Excerpt from Dr. Seuss bio

I’m reading a biography on Ted Geisel aka Dr. Seuss. It is fantastic. Here is one of my favorite sections. Sorry for giving away one of the best parts of the book, but if it gets you to buy the book, I’ll forgive myself. Anyone who grew up with Dr. Seuss would get a kick out of this book.

Excerpt from page 142:

Marian’s husband, Edward, a jovial bumbler and religious dramatist who claimed to have edited an art magazine in Philadelphia, became one of Ted’s favorite foils.

When Longstreth launched into a condescending lecture about modern art one evening, Ted decided to teach him a lesson. “Ed, I’ve never told you this,” he interrupted, “but I have in my possession five Escarobuses.” Ed’s eyes grew wide and his lips quivered.

“Of course you know of his work,” Ted went on, “the great Mexican Modernist? Well, the authorities down there are after him for back taxes. It’s the saddest case. I’m going to sell them and get the money to him.”

“My God!” Ed said, “I’d give anything to have an Escarobus!”

“Someday I’ll show them to you,” Ted promised, and stayed up most of the night creating the world’s first Escarobus. He peeled the wood off a soft pencil, scraped the lead lengthwise across art paper, dipped small hunks of bread in the vodka he was drinking, and dragged the soggy bread across the paper. Next he painted Godivas on the smudges, bisecting and triceting them so that it was impossible to tell that they were naked ladies. Later that week, when the painting was dry, he took it to Ed’s home and sold it to him for $500. Ed stood in front of it at every angle, spoke with reverence of its technique, and offered to buy the rest.

From Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel, A Biography by Judith and Neil Morgan


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