names. A squiggle of a line with three dots
and a triangle above it is an "enker";
something that is more or less a circle with
a spike through it is a "sood."
"Little Things" was in the first batch of
cartoons that Chast had dropped off at
The New Yorker in April, 1978. It was a
Wednesday, the magazine's regular day for
unsolicited art submissions. The -next day,
Lee Lorenz, the magazine's art editor, came
across Chast's portfolio.
Immediately realizing that her work was
"fresh and new and unique," Lorenz took
her portfolio down the hall to William
Shawn, then The New Yorker's editor.
"The first thing," remembered Lorenz,
"that Mr. Shawn said was, 'How does she
know they're cartoons?' That was a good
question because Roz has completely re-
defined what a cartoon is. She helps us
realize how strange our world is."
Over the years, said Lorenz, Chast's
work has "not changed dramatically. It
was surprising that from the beginning
someone should have such a settled style.
As deceptively naive as Roz's style is, it is
appropriate to her point. The style of some-
one like Peter Arno or William Steig or any
of the other artists we have run would be
totally out of place with her ideas.
"More important," said Lorenz, "is that
her concepts have changed even less than
her style. At first, I was worried that she
would run out of material. I have that same
concern about all the new artists we run.
But the world is well-stocked with ab-
surdities and Roz's work is still as fresh as
when I first saw it."
By the end of 1978, barely one year after
she had graduated from college, Chast was
under contract to The New Yorker. The
magazine, home to such cartoonists as
Charles Addams ("My hero," said Chast)
and Saul Steinberg, reserved first-refusal
of Chast's cartoons.
"I was very lucky," said Chast. "I was
really surprised at the contract, especial-
Cartoons reproduced with permission of Roz Chast.
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
27