ABSTRACT
ABRAHAM, Abu (b. 1924). Political and pocket cartoonist, journalist and politician. Abu Abraham was born in Tiruvalla, Kerala, India, on 11 June 1924, the son of A. M. Matthew Abraham, a lawyer. He studied French, mathematics and English at the Travancore University, Kerala, where he was also tennis champion. He graduated in 1945 and was a reporter on the Bombay Chronicle (1946-9), drawing cartoons in his spare time. He then moved to the New Delhi satirical journal, Shankar's Weekly, in 1951 as staff cartoonist. Abu came to the UK in 1953 and contributed to Punch, Everybody's, London Opinion, Daily Sketch, etc., before becoming the Observer's first-ever staff political cartoonist in 1956. After ten years he moved to the Guardian and drew a regular pocket cartoon there for three years until 1969. He later returned to India and worked for Indian Express (1969-81). In addition he was a member of the Rajya Sabha or Upper House of the Indian parliament (19728). Described by the Guardian as 'the conscience of the Left and the pea under the princess's mattress', he also drew (as 'Abraham') for Tribune (1956-7, 1966-9), and received a Special Award from the BFI for his animated film, No Arks. He was one of the founder members of the British Cartoonists' Association in 1966. PUB: (ed.) Verdicts on Vietnam (1968), Abu on Bangladesh (1972), Games of Emergency (1977), Arrivals and Departures (1983), (ed.) The Penguin Book of Indian Cartoons (1988) ILL: R. Thapar, Indian Tales (1991)
ABU - see Abraham, Abu
ACANTHUS - see Hoar, Harold Frank
ADAM, David (fl. 1930s). Joke cartoonist. David Adam is best known as the artist who drew the cartoon of a heavyweight man getting into a cab and saying to the driver 'Royal School of Needlework - and drive like mad.' It was published in Punch on 28 June 1939 and has often been mistakenly attributed to EMETT, though the style is very different.
