Everyone knows a Feiffer illustration when they see one: His characters leap across the page, each line belying humor and psychological insight. Over Feiffer’s prolific 70-year career, his nimble and singular imagination has given us new perspectives as well as biting satires on politics, love, marriage, and religion—alternating with stories imbued with the playful anarchy of a child. Feiffer’s varied output includes children’s books (The Phantom Tollbooth and Bark, George), plays (Little Murders), movies (Carnal Knowledge and Popeye), and comic strips (most notably in his Pulitzer Prize–winning Village Voice comic strip of 42 years). Out of Line: The Art of Jules Feiffer is the long-awaited illustrated retrospective of Feiffer’s celebrated career, providing a revealing glimpse into his creative process and his role as America’s foremost Renaissance man of the arts.
Martha Fay is an essayist and the author of several works of nonfiction, including A Mortal Condition and walking guides to New York City, Rome, and Tuscany. She lives in Brooklyn and Italy. Jules Feiffer (born 1929) is an award-winning writer, illustrator, screenwriter, playwright, children’s book author, and cartoonist. He lives in Southampton, New York.