Schulz (and Snoopy) Biography Preview

The October issue of Vanity Fair (Nicole Kidman is on the cover) has an excerpt from the much-anticipated biography of Peanuts comic strip artist Charles M. Schulz. Written by David Michaelis, author of the acclaimed 1998 biography of N.C. Wyeth, Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography will be issued on October 16 (it's now available for pre-order at Amazon.com), and to judge by the Vanity Fair excerpt, it promises to be a thoughtful and extensively researched examination of a very complex man. Not surprisingly the selection printed in the magazine focuses on Snoopy, featuring an insightful analysis of the fantasizing beagle’s leap beyond mere popularity into superstardom during the mid-1960s. But, as the author points out, Peanuts—and Schulz—“had just begun.” This new book promises to be an important addition to our understanding of the artist and his comic-strip magnum opus.