Pekar, Harvey (1939– )

US writer. He is known for his graphic novels, illustrated by leading comic-book artists such as Robert Crumb and Joe Zabel. His autobiographical American Splendor series, first published in 1976, was a day-in-the-life series that injected stark realism into comics. It received the American Book Award in 1987 and was filmed in 2003.

The film American Splendor, based on Pekar's demoralized outlook and combining the reality of his everyday life with comic-book fantasy, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance International Film Festival in 2003.

Pekar started as a literary and jazz critic for a number of newspapers and magazines and began writing for WKSU radio station, Kent, Ohio, in 1999. Throughout his writing career he worked as a file clerk in Cleveland, Ohio (1966–91).