h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was fortunate as a young boy,about eleven at the time, to be taught by Gerard when he was the art teacher at Stamford School in lincolnshire UK . I do not think he taught me anything about art but he did have a great interest in debating. Always interested in the ridiculous he made us mount on our rickety desks whilst starting or contributing to the debate of the day. My own problem was that he was such a funny man even when he said nothing that I could never stop laughing. On one occasion he brought in a big docile cat and sat it on my desk saying "see if you can make the cat laugh. Some years later, after becoming famous, he came back to the school when by chance he met me at the entrance. Much to my amazement he recognised me and taking my hand he shook it for what seemed like ten minutes. A lovely man he was and he played the oboe, again I think it was the ridiculous that appealed. I also recall that he spent his spare time during lessons drawing cartoons using a simple mapping pen and Indian ink.
Donald Anderson, Locheynort, Isle of South Uist

Wow!

That's really cool! Thanks for sharing it.

- X

What fun that you got to study with Gerard Hoffnung. I have always loved his cartoons, particularly the oboist (Dad plays oboe and introduced me to Hoffnung) and the Tum Drum.

There was a series of cartoons animated in his style by Halas And Batchelor in England.

We had recordings of his Interplanetary Music Festival. How appropriate that he is on this Site.

What fun that you got to study with Gerard Hoffnung. I have always loved his cartoons, particularly the oboist (Dad plays oboe and introduced me to Hoffnung) and the Tum Drum.

There was a series of cartoons animated in his style by Halas And Batchelor in England.

We had recordings of his Interplanetary Music Festival. How appropriate that he is on this Site.

Gerard Hoffnung died very young, aged only 34. His wife, Annetta will be 80 this year. In addition to the concerts that have previously been mentioned Gerard also published a series of small cartoon books. Annetta recently re-published these in 2000 for an exhibition at the British Cartoon Centre of what would have been his 75 birthday. The Little Books had been out of print for many years.

There is an official Gerard Hoffnung Website with a detailed biography written by Annetta where you can see some of the cartoons.

Hoffnung played the oboe! I had always thought it was the tuba; perhaps he did both. "Per Tuba ad Astra" was the motto on one of his books.

I was delighted to be able to buy second hand (through http://www.alibris.com) his wonderful "The Right Playmate" (written by James Broughton, but Hoffnung's illustrations are the making of the book). If he was born in 1925 he could only have been 27 when he did that: half my age now.

Well Hoffnung played several instruments, including the ocarina, although his favourite was indeed the tuba; mostly a self-taught genius.

Thanks for the tip about The Right Playmate, which I have just bought.

Hoffnung's widow Annetta Hoffnung is giving an illustrated talk on 9th June near Milton Keynes. Details are as follows:-

"An Exhibition and a Talk by Annetta Hoffnung,
illustrated with slides, tapes and film.

Monday 9th June, 7.30 p.m., at The Stables,
Stockwell Lane, Wavendon, Milton Keynes, MK17 8LU

Tickets £5 from The Stables Box Office - 01908 280800"

Tantalising -- but I'm going over to London for the hootoo bash on the 28th and can't really justify another trip . . .