Paul Szep is an internationally celebrated, syndicated cartoonist who was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Szep graduated from the Ontario College of Art, where he specialized in illustration. He played semi-professional hockey and worked part time in Canadian steel mills, which contributed to shaping his political views and opinions.
Szep claims that he really wanted to be a professional hockey player, but
realizing that he would probably not reach this dream, he decided to pursue
cartooning. He started off doing sports cartoons for his high-school newspaper,
combining his love of sports with his love for drawing. He then became
increasingly interested in creating political cartoons.
After graduating from college, Szep freelanced as an illustrator and was then hired by the Financial Post in Toronto to do cartoons and illustrations. Soon he received an invitation to join the Boston Globe, and he became
their editorial cartoonist in 1967. He has also contributed to Golf Digest and has published fifteen books, including Not Just Another Szep Book, which showcases many of his editorial cartoons. Szep's cartoons have also been featured in many issues of the Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year series, which is published regularly by Pelican.
Besides winning the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for cartooning in both 1974 and 1977, Szep's many awards include two Sigma Delta Chi Awards, a Headliner, the International Thomas Nast Award, and three Honorary Doctorates. Since he
retired from the Boston Globe in 2001, Szep's work is now featured regularly in numerous publications, including the St. Petersburg Times in Florida. For more information on Paul Szep, visit www.szep.com.