The Cartoonist

by Richard Beard

Frank Babbitt is an American employee of Disneyland Paris who also searches out sexual and alcoholic adventures in Paris by night. Michael Miller is a bullied English boy with a disability, who dreams of being Mickey Mouse. He gets his break when Frank employs him in the Magic Kingdom.

Paperback

First published May 1, 2000

About the author

Richard Beard’s six novels include Lazarus is Dead, Dry Bones and Damascus, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. In the UK he has been shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award and longlisted for the Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award. His latest novel Acts of the Assassins was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize in 2015. He is also the author of four books of narrative non-fiction, including his 2017 memoir The Day That Went Missing. Formerly Director of The National Academy of Writing in London, he is a Visiting Professor (2016/17) at the University of Tokyo, and has a Creative Writing Fellowship at the University of East Anglia. In 2017 he is a juror for Canada’s Scotiabank Giller Prize. Beard is also an occasional contributor to the Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Financial Times, Prospect and The Nightwatchman.

He studied at Cambridge, at the Open University, and with Malcolm Bradbury on the Creative Writing MA at the University of East Anglia. He has worked as a P.E. teacher, as Secretary to Mathilda, Duchess of Argyll, and as an employee of the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. In the Mendip Hills Richard Beard looked after Brookleaze, a house owned by the Royal Society of Literature, and lived for three years in Japan as Professor of British Studies at the University of Tokyo.

He is one of several opening batsmen for the Authors XI Cricket Club.

Reviews

[Holly Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really hard to find any written reviews of this book, let alone someone addressing the weird cousin stuff going on?? I wanted to like it apart from that, but it was hard to get past it. I stuck through to the end and don’t know if it was worth it.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given that this comedy come mystery book does a great deal of Disney bashing, one is left wondering if Ben Elton is gnashing his teeth that someone beat him to it. The story is not complex as it centres around just four characters. Daniel, the main protagonist follows his rebelleous, teenage cousin Daphne around London and the 'Yurayama' theme park constantly wondering what she's got planned up her sleeve (or in her duffle-bag). The remaining two, Michael and Frank, Yurayama employees, are somewhat of a double-act and are much the more interesting characters. The plot develops at a brisk pace, has frequent amusing moments and is peppered enough times without over doing the anti-corporate entertainment message. Oh, and the smattering use of four frame cartoon panels to describe in words the character's thoughts is a touch of class.