.Y., he left behind a rich inheritance across various artistic forms. The annals of graphic art, literature, cinema, and theater bear the mark of his uniquely distinctive, perennially unconventional pen.
Fortunately, Feiffer wasn’t among those rare geniuses who had to suffer in obscurity during their lifetime. He garnered his fair share of praise, although it took some time for it to come. It wasn’t until 1986 — somewhat late, one must admit — that he was honored with a Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning. Over the years, he accumulated various journalism accolades: a special George Polk Memorial Award, a Newspaper Guild Page One Award, and an Overseas Press Club Award. In 1995, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 2004, he was celebrated by the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards with a place in their Hall of Fame. He also wrote an animated short film called Munro, which won an Oscar in 1961.
However, what truly matters is the influence he had on a generation’s imagination. For those who regarded the Village Voice as the most stylish newspaper around, treasuring personalities like Munro, Huey, and the Dancer as dear friends, Feiffer was always more than a “simple” cartoonist.
Nevertheless, Feiffer’s artistry was anchored in the medium itself. Born in the Bronx in 1929, he developed a love for drawing from a young age. At the age of 5, his portrayal of Tom Mix earned him a gold medal in a drawing contest at John Wanamaker department store. Immediately after graduating high school, he sought out Will Eisner in the phone directory and cornered the legendary comics icon in his downtown office. Eisner “couldn’t have been more accommodating until he reviewed my work, and then he expressed that the work was garbage,” Feiffer shared with the Voice in 2018. Despite that, Eisner allowed the young artist to contribute various elements to the studio’s comics. Feiffer filled in black ink areas and drew panel borders. More importantly, he discussed the art form with Eisner. Eventually, Feiffer advanced to writing stories for The Spirit, a role he maintained until he was drafted in 1951. He served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps until 1953.
After a time searching for his ideal outlet — or at least for anyone willing to publish innovative work during the conformist mid-’50s — Feiffer saw his inaugural Village Voice cartoon published in 1956, during the newspaper’s first anniversary issue, becoming rapidly known for his sharp, icepick humor.
Real-world occurrences inspired him to channel that humor into a more complex medium: playwriting. In the early ’60s, he authored the comedic revues The Explainers and Hold Me! alongside the one-act Crawling Arnold. The assassination of John F. Kennedy spurred him to compose his first full-length play, 1967’s Little Murders. (Although its Broadway introduction was a failure, an Off-Broadway production garnered an Obie Award in 1969.) He proceeded to write The White House Murder Case in 1970 and Grown Ups in 1981, in addition to two novels, Harry, the Rat with Women (1963) and Ackroyd (1977). Perhaps most famously, he scripted the screenplay for 1971’s Carnal Knowledge, which was directed by Mike Nichols.
Meanwhile, at the Voice, Feiffer was still not earning a salary — and wouldn’t for his first two decades there. Even as collections like 1958’s Sick, Sick, Sick and 1965’s The Unexpurgated Memoirs of Bernard Mergendeiler made his style instantly identifiable across the nation. Those collections introduced Feiffer to adult audiences, but for the younger demographic, he was the enchanting artist behind 1961’s The Phantom Tollbooth. Over 30 years after illustrating Norton Juster’s beloved children’s book, Feiffer returned to the genre as an author, with works like 1993’s The Man in the Ceiling (which was eventually adapted into a musical).with Tony Award-recognized producer Jeffrey Seller) and his 2010 collaboration with Juster, The Odious Ogre. Recent years witnessed his return to sharp-edged adult satire with 2014’s Kill My Mother and 2016’s Cousin Joseph. His latest publication was a children’s graphic novel released in September 2024, entitled Amazing Grapes.
Feiffer’s constantly evolving artistic journey continued to astonish and motivate his audience throughout his lifetime. In 2016 he started yet another fresh chapter, marrying freelance author and novelist JZ Holden. He was 87; she, 64.
In all his various pursuits, he imparted the delight of unpredictability, of straying from the strict path of tradition. He was, and will always be, the individual who drew lines without knowing where they’d lead.
Etelka Lehoczky has covered literature for The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Review of Books and The New York Times.
This page was generated automatically; to view the article in its initial setting, you can follow the link below:
https://www.npr.org/2025/01/21/839273361/jules-feiffer-dead
and if you wish to remove this article from our website, please get in touch with us