Overheard: Oslo Davis

Long before he came on board as Readings’ resident cartoonist (I still can’t believe our luck), I was a huge fan of Oslo Davis, thanks to his whimsical, witty and thoroughly entertaining ‘Overheard’ cartoons in The Sunday Age.

For the uninitiated, ‘Overheard’ cartoons illustrate a snippet of overheard conversation from the public places of Melbourne, beautifully evoked by Davis’s trademark line-drawings. The humour is often rooted in the disconnect between what is said and the situation, and the small ironies and hallmarks of modern life (for example, a lone man on the street lying down his mobile that he’s ‘in a business meeting’). And, of course, there’s the prurience of collectively listening in to people’s unassuming, spontaneous conversations; the little thrill of recognising the locations.

The observations and eavesdroppings range from Melbourne hip (at what looks like a literary event: ‘I love going out and catching up with everyone I hate’) to the universal (on a brutally packed tram: ‘I can’t tell if that’s my phone vibrating or someone else’s’). This fantastic collection contains over 100 ‘Overheards’ for you to revisit and enjoy at your leisure. Brilliant.