Martin Rowson
Martin Rowson (born 15 February 1959) is a British cartoonist and novelist. His genre is political satire and his style is scathing and graphic. His work frequently appears in The Guardian and The Morning Star. He also contributes freelance cartoons to other left-wing publications, such as Red Pepper and The Daily Mirror.
He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he read English Literature.
He has had a number of books published, including graphic adaptations of The Waste Land and Tristram Shandy. He has also turned his hand to prose, writing a novel called Snatches, published in the UK by Jonathan Cape in the spring of 2006 (ISBN 0-224-07604-3). It is a comic journey through history, focusing on the "stories of the worst decisions the human race has ever made". His next novel will be entitled 'Stuff', and is part autobiography, part history of his family and upbringing.
Martin Rowson has been appointed "Cartoonist Laureate" of London by Mayor Ken Livingstone, and his cartoons appear in the Mayor's newsletter, The Londoner. In 2006 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Journalism from the University of Westminster. He is also an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society. Rowson is married and has two teenage children.
Quotes
"I possess a knife, it's 15 inches long. I have it ready in case Steve Bell ever challenges me to a knife fight... which I would undoubtedly win."
"Always make fun of people who are more powerful than you are."
When asked about his heroes and backup: "I’d go first of all with Gillray. That sort of ‘f***-you’ response to things."
External links
- Morning Star interview with Martin Rowson
- Martin Rowson cartoons at The Guardian
- Interview alongside Steve Bell
- Cartoonist Laureate page at the Mayor of London's website
- Biography of Rowson from the British Cartoon Archive, University of Kent