Blog: Back In The Jug AGANE

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As I trudged back to work in the rain this morning I was full of Molesworth-ian THORTS re: back to SKOOL ect ect, with this picture pretty much summing it up:



As is probably obvious the Molesworth books were a HUGE influence on me, and so i was very sad indeed to hear today that Ronald Searle, their illustrator has died at the age of 91. I know he was more famous for St Trinians, but for me Molesworth will always be the GRATEST - I bought the books when I was in Junior School from the Puffin Readers Club and was THRILLED with the magical fantasy land of 1950s boyss public prep schools. I also went to a boys' school, and tho St Marks was a MILLION miles from St Custards in terms of POSHNESS and PUPILS it felt similarly delapidated and crumbling, and the HEROIC BOYS seemed to face the same problems we did.

Reading and re-reading it over the years I realised that it had a lot MORE to say about life than just avoiding lessons, and came to love the illustrations more and more. The way he drew was full of LIFE and FEELING but also made pretty much everything look HILARIOUS. I went to an exhibition of his ART a few years ago, and everything he did seemed to be scrabbling to get OFF the page and wiggle around for fun. It was GRATE.

I was also thinking about Ronald Searle over Christmas because I got the BOOK of Hark A Vagrant which is BRILLIANT, but which also reminds me of Ronald Searle in Kate Beatons LINE WORK and general SUBVERSIVE JOY, although I don't know if there's any direct influence.

Anyway, what I was wanting to say was that i LOVE Ronald Searle's artwork and it always has, and always will, brung HAPPINESS and INSPIRATION to my life. Thanks Mr Searle, you were TOPP!

posted 3/1/2012 by MJ Hibbett

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