Edward Benjamin Koren (December 13, 1935 – April 14, 2023) was an American writer, illustrator, and
political cartoonist, most notably featured in ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
''.
Early life and education
Edward Benjamin Koren was born in a
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family in New York City on December 13, 1935,
and attended
Horace Mann School
Horace Mann School (also known as Horace Mann or HM) is an American private, independent college-preparatory school in the Bronx, founded in 1887. Horace Mann is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League, educating students from the New Yo ...
and
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
, graduating in 1957. He studied etching and engraving with
S. W. Hayter at
Atelier 17 in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, France, and received an M.F.A. from
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 18 ...
in 1964.
Professional career
Koren began his cartooning career at Columbia while drawing for the college's humor magazine. After college, he taught art at
Brown University
Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...
until 1977.
In May 1962, ''The New Yorker'' accepted one of Koren's cartoons featuring a sloppy looking writer, cigarette dangling from his lips, sitting before a typewriter. Printed on his sweatshirt is one word: "
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
".
''The New Yorker'' went on to publish thousands of Koren's cartoons and illustrations, including dozens of full-color drawings published on the magazine's cover. After several years, Koren quit his teaching job at Brown University and devoted himself full-time to cartooning.
Koren contributed to many other publications, including ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
'', ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'', ''
GQ'', ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
'', ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'', ''
Vogue'', ''
Fortune
Fortune may refer to:
General
* Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck
* Luck
* Wealth
* Fate
* Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling
* Fortune, in a fortune cookie
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''The Fortune'' (19 ...
'', ''
Vanity Fair'', ''
The Nation
''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...
'', and ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
''. He collaborated with numerous contemporary humorists and authors, notably
George Plimpton and
Delia Ephron.
Koren's cartoons, drawings, and prints have been widely exhibited in shows across the United States as well as in France, England, and
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
.
Koren's political cartoons were not intended to speak to a specific
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
; rather, they were made to portray the middle class's frustration with the government.
Columbia University's Wallach Gallery exhibited a retrospective of his work, "The Capricious Line" in 2010. Luise Ross Gallery (New York, NY) exhibited his work concurrently in the exhibition "Parallel Play – Drawings 1979 – 2010".
Personal life
In 1961, Koren married Miriam Siegmeister. Together they had a daughter and a son. They were divorced in 1973. In 1982, he married Catherine Curtis Ingham. The couple had a son.
Koren resided with his family in
Vermont
Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...
where he was a member of the Brookfield Volunteer Fire Department, formerly serving as its captain.
He died of
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...
in
Brookfield, Vermont
Brookfield is a New England town, town in Orange County, Vermont, Orange County, Vermont, United States. It was created by Vermont charter on August 5, 1781. The population was 1,244 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Brookfield is ...
, on April 14, 2023, at the age of 87.
Honors
Koren received a Doctor of Humane Letters degree from
Union College
Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...
, and received a John Simon
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
in
Fine Arts
In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...
in 1970. He received the
Vermont
Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...
Governor's
Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2007. Koren was appointed Vermont's second Cartoonist Laureate in 2014, serving in the position until 2017.
Selected bibliography
*''Very Hairy Harry'' (2003)
*''The Hard Work of Simple Living : A Somewhat Blank Book for the Sustainable Hedonist'' with Chelsea Green (1998)
*''Quality Time : Parenting, Progeny and Pets'' (1997)
*''A Dog's Life'' with
Peter Mayle (1996)
*''What about Me? : Cartoons from the New Yorker'' (1989)
*''Caution : Small Ensembles'' (1983)
*''Well, There's Your Problem'' (1980)
*''Are You Happy? And Other Questions Lovers Ask'' (1978)
*''Do You Want to Talk About It?'' (1976)
*''Behind the Wheel'' (1972)
*''Don't Talk to Strange Bears'' (1969)
References
External links
Vermont Public RadioPippin Properties*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koren, Ed
1935 births
2023 deaths
American magazine cartoonists
American editorial cartoonists
American political artists
American humorists
Jewish humorists
Brown University faculty
Artists from Vermont
The New Yorker cartoonists
Pratt Institute alumni
Columbia College (New York) alumni
category:Jewish American editorial cartoonists
Jewish American illustrators
Deaths from lung cancer in Vermont
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American Jews
20th-century American male artists
21st-century American male artists