Lecturas: The Stranger, a graphic novel by Jacques Ferrandez based on Camus' Classic
New general rule For a book read in English will correspond a review in the same language. Same applies for Spanish. These days I've been trying to read L'étranger in its original language: a french review coming soon?
Yes, I've been reading. Not much, not enough. But I put some use to my spare time. It's no surprise that I love graphic novels, and that I've been reading quite a few of them lately. Here's one.
This book is an adaptation of Albert Camus' L'étranger (The Stranger). Jacques Ferrandez is Algerian as well, and decided to re tell Monsieur Meursault's story adding his watercolours and his own artistic edge. I have to be honest: when I read the novel for the first time I thought almost immediately "what a great piece of modern literature! ...and a testimony that some books just can't be turned into movies". And I still stand by it: the deep complexity of the character and it's introspective psychology would never be properly portrayed on the big screen. That's why I was surprised by Ferrandez' brave attempt.
The art itself is something to appreciate. Being a local was definitely an asset for Jacques, as I was impressed by the staging. The places, the city, the streets, the beach house, everything seems to fit tightly with my personal imagination. I'm a person born in the 80's in South america, so I have no notion of how Algeria in the 40's should look like. Nevertheless, the soft watercolours and the light background let you appreciate the deep level of detail in the architecture and the general atmosphere. In some pages, a large watercolour scenery takes the entire two pages, but the panels cover most of them, leaving some spots strategically uncovered for our delight.
Honestly, Ferrandez' style is not in my shortlist: It's is just a matter of taste. It's colourful but sober. The panels' layout seems a bit too structured from time to time, making the drawings feel a bit uni-dimensional. When I think a bit more about it, I see how this style could be a good fit for the story, but something is missing in the atmosphere. Again, a matter of taste, but perhaps it's just some of the difficulties of putting such novel in the comic medium.
The most shocking an revealing part of the story is unfolded in the last fifteen pages of the book, and so is in this comic. Meursault's revelation and utter conclusion on about the being, the reasons of living and the idea of death, all this was vividly portrayed. I'm glad to experience the shivers and the goosebumps crawling on my spine as I gazed through the pages.
While not blown away, I took pleasure in this reading. Best enjoyed if read from cover to cover (is not very long) with a warm beverage on a silent night.
Title: The Stranger (graphic novel adaptation)
Author: Albert Camus, Jacques Ferrandez (Translated by Sandra Smith)
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Year: 2016 (original french version published in 2013)
Yes, I've been reading. Not much, not enough. But I put some use to my spare time. It's no surprise that I love graphic novels, and that I've been reading quite a few of them lately. Here's one.
***
 |
| One of its finest moments |
The art itself is something to appreciate. Being a local was definitely an asset for Jacques, as I was impressed by the staging. The places, the city, the streets, the beach house, everything seems to fit tightly with my personal imagination. I'm a person born in the 80's in South america, so I have no notion of how Algeria in the 40's should look like. Nevertheless, the soft watercolours and the light background let you appreciate the deep level of detail in the architecture and the general atmosphere. In some pages, a large watercolour scenery takes the entire two pages, but the panels cover most of them, leaving some spots strategically uncovered for our delight.
Honestly, Ferrandez' style is not in my shortlist: It's is just a matter of taste. It's colourful but sober. The panels' layout seems a bit too structured from time to time, making the drawings feel a bit uni-dimensional. When I think a bit more about it, I see how this style could be a good fit for the story, but something is missing in the atmosphere. Again, a matter of taste, but perhaps it's just some of the difficulties of putting such novel in the comic medium.
While not blown away, I took pleasure in this reading. Best enjoyed if read from cover to cover (is not very long) with a warm beverage on a silent night.
Title: The Stranger (graphic novel adaptation)
Author: Albert Camus, Jacques Ferrandez (Translated by Sandra Smith)
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Year: 2016 (original french version published in 2013)
Thanks for a great review!
ResponderEliminarFernandez portrayed all the characters as young and attractive (except for his mother's "lover" at the retirement home, the neighbour who mistreated his dog and a few others). For some reason I hadn't imagined them this way, but I it gives added meaning for me. It gives the sense that what should be a perfect existence is still burdened by universal existential concerns.
I randomly picked this up at the Millennium Library two weeks before you posted this reviews.
Thanks for your comment! I guess we picked the same copy, since I got it from the Millennium Library as well.
EliminarAs far as aesthetics goes, I always portrayed them in my mind in a way that resembles Ferrandez artwork: that sort of sharp look that people from the fifties used to have, like the Billy Boys from Vettriano's painting (or like Camus itself, he always looked like a slick private detective). It's part of the beauty of literature!
This week I'll upload another review of a great graphic novel found at the Millennium Library. Stay tuned!