Lynd Ward: Master of the Wordless World

If ever a cartoonist or artist deserved a set of hard-cover collected works, it is the indelible Lynd Ward. Luckily, publishing company Library of America has released Six Novels in Woodcuts, a two book set, of Ward’s work. The son of political activist minister, Ward was never introduced to newspaper comics. But while on an trip to Germany, Ward discovered German expressionism and realized woodcarvings were a perfect place to focus his attention. His full mastery of many mediums including lithograph, pen and ink, and graphite make him a keystone of art with a cause.

We at the Schulz Library have a soft spot for Ward in all his styles. Living through the depression, Ward experienced first hand corruption, greed, desperation and dashed hopes.

The Six Novels included in this set are God’s Man, Madman’s Drum, Wild Pilgrimage, Prelude to a Million Years, Songs Without Words, and the unfinished Vertigo.

The 1933 story Prelude to A Million Years features an artist’s struggle betwixt the purity of his sculptures and the ugliness of his actual muse.

In the short Songs Without Words, Ward carves the story of a most beautiful pregnancy and the fears a young mother has about introducing another person in a world all bent askew during the rise of European fascism. The word ‘strike’ on the sign is one of the only words to appear in Ward’s woodcuts. While the prints occasionally jump in narrative, your mind fills in the gaps with images just as you know what the mid-section of a train looks liked even when blocked by the station.

The climax of the story echos the visual narrative as the pregnant woman ascends a mountain.The two books come in a handsome matching case and with an introduction by cartoonist Art Spiegelman. Even if the subtle story-telling takes you awhile to decipher, it is worth it just to gaze upon the lustrous prints.

-Jen Vaughn