Edward Sorel (born 26 March 1929, the Bronx) is an illustrator, caricaturist, cartoonist, and graphic designer whose work is known for its storytelling, its left- liberal social commentary its criticism of reactionary right-wing politics and organized religion. Formerly a regular contributor to The Nation, New York Magazine and The Atlantic, his work is today seen more frequently in Vanity Fair. He has been hailed by The New York Times as "one of America's foremost political satirists". As a lifelong New Yorker, a large portion of his work interprets the life, culture and political events of New York City. There is also a large body of work which is nostalgic for the stars of 1930s and 1940s Hollywood when Sorel was a youth. Sorel is also noted for his wavy pen-and-ink style, which he describes as "spontaneous direct drawing".

Sorel grew up in the Bronx, son of Jewish immigrants. His father was a door-to-door dry goods salesman, while his mother worked full-time in a hat-making factory. Sorel became serious about drawing when a case of double pneumonia confined him to bed for nearly a year. He attended the High School of Music and Art, and graduated from the Cooper Union in 1951.

Sorel was a co-founder of Push Pin Studios with Milton Glaser, Seymour Chwast, and Reynold Ruffins in In 1956 Sorel went freelance. His first published illustration was A War for Civilization was sold to the satirical magazine The Realist; in He then sold the magazine a cartoon satirizing the glamour of the Kennedy family, an early example of his parody movie posters. Victor Navasky appointed him art director for the satirical magazine Monocle in In the later 1960s he produced full-color satirical bestiaries for the left-wing Ramparts, and a series called “Sorel’s Unfamiliar Quotations” for The Atlantic. A profile of Sorel in Time 15 October 1968 was instrumental in selling “Sorel’s News Service” by King Features to 44 syndicated newspapers for 14 months from later 1969 through Clay Felker founded New York magazine in the late 1960s and Sorel was a regular contributor, becoming art director in the late 1970s.