New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast has had quiet a run lately since the release of her book “Can?t We Talk about Something More Pleasant?”. The book has won the Kirkus Prize, the National Book Award, and a National Book Critics Circle Award. It also was cited as a reason for being honored with the Heinz Award in Award in the Arts and Humanities and with that award a $250,000 cash prize.
The Heinz Award was created in 1993 by Teresa Heinz to “celebrate the accomplishments and spirit of the Senator [John Heinz] by recognizing the extraordinary achievements of individuals in the areas of greatest importance to him.” The committee felt Roz’s “uncompromising body of work, bringing wry humor and wit to some of our most profound everyday anxieties, brilliantly translating the mundane into rich, comical observations that reflect her acute observations of the human experience.”
Ms. Chast has seen more than 1,200 cartoons grace the pages of The New Yorker, as well as those of Scientific American, Harvard Business Review, Mother Jones and other popular magazines. She has also published multiple collections of her own cartoons and illustrated several children?s books.
Ms. Chast has redefined the art of cartooning while serving as a voice about care for the aging. Like many cartoonists, she uses humor and whimsy; but in her articulation of our unspoken fears and dilemmas, she offers empathy and courage to confront them head on.
Well deserved.