
Published by
The Leonard Lopate Show
Inside the Turbulent Life of the Artist Behind Krazy Kat

Michael Tisserand discusses his new biography of the legendary cartoonist George Herriman. His book, Krazy: George Herriman, a Life in Black and White looks at the life of the artist who created Krazy Kat, a comic strip that appeared in the biggest newspapers of the early 20th century, and elevated comics to an art. Tisserand also reveals that Herriman was actually African American, born to a prominent Creole family that hid its racial identity in the post-Civil War south.