Mike Mosher, professor of art and multimedia communication at Saginaw Valley State University, has his artwork featured prominently in "George Orwell Illustrated," written by David Smith and published in July by Haymarket Books of Chicago.
The book will be one of several works featured at a Saginaw area authors' event held at Barnes & Noble, 3311 Tittabawassee from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13.
“George Orwell Illustrated” sheds new light onto Orwell's life and works by including literary insights, updated biographical information, and a previously unpublished human rights manifesto written by Orwell and journalist Arthur Koestler, with input from philosopher Bertrand Russell.
This is the second book on Orwell that Mosher and Smith have collaborated on; "Orwell for Beginners," originally published in 1984, is included in "George Orwell Illustrated." The new book serves as a crash course in Orwell's politics and personal history, getting beyond his classic novels and exploring the man himself.
“Those who know Orwell as merely the author of '1984' and 'Animal Farm' are missing the breadth and depth of his writing and progressive commitment,” Mosher said. “This book, with plenty of drawing, is a guide.”
The book features Mosher's original illustrations on every page. Mosher wants “George Orwell Illustrated” to show how relevant and important Orwell's writings still are, and his illustrations make Orwell's work feel fresher and more accessible than ever.
“I've always been a fan of instructional comics,” Mosher said. “We were given some, about space travel, about measurement, about the U.S. Constitution in grade school. I pretty much learned to read by wanting to know who was in the caricatures and political cartoons. So to take a serious subject like Orwell's subtle political commentary (in journalism, essays and fiction) and illustrate it was a delightful challenge.”
Mosher's lifelong practice in cartoon illustration led to a career in Silicon Valley, illustrating and designing for Apple, IBM, Cisco Systems and others before coming to SVSU eighteen years ago. He teaches a variety of courses, including a popular comics class at SVSU that he alternates with a class on community murals.
