Krazy: George Herriman, a Life in Black and White

In Michael Tisserand’s biography Krazy: George Herriman, A Life in Black and White, the creator of history’s greatest comic strip finally gets his due.

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK

WINNER OF THE EISNER AWARD

FINALIST FOR THE NBCC AWARD IN BIOGRAPHY AND THE PEN/JACQUELINE BOGRAD WELD AWARD FOR BIOGRAPHY

Krazy is an eye-opening biography that lays bare the truth about George Herriman’s art, his heritage, and his life on America’s color line. A native of nineteenth-century New Orleans, Herriman came of age as an illustrator, journalist, and cartoonist in the boomtown of Los Angeles and the wild metropolis of New York. Appearing in the biggest early twentieth century newspapers—including those owned by William Randolph Hearst—Herriman’s Krazy Kat cartoons propelled him to fame. Popular with readers of the period, his work has been widely credited with elevating cartoons from daily amusements to anarchic art.

Herriman’s work explored the human condition, creating a modernist fantasia inspired by the landscapes he discovered in his travels—from chaotic urban life to the Beckett-like desert vistas of the Southwest. Yet underlying his own life—often emerging from the contours of his very public art—was a very private secret: known as “the Greek” for his swarthy complexion and curly hair, Herriman was actually African American, born to a prominent Creole family that hid its racial identity in the dangerous days of Reconstruction.

Drawing on original research into Herriman’s family history, interviews with surviving friends and family, and deep analysis of the artist’s work and written records, Michael Tisserand brings this little-understood figure to vivid life, paying homage to a visionary artist who helped shape modern culture.

© 2023 Harper (Ebook): 9780062098054

Release date

Ebook: November 21, 2023