Books: Chicken with Plums

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Chicken with Plums
By Marjane Satrapi
2009





Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/


Here's where I admit that I haven't actually read Persepolis all the way through (comic book blasphemy I know). I did try really really hard - but the damn thing just didn't fufil my basic entertainment requirements (or something): I mean - hell - even Maus has Art Spiegelman's dad to keep things (slightly) buoyant.

Then I tried Embroideries - which (maybe because my expecations were low) - left me pleasently surprised. Something maybe about it being divorced from wider political concerns and focusing more on human relationships made it easier for me to enjoy (not that I have anything against books being political - I just think that the writer has to be really good in not making it all feel dry).

So - when I saw Chicken with Plums sitting on the shelf at another library (having been sent there on relief) - I thought - what the hell. Plus (just between you and me) - I always like to feature books like these so that the blog isn't just swamped with superhero stuff.

Anyways. Chicken with Plums - yeah - it was kinda cool. Much lighter and to the point than Persepolis - although not as funny and as cheeky as Embroideries. Telling the story of Nasser Ali Khan and his last few days on Earth - this is a book that's half folk tale / half anecdote. With a mood that's grave and serious - that still somehow manages to avoid being a complete bummer. I still find her artwork a little too extreme for my delicate tastes (all those chunks of black!) but when I finished reading this - I didn't feel like I'd wasted my time. 

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Links: PopMatters Review, Relevant Magazine Review, Collected Editions Review. 

Further reading: Embroideries, Habibi, The Rabbi's Cat.

All comments welcome.

Books: Embroideries

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Embroideries
By Marjane Satrapi
2005





Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/

"To speak behind others' backs is the ventilator of the heart" - so goes Embroiders - several generations of Iranian women sharing their personal experiences about love, marriage and sex. With a light breezy tone that plunges into a world of arranged marriages, secret affairs and the embroiders in the title (it's not what you think) - this is a delightful comic that captures the mood of your favourite granny telling you dirty secrets. A short, funny, illuminating peek into the private thoughts of feisty, opinionated women who have go through some pretty terrible stuff - but still manage to have the last laugh. Or like the Time Out review says: "Sex and the City, Middle-Eastern style."

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Further reading: Chicken with Plums, Persepolis, The Rabbi's Cat, Why I Hate Saturn, Kiki De Montparnasse.

All comments welcome.

Books: Persepolis

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Persepolis
By Marjane Satrapi
2000





Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/

Persepolis is a critically acclaimed autobiographical black and white comic book that depicts the struggles and experiences of a young girl growing up in Iran. A bildungsroman (thank you wikipedia) that takes place during and after the Islamic revolution this is a story that touches upon high charged issues (the veil, torture and political protest) as understood - and constantly questioned - by our no-nonsense taking child heroine. With crude, blocky artwork and sly sense of humour ("'I wanted to be a prophet . . . because our maid did not eat with us. Because my father had a Cadillac. And, above all, because my grandmother's knees always ached.'') it's a very different kind of thing to most other comics out there - and is comes closer than most to matching the description of "graphic novel."

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Links: The Hipster Dad's Bookshelf Review.

Further reading: Blankets, Embroideries, Fun Home, The Rabbi's Cat, Blue Pills.

All comments welcome.