Buzz
Before they were endlessly reproduced and handed out to us by our teachers, every legendary piece of literature began as a handwritten manuscript, sometimes adorned with scribbles—or perhaps just a fleeting image that occurred to the author on a particular day.
The doodles and random sketches of famous writers can often be even more captivating—and telling—than the finished works we know them for. Many celebrated authors were passionate doodlers, or even skilled artists in their own right, leaving behind strange mementos in their notebooks for us to contemplate.
10. Kurt Vonnegut’s Anus
In his novel Breakfast of Champions, the influential satirist and science fiction writer Kurt Vonnegut included a set of intentionally crude drawings to accompany the story, with the most famous being his illustration of an anus. Skillfully created with a felt-tip pen, this drawing could easily be mistaken for a hastily sketched asterisk.
Other noteworthy doodles include pyramids, dinosaurs, swastikas, a bucket of fried chicken, and the chemical structure of a plastic polymer. In the preface of the novel, Vonnegut explains that the book was written as a personal gift to himself for his 50th birthday.
In his own words: “I am programmed at 50 to perform childishly. [ . . .] To give you a sense of the maturity of my illustrations for this book, here is my picture of an asshole.”
9. Franz Kafka’s Stick Figures
While employed as a lawyer at the Workmen’s Accident Insurance Institution in Prague, Franz Kafka would occasionally sketch the injuries his clients endured due to hazardous working conditions.
Beyond creating these sketches, Kafka was an avid doodler, though he always made efforts to conceal this hobby from his friends and colleagues. Despite his wishes, many of his doodles were preserved by his close friend, Max Brod.
A friend, Gustav Janouch, recalled that Kafka would become anxious and swiftly destroy his drawings if caught in the act of doodling. Nearly all of his surviving doodles depict tall, slender men in silhouette or abstract figures in motion, drawn with dynamic, flowing lines. One of his most famous pieces shows a man slouched at his desk in frustration.
8. Adolf Hitler Created Drawings of Dogs and Tanks
Although Adolf Hitler’s early attempts at art have become fairly well-known, he is primarily remembered for his landscape paintings rather than his other artistic endeavors.
Less widely known is Hitler’s deep affection for dogs, during which time he went through a period of sketching formal portraits of them in pencil. So, should you happen upon an overly sentimental portrait of a German shepherd in your grandfather’s basement, you might have stumbled upon a rare original by Hitler himself.
Unlike his peaceful landscape paintings and pet portraits, some of his works have a more raw, intense feel. One such example is Tank Battleground (shown above), which depicts a scene of destruction and scorched earth in an informal style, resembling something you might see in a comic strip.
7. Sylvia Plath’s First Cows
Sylvia Plath captured the struggles of living with mental illness through her poetry. In fact, there is a phenomenon known as “the Sylvia Plath effect” that highlights the statistical connection between depression and poets.
In contrast to the intensity of her poetry, Plath’s collection of pen-and-ink sketches offers a more peaceful side to her artistic perspective. Most of these drawings focus on seemingly ordinary subjects such as boats, umbrellas, and dairy cows.
Reflecting on her first cow drawing, Plath commented, “I found a kind of peace in the cows; the strange, brooding expressions they gave me; the marvelous, colossal excretions and urinations. I shall return soon; I shall create an entire volume of cow drawings.”
At one point, Plath aimed to develop a style that was simple and “childlike” and even dreamed of becoming an illustrator for The New Yorker. Sadly, her tragic death in 1963 ended that aspiration.
6. Leo Tolstoy’s Around The World In 80 Days
Leo Tolstoy was an avid admirer of Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days. He delighted in reading it to his children. When official illustrations were hard to come by, he decided to create his own. Each day, he would dedicate time to drawing images that would complement the chapter he planned to read that evening.
In addition, Tolstoy authored and illustrated a simple ABC book for local peasant children who lacked access to formal schooling. Historians have also uncovered a sketchbook from his time in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. This sketchbook is a true work of realism, showcasing meticulous depictions of various Russian Caucasian peoples.
5. H.G. Wells’s ‘Picshuas’
In his free time, H.G. Wells, author of The War of The Worlds, created approximately 650 doodles for his wife. He affectionately referred to these little drawings as “picshuas.”
Most of the doodles were simple cartoons depicting everyday moments with his wife and children. Some, however, were satirical illustrations addressing his own flaws as a husband, particularly his infidelity. He used these drawings as a means of seeking forgiveness from his wife.
At times, Wells used his doodles to portray his wife as his personal tyrant, relentlessly pushing him toward literary success—whether he agreed with her ambitions or not. He occasionally depicted her as a giant airship, ready to drop bombs on him for his marital mistakes.
4. Hans Christian Andersen’s Psychedelic Art
Hans Christian Andersen, the famed author of fairy tales such as “The Little Mermaid” and “The Ugly Duckling,” was also highly regarded for his sketchbooks. Throughout his global travels, he documented the fascinating things he encountered, along with any local fairy tales he unearthed, later publishing these as travel guides.
Andersen possessed another extraordinary talent: within minutes, he could snip scraps of paper into shapes of eccentric characters and psychedelic scenes. Hundreds of such creations have been preserved. One notable piece shows a woman with bagpipes for breasts, dancing across a musical score.
Some of Andersen’s works are elaborate, like his paper vase adorned with flowers, while others are more playful, such as his drawing of a man wearing boots on his hands. He also crafted paper sculptures in this style, such as a patterned rocking chair.
3. Victor Hugo
Following his exile to the Channel Islands, the famed author of Les Miserables, Victor Hugo, ventured into the world of visual art. His creations ranged from spontaneous yet evocative inkblot and coffee stain works to striking, dark masterpieces such as Town with a Broken Bridge, The Snake, and Justicia.
Initially, Hugo's artistic endeavors went largely unnoticed. However, contemporary art scholars now regard him as a visionary, recognizing his ability to evoke surreal atmospheres long before the emergence of abstract art as a formal movement.
As expected from Victor Hugo, several of his artworks served as powerful social commentary. A prime example is the piece Ecce (“Behold”), created after the execution of abolitionist John Brown. Hugo had ardently opposed Brown’s hanging, and after his efforts failed, he sold prints of Ecce to raise funds for charities that provided medical supplies to soldiers during the Civil War.
2. Mark Twain Attempts to Draw a Map
While serving as editor of the Buffalo Express, Mark Twain took it upon himself to create a satirical map of Paris, painstakingly carving it onto a wooden printer’s block. Without much scrutiny, this humorously crude interpretation of the city was published on the paper’s front page in the world news section.
The map was completely incorrect, showing famous Paris landmarks like Omaha, the Erie Canal, and even 'a farmhouse.' The final printout of the design was also reversed. Perhaps Twain didn’t know that printing blocks create mirrored designs, or perhaps he did it intentionally, thinking it would add to the humor.
Below the image, Twain added fabricated praise for his creation. Brigham Young exclaims, 'I cannot look at it without shedding tears,' while Napoleon comments, 'It’s a very nice large print.'
1. Lewis Carroll’s Preliminary Drafts
Using the pen name Lewis Carroll, mathematician Charles Dodgson authored a number of beloved children’s book series. He is less remembered for his role as an illustrator of these stories. The original manuscript of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland contained 37 of his own ink drawings, many of which were just as surreal as the narrative itself.
Carroll’s initial manuscript was meticulously crafted, with handwriting so precise it could easily be mistaken for printed text. However, as he wasn’t a professional artist, he enlisted political cartoonist John Tenniel to create fresh illustrations for the final version.
