My Big Fat Gupta Wedding by Zapiro

My Big Fat Gupta Wedding (Zapiro's 2013 Political Cartoon Annual)

Zapiro's Satirical Cartoon Record of South Africa's Political Year, from the Mail & Guardian, Sunday Times and The Times

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: My Big Fat Gupta Wedding: Cartoons from Mail & Guardian, Sunday Times and The Times
• Author: Zapiro
• Publisher: Jacana, Auckland Park, South Africa
• Publication Date: 2013
• ISBN-13: 9781431408443
• Binding: Publisher's illustrated card wrappers, perfect bound, with a colour illustrated cover.
• Physical Format: Landscape-format softcover, 160 pages. Black and white cartoons throughout.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
• Exterior / Wraps: The blue illustrated card wrappers are clean and bright on the front, back and spine. The spine is straight and unbroken, with no tears, creasing or marks. Corners and edges are tidy.
• Interior: The pages are clean, white to cream, with no foxing, markings or writing. The binding is tight and the book opens flat enough for comfortable reading.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)

Synopsis & Historical Value

My Big Fat Gupta Wedding is a collection of Zapiro's political cartoons, published by Jacana in 2013 as one of his long-running annual volumes. The cartoons are drawn from the Mail & Guardian, the Sunday Times and The Times, and together they form a satirical summary of South Africa's political events of the year.

The book centres on the Gupta family wedding affair at Sun City and the wider political scandal that surrounded it. The back cover carries a quote from Chester Missing, a list of the earlier Zapiro annuals and notes on the cartoonist's awards and honours.

For collectors of South African political history, the Zapiro annuals offer a sharp, contemporary visual commentary on the public life of the period, and this volume captures a much-discussed moment in the country's recent politics.

Author Profile: Zapiro (Jonathan Shapiro)

Jonathan Shapiro, known as Zapiro, was born on 27 October 1958 and is one of South Africa's best-known political cartoonists. He was an important participant in the End Conscription Campaign, designing its logo, and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study cartooning at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

He has worked for the Mail & Guardian since 1994, the Sunday Times since 1998 and The Times since 2009. His honours include a 2009 MISA Press Freedom Award and, in 2019, the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. Other notable works include WTF: Capturing Zuma – A cartoonist's tale, The Mandela Files, VuvuzelaNation and DemoCrazy.