East Asian Book Reviews
Graphic Novels
With all of the following graphic novels intended for younger audiences - which is nontraditional of the genre as it is being increasingly embraced as a highly sophisticated, complex art form that offers deep, mature content for adults - these works of international literature offer global perspectives on historical events that we all to often approach only from a Western textbook. All except Little White Duck: A Childhood in China are digital graphic novels derived from an online magazine dedicated to translating international texts and making them accessible to Western nations. As short, but poignant glimpses into either world history - like Mao's "A Great Leap Forward" initiative and Taiwan's oppression by Chiang Kai-shek - or the imaginations of people from other cultures, these graphic novels are rich, engaging, child-friendly, and definitely memorable. Feel free to click on the book pictures to link to either Amazon’s website for more information on the title or to the online magazine, Words without Borders to read the online graphic novels.
China
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Little White Duck:
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A Chinese Life
Author: Kunwu, Li & Ôtié, Philippe Translator: Gauvin, Edward Title: A Chinese Life Publisher: Words without Borders Date of Publication: 2009 Number of Pages: 11 pages URL: http://wordswithoutborders.org/graphic-lit/from-a-chinese-life-great-step-forward Review: Reflecting on the steel production advancements during Mao’s “A Great Leap Forward” in China, Li Kunwu and Philippe Ôtié collectively portray how omens – like the omnipresence of blast furnaces and the responsibility of kindergarteners to bring coal to school - of China’s impending self-destruction existed as they embraced Mao’s new ideals. Chopping down the forests, burning hair for fuel when other sources ran out, and eating sparrows that died of the same starvation they were facing, the characters are illustrated with rib bones and desperate faces as they try to live in ways pulled from the authors and their families' experiences. Showing how Mao’s Utopian vision produced famine and suffering, Kunwu and Ôtié offer a real-life, historical dystopia to supplement the myriad science fiction imaginations of a future dystopia. As a common topic addressed in school curriculums, “A Great Step Forward: Memoir of the Famine” is a text that would engage students in the material. It clearly captures the cause and effect that induced the famine. Graphic novel (Ages 12+). |
Japan
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Ladybirds' Requiem
Author: Kondoh, Akino Translator: Allen, Jocelyne Title: Ladybird's Requiem Publisher: Words without Borders Date of Publication: 1994 Number of Pages: 14 pages URL: http://wordswithoutborders.org/graphic-lit/ladybirds-requiem Review: Read from right to left in the traditional Japanese comic format, Ladybirds’ Requiem is uniquely formatted. With vertical text and dark, inky illustrations, Kondoh presents readers with a virtually psychological tale of a little girl whose guilt and regret over crushing a ladybug transforms into an obsession with buttons. The translation is made when the girl mistakenly thinks a button is a ladybug. Holding on to the past in this unhealthy compulsion to collect buttons and sew them into the underskirt of her dress, the little girl attempts to find solace with herself over her over-exaggerated crime. With eerie illustrations that externalize the obsessive translation – buttons to ladybugs - going on in the girl’s mind, Kondoh delivers an exquisite, virtually chilling tale if one reads it from a psychological standpoint and considers the youthfulness of the protagonist and the young age of this comic’s intended audience. Born in Chiba, Japan, Kondoh won the second AX Manga Newcomer’s Award in 2000. Graphic novel (Ages 7+). Animated Video of Ladybirds' Requiem
Kondoh, Akino (2006). Ladybirds’ Requiem – Digest Version. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFqAc9kRP8g
Revealing her versatile talents, Kondoh produced an animated short based on this graphic novel, Ladybirds’ Requiem. As clear evidence of how Words without Borders is an effective site that is reaching its mission of expanding international literature’s global audience, after the graphic novel’s publication on the site, Kondoh’s video was named to the top 25 list in the biennial showcase “YouTube Play - A Biennial of Creative Video” at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. With creepy music and a similar knack for capturing the distorted mindset of the little girl in a visually moving form, the animation is a superlative accompaniment to the original literary work. |
Korea
The Secrecy of Frequency A:
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The Legend of Hong Kil Dong:
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Taiwan
Tongue-Tied
Author: Lin, Li-Chin Translator: Gauvin, Edward Title: Tongue-Tied. Publisher: Words without Borders Date of Publication: 2011 Number of Pages: 12 pages URL: http://wordswithoutborders.org/graphic-lit/tongue-tied Review: In sketchy drawings, Li-Chin Lin presents an autobiographic account of his childhood in Taiwan. Lin grew up when Chiang Kai-shek and his followers were exiled from China and sent to Taiwan, where they took over in a period known as the “White Terror.” Kai-shek imposed the Mandarin language on Taiwan, squashing all native tongues, and forcing everyone to learn the Chinese language. Lin’s graphic novel, “Tongue-Tied” is an account of his struggles to learn Mandarin. Brainwashed by the new regime, young Lin was convinced that Mandarin was a more beautiful language than Hoklo – his native tongue – and that his ability to speak Mandarin signified his respectability and sophistication as a person. A graphic novel about social hierarchies, the detriments of a corrupt dominant culture, identity, and conformity, Lin provides a striking, historical text that would be highly valuable as a supplemental text in social studies classrooms. Digital graphic novel (Ages 13+). |
Words without Borders (2003-2013). Retrieved from: http://wordswithoutborders.org/issue/february-2013
Started in 2003, Words without Borders is an official Online Magazine for International Literature. The non-profit organization is dedicated to translating, digitally publishing, and promoting contemporary world literature. Rightfully claiming to “open doors for readers of English around the world to the multiplicity of viewpoints, richness of experience, and literary perspective on world events offered by writers in other languages,” the online magazine is a noble, authentic, and thus astronomically valuable, resource. Publishing an annual international graphic novel issue, Words without Borders is in its seventh edition of the graphic issue, consistently released in February. The site’s archived issues collectively hold eighty translated graphic novels that can be read – in their entirety - for free. Boasting a separate tab for “Graphic Lit," Words without Borders is a stellar contribution to international graphic literature. |
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