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Garry Trudeau never planned on being a cartoonist, let alone one of the most influential of his time. But over the past 40 years, Garry has redefined what's possible in a comic strip.
Born in New York City, Garry comes from a long line of doctors, but he was always more interested in theatre, and art. While attending Yale, he started a strip called 'Bull Tales'; before long, the strip evolved into 'Doonesbury', and at age 21, Garry had found his calling.
Soon, 'Doonesbury' started appearing in newspapers, and igniting controversy. Garry tackled Vietnam, the Watergate scandal, feminism, gay rights - the kind of stuff you don't usually see in a comic strip. And for his work, Garry won a Pulitzer Prize, the first ever awarded to a newspaper comic strip artist.
To this day, 'Doonesbury' is still speaking truth to power. The Bush era provided plenty of material, and inspired some sharp criticism of US foreign policy. In one memorable storyline, Garry's character B.D. lost a leg while serving in Iraq - a reminder to readers about the consequences of war.
Now, Garry is releasing a book, "40: A Doonesbury Retrospective" - a lengthy look back at his extraordinary strip.
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