Maira Kalman, Graphic Artist on the Lebanon War

(graphic: Maira Kalman/NYT)

I recently discovered an absolutely wondrous graphic artist, Maira Kalman, who has a monthly TimesSelect illustrated column appearing at NYTimes.com (not in the newspaper though). There is almost nothing that is worth subscribing to in TimesSelect and I object to the very concept. But I make an exception for Maira. She is magnificent. She is worth her weight in rubies. Unfortunately, you cannot read Maira’s graphic stories in the Times unless you subscribe to the paper (which automatically subscribes you to TS) or pay separately for TimesSelect. But for those who do, please immediately go visit the above link to see her work. You will be entranced, moved…just plain blown away.

I noticed tonight that she’s created a graphic panel, Still, about her most recent trip to Israel during the Lebanon war for a wedding. Yes, a wedding in the middle of a war. Pretty strange but life-affirming as well. The world needs to read and hear more from sane souls like Maira. Israel too needs to see her vision. rather than the IDF’s. Thank you Maira, for letting us see that life can and should be more beautiful and less ugly; more serene and less violent.

Furthermore, even more brilliant and moving than Still is the earlier graphic essay, Heaven on Earth.