Bruce Eric Kaplan

Bruce Eric Kaplan—often signed as BEK—is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and memoirist, renowned for his singular single‑panel cartoons in The New Yorker. Born on September 9, 1964, he has contributed more than 800 cartoons and nine covers to the magazine, distinguished by their minimalist style and dark, wry wit Goodreads+15+15+15. Alongside his cartoon work, Kaplan wrote for acclaimed television shows like Seinfeld and Six Feet Under, blending his observational humor with narrative storytelling +9+9QuoteTab+9.

As an author, Kaplan has published multiple collections of illustrated works—such as No One You Know, This Is A Bad Time, and I Was a Child, a memoir in which he recounts childhood experiences with vivid sensory detail rather than narrative constructs +1The New Yorker+1. His most recent book, They Went Another Way (2024), continues his exploration of personal creativity and the absurdities of modern life, maintaining his characteristic blend of insight and irony Goodreads+1+1.

Kaplan’s quotes reveal his introspective nature and gentle skepticism. Among them:

“We are all just little dolls of ourselves. Who occasionally pull back the curtains to reveal the real us.” The New Yorker+15BrainyQuote+15AllGreatQuotes+15
“I started trying to be a writer and failed for years. I tried novels, short stories, sitcoms, movies, plays, anything … I had millions of jobs on the fringes of show business.” +5BrainyQuote+5AllGreatQuotes+5
“It’s self‑soothing for me to draw. So if I’m upset, drawing makes me less upset.” BrainyQuote+3+3AllGreatQuotes+3

These reflections illustrate Kaplan’s humility, creative perseverance, and emotional candor—qualities that define both his cartoons and his writing as accessible, insightful, and deeply human.