The passport

by Saul Steinberg

The passport [Jan 01, 1979] Steinberg, Saul

Genres: Art

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Chadwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

When are other cartoonists going to catch up with Steinberg? Christ! Encountering this book is a lesson in the medium that will never be forgotten. The closest thing that the visual arts have to Donald Barthelme.

[David]

The Passport is a wordless collection of marvelous drawings. Saul Steinberg is able to convey so much with pen and ink on paper. The entire book has no color but the drawings come alive because Steinberg's lines are so varied and active. In some drawings he is able to convey so much with so little - in one drawing he depicted a man exiting his house to take his dog for a walk with a completely continuous line. In other drawings he populates a whole city or parade with lively characters. This was such a fun collection of drawings to browse. I think it has the power to interest someone who enjoys fine art, because of Steinberg's variety of styles and symbols, but also engage someone who would usually get bored with art, because of Steinberg's humor and variety.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most unique and ingenious books I've ever seen. While it is not a traditional narrative at all, it is not merely a collection of cartoons and sketchbook art either. The book itself, when combined with facts about the author's life, adds up to a statement about creativity and the human spirit suriving in the face of overwhelming beaurocracy.

[Cail Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cartoons for your dream-life. Stunning work.

[Joey Dhaumya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overwhelming.

[Steve Gutin]

I read it every day. Yes, I know it's an art book. I read it every day.

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the New Yorker caricature artist. Another Picasso? Any Steinberg materials are worthwhile.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Passport by Saul Steinberg was originally published as a book in 1954 but archives a lot of drawings published in the New Yorker and other places. This edition I was given by a friend is 1979, and over time, Steinberg removed a few of the original drawings. It's a large, oversized collection, black and whie wordless drawings. And I think tells the long story story of his immigration to the US, but also smaller stories that get expanded on in later work.

Steinberg was a Romanian Jew who escaped persecution in each country he tried before and during the war. This book initially focuses on passports, documentation of identity, in an almost Kafkan way, just crazy, as any refugee knows. But it's a complicated critique, in that Steinberg felt ultimately grateful to be welcomed in the US and supported here.

Two purposes of this book that are sort of implicit, as it is wordless, is to underscore the power of art in making sense of your life. The line as creative source of meanin-making. And then he olooks at faces, American artifacts, places, architecture. Meant to read and reread, all of his work is masterpiece.

I also thought of Shaun Tan's also wordless story of immigration, The Arrival, though that is a more obvious narrative.

[Jeff Lewonczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steinberg.