Mel Calman

Mel Calman (1931-1994)

Pocket cartoonist, illustrator and writer. Mel Calman was born in Hackney, London on 19th May 1931, the son of a timber merchant. He was educated at Perse School, Cambridge and studied illustration at St. Martin's School of Art and Goldsmith's College. He was a cartoonist on the Daily Express (1957-63), the Sunday Telegraph (1964-65), the Observer (1965-6), the Sunday Times (1969-84) and The Times (1979-94). He also contributed to Cosmopolitan and House & Garden and founded The Cartoon Gallery (formerly The Workshop) - a gallery devoted to cartoon art. In addition he produced an animated cartoon The Arrow, for the BFI and contributed illustrations to many books and periodicals. He also worked in advertising, was resident cartoonist on BBC's Tonight programme (1963-4) and wrote three plays for BBC Radio.

His cartoons which regularly featured a naif-style 'little man' character, were always drawn in pencil, using 4B or 5B for the main illustration and 4B for the lettering. He tended to draw at twice reproduction size on Croxley Script paper. Influenced by Thurber, he said his 'little man' was 'not autobiographical. At least not totally'. He died in London 10th February 1994.

Publications: Through the Telephone Directory (1962), Bed-Sit (1963), Boxes (1964), For Such As Are of Riper Years (1965), Calman and Women (1967), The Penguin Calman (1968), My God (1970), Couples (1972), This Pestered Isle (1973), The New Penguin Calman (1977), Dictionary of Psychoanalysis (1979), But It's My Turn to Leave You (1980), How About a Little Quarrel Before Bed? (1981), Help! and Other Ruminations (1982), The Big Novel (1983), Calman Revisited (1983), It's Only You That's Incompatible (1984), Modern Times (1988), Merrie England plc (1990), Calman at the Movies (1990), Calman at the Royal Opera House (1990).

Illustrated: J. de Manio To Auntie With Love (1967), K. Whitehorn Whitehorn's Social Survival (1968), B. James 1001 Money Saving Tips (1976), B. Redhead & K. McLeish (eds) Pieces of Hate (1982)

Literature: [autobiography] What Else Do You Do? (1986)

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