Martyn Turner
Encyclopedia
Martyn Turner is an English
political cartoonist
, caricaturist and writer
. His cartoons appear daily in The Irish Times
parodying current events.
Turner was born in Wanstead
, Essex
and grew up in London
. He was educated at Bancroft's School
. In 1967, he went to Belfast
and enrolled at the Queen's University of Belfast where he read geography. Turner was the first member of his family to go to university. Returning to London for his first Christmas break from college, he learned that one of his grandmothers was born on the Falls Road in Belfast, thus qualifying him for Irish nationality and an Irish passport.
Living in Belfast exposed Turner to the sectarianism
of the city and he experienced the initial years of the Troubles and Northern Ireland politics have dominated his work to this day.
Around 1970, he began drawing professionally for the Sunday News. Upon graduation, he joined the Belfast current affairs magazine Fortnight where he became editor. In 1976 he was made political cartoonist at the Irish Times, where he still draws 4 cartoons a week and writes occasionally.
The Cartoonists and Writers Syndicate distribute some of Turner's cartoons to over 200 journals and newspapers round the world.
He has worked, also, for various British publications such as The Scotsman, Business AM, The Business, The Sunday Express, The Independent, the Guardian and The Spectator and the Paris based current affairs magazine Courrier International.
Turner lives in County Kildare
with his wife. He has one son and two grandsons.
In 2007,2008,2009 and 2010 The Irish Times published a calendar of Turner cartoons, given away free with the newspaper
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
political cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
, caricaturist and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. His cartoons appear daily in The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
parodying current events.
Turner was born in Wanstead
Wanstead
Wanstead is a suburban area in the London Borough of Redbridge, North-East London. The main road going through Wanstead is the A12. The name is from the Anglo-Saxon words wænn and stede, meaning "settlement on a small hill"....
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
and grew up in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was educated at Bancroft's School
Bancroft's School
Bancroft's School is a co-educational independent school in Woodford Green, London. The school has around 1,000 pupils aged between 7 and 18...
. In 1967, he went to Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and enrolled at the Queen's University of Belfast where he read geography. Turner was the first member of his family to go to university. Returning to London for his first Christmas break from college, he learned that one of his grandmothers was born on the Falls Road in Belfast, thus qualifying him for Irish nationality and an Irish passport.
Living in Belfast exposed Turner to the sectarianism
Sectarianism
Sectarianism, according to one definition, is bigotry, discrimination or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion, class, regional or factions of a political movement.The ideological...
of the city and he experienced the initial years of the Troubles and Northern Ireland politics have dominated his work to this day.
Around 1970, he began drawing professionally for the Sunday News. Upon graduation, he joined the Belfast current affairs magazine Fortnight where he became editor. In 1976 he was made political cartoonist at the Irish Times, where he still draws 4 cartoons a week and writes occasionally.
The Cartoonists and Writers Syndicate distribute some of Turner's cartoons to over 200 journals and newspapers round the world.
He has worked, also, for various British publications such as The Scotsman, Business AM, The Business, The Sunday Express, The Independent, the Guardian and The Spectator and the Paris based current affairs magazine Courrier International.
Turner lives in County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
with his wife. He has one son and two grandsons.
Honoraria
Turner was named:- 1997, commentator of the Year, Irish Media Awards
- 2001, European Political Cartoonist of the Year, Forte dei MarmiForte dei MarmiForte dei Marmi is a sea town and comune in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany . It is the birthplace of Paola Ruffo di Calabria, Queen of the Belgians....
- 1998, awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of UlsterUniversity of UlsterThe University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
- 2001, awarded an honorary doctorate by Queen's University Belfast
- 2010 Canadian Human Rights Awards
- 2010 Tonight Media Awards, Dublin
Solo works
- Up Every Tree- The bumper Book of Bertie (Gill and Macmillan - October 2006) ISBN 0-7171-4158-6
- Martyn Turner's Greatest Hits (Gill & Macmillan - October 28, 2003) ISBN 0-7171-3573-X
- Railings (Blackstaff Press - October, 2000) ISBN 0-85640-687-2
- The Golfer's Guide to World History (Blackstaff Press - November, 1999) ISBN 0-85640-663-5
- Brace Yourself, Bridge It! (Blackstaff Press - October, 1998) ISBN 0-85640-639-2
- The Noble Art of Politics (Blackstaff Press - October, 1996) ISBN 0-85640-583-3
- Pack Up Your Troubles (Blackstaff Press - September, 1995) ISBN 0-85640-569-8
- The Odd Couple (Irish Times Books - November, 1994) ISBN 0-907011-21-7
- Politics et al. (Irish Times Books - 1992) ISBN B0000COI18
- The Long Goodbye: A cartoon tribute to a TaoiseachTaoiseachThe Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
(Irish Times Books - 1992) ISBN 0-907011-19-5 - The Man Who Won the Tour De France (Gill & Macmillan-October 31, 1991) ISBN 0-7171-1916-5
- Not Viking Likely (Irish Life Viking Adventure 1988)
- Heavy Weather (Gill & Macmillan - December 31, 1989) ISBN 0-7171-1699-9
- Fistful of Dáilers (Gill & Macmillan - October 20, 1987) ISBN 0-7171-1551-8
- 'Illuminations' (Boethius Press 1986)
- Martyn Turner: The Book (Irish Times Books - 1983) ISBN 0-907011-10-1
In 2007,2008,2009 and 2010 The Irish Times published a calendar of Turner cartoons, given away free with the newspaper
Collaborative works
- Thin Black Lines Rides Again - Colm Regan, Scott Sinclair, Martyn Turner (TIDE - June, 1994) ISBN 0-948838-30-2
- Cattle Rustling: A Retelling of the TáinTáin Bó Cúailngeis a legendary tale from early Irish literature, often considered an epic, although it is written primarily in prose rather than verse. It tells of a war against Ulster by the Connacht queen Medb and her husband Ailill, who intend to steal the stud bull Donn Cuailnge, opposed only by the teenage...
- James Simmons, Martyn Turner (Fortnight Educational - December, 1991) ISBN 0-9509081-3-4 - Thin Black Lines - Colm Regan, Scott Sinclair
- Columba - A cartoon History of The Americas (Potatoe Press)
Illustration
- Pull the Door Marked Push: Inside the High I. Q. Society - Anne Schulman (Granta Editions ,Nov 1992) ISBN 0-9067829-6-1