Crumb

A Cartoonist's Life

By: Dan Nadel

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro

Named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post

“A definitive and ideal biography—pound for pound, one of the sleekest and most judicious I’ve ever read.” —The New York Times

A critical darling, Crumb is the first biography of Robert Crumb—one of the most profound and influential artists of the 20th century—whose frank and meticulously rendered cartoons and comics inspired generations of readers and cartoonists, from Art Spiegelman to Alison Bechdel.

Robert Crumb is often credited with single-handedly transforming the comics medium into a place for adult expression, in the process pioneering the underground comic book industry, and transforming the vernacular language of 20th-century America into an instantly recognizable and popular aesthetic. Now, for the first time, Dan Nadel delivers a “gripping and essential account” (The Boston Globe) of how this complicated artist survived childhood abuse, fame in his twenties, more fame, and came out the other side intact.

Braiding biography with “cultural history and criticism...that honors the complexity of [its] subject, even, perhaps particularly, when it gets ugly” (Los Angeles Times), Crumb is the story of a richly complex life at the forefront of both the underground and popular cultures of post-war America. Including forty-five stunning black-and-white images throughout and a sixteen-page color insert featuring images both iconic and obscure, Crumb spans the pressures of 1950s suburban America and Crumb’s highly dysfunctional early family life; the history of comics and graphic satire; 20th-century popular music; the world of the counterculture; the birth of underground comic books in 1960s San Francisco with Crumb’s Zap Comix; the economic challenges and dissolution of the hippie dream; and the path Robert Crumb blazed through it all.

Written with Crumb’s cooperation, this fascinating, rollicking book takes in seven decades of Crumb’s iconic works, including Fritz the Cat, Weirdo, and his adaptation of The Book of Genesis and “floats Crumb on the rapids of his times” (Harper’s Magazine), capturing, in the process, the essence of an extraordinary artist.

Critic reviews

"Artist Robert Crumb did the impossible—he turned the medium of comic books into something both inspiring and repellent while securing a place in comic history. Rob Shapiro’s understated delivery of this authorized biography is as captivating as Crumb’s bizarre life. Listening to it will make people seek out not only Crumb’s work in Zap Comix, Fritz The Cat, and others, but also the works of the artists he admired who influenced his unique style. The audiobook explains the contradictions in Crumb’s work—particularly the overtly pornographic work that belied his liberal philosophies toward women and his support of women’s rights. Listening to this will make critics understand why he drew women as sex machines with gargantuan buttocks, breasts, and thighs. Spoiler alert: Blame his mother."

Pekar - PEE-Kar!

The book itself I highly recommend. A humanizing portrait and detailed account of Crumb's career and artistic struggles (as well as the struggles of others with HIM).

But be warned that you will repeatedly hear the narrator refer to American Splendor author (and famous media personality in his own right) Harvey Pekar as "Harvey Pecker."

Such a detailed and considerate telling of Crumbs life.

I appreciated the detailed descriptions of Crumb’s life and experiences. It is an empathetic rendering.

A Fine Biography

An obsessively detailed and surprisingly intimate immersion into the life of Crumb. Explores family life, career, philosophical approaches, artistic influences, and spirituality. Recommended for slightly-more-than-casual enthusiasts and devoted Crumb fanatics, who will devour it in a day or two. Ordinary, well-adjusted people should probably stick to the Zwigoff movie and a coffee table book.

Eye opening work

If you thought you knew R. Crumb, this book will quickly upend that belief. It’s nicely paced, full of great stories and a beautifully tragic view of the Crumb family. After reading this, there’s no need to seek out any other biography/document on the life & work of Robert Crumb.

Funny. Moving. Incredibly researched and beautifully told and read. Magic.

Perfection. So much more layered than the film, as a book always is. A fascinating life.