Habibi [Hardcover]
- Author by Thompson, Craig
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From the internationally acclaimed author of "Blankets "("A triumph for the genre.""--""Library Journal"), a highly anticipated new graphic novel.
Sprawling across an epic landscape of deserts, harems, and modern industrial clutter, "Habibi" tells the tale of Dodola and Zam, refugee child slaves bound to each other by chance, by circumstance, and by the love that grows between them. We follow them as their lives unfold together and apart; as they struggle to make a place for themselves in a world (not unlike our own) fueled by fear, lust, and greed; and as they discover the extraordinary depth--and frailty--of their connection.
At once contemporary and timeless, "Habibi "gives us a love story of astounding resonance: a parable about our relationship to the natural world, the cultural divide between the first and third worlds, the common heritage of Christianity and Islam, and, most potently, the magic of storytelling.
Sprawling across an epic landscape of deserts, harems, and modern industrial clutter, "Habibi" tells the tale of Dodola and Zam, refugee child slaves bound to each other by chance, by circumstance, and by the love that grows between them. We follow them as their lives unfold together and apart; as they struggle to make a place for themselves in a world (not unlike our own) fueled by fear, lust, and greed; and as they discover the extraordinary depth--and frailty--of their connection.
At once contemporary and timeless, "Habibi "gives us a love story of astounding resonance: a parable about our relationship to the natural world, the cultural divide between the first and third worlds, the common heritage of Christianity and Islam, and, most potently, the magic of storytelling.
Reviews
- From Publishers Weekly
- Thompson's (Blankets) first graphic novel in seven years is a lushly epic love story that's both inspiring and heartbreaking, intertwined with parables from both Islam and Christianity. Sold into marriage as a young girl, Dodola endures life as the wife of a scribe until she's captured by slave traders and brought to Wanatolia to be auctioned off. But before she can be sold again, she escapes, taking with her an abandoned toddler named Habibi. The pair runaway to the desert, taking refuge in an abandoned boat, where they survive for nine years, with Dodola teaching Zam the ways of the world through stories from the Qur'an and the Bible. When Zam is 12, he secretly follows Dodola and realizes that she has been prostituting herself to passing caravans in order to acquire food. They are separated when Dodola is taken against her will to become part of a sultan's harem, leaving Zam alone in the desert. Six long years pass as the two struggle to find their way back to each other and, overcoming enormous odds, eventually end up far from the ancient desert landscape in a contemporary metropolis that underscores Thompson's subtle ability to blend the timeless and the current. In addition to richly detailed story panels, the gorgeous Arabic ornamental calligraphy makes each page an individual work of art. (Sept.) Copyright 2011 Reed Business Information.
- From Booklist
- *Starred Review* Thompson's follow-up to the landscape-altering Blankets (2003), one of the generous handful of important comics of the past decade, shows that he has done anything but rest on his laurels. At root, this is a love story about two have-nots in a desert society: Dodola, a young woman whose only currency is her body, and Zam, a slave boy she rescues and tries to shelter. Passages from the Qur'an provide reflection on Dodola's and Zam's lives as they connect, break apart, and find each other again. Arabic lettering and magic-square mysticism offer rich foundations of visual symbolism and theosophical inquiry. And, not least, the fictional state of Wanatolia, where you can travel in time thousands of years simply by stepping from the midden slums to the sultan's palaces to the rapid encroachment of high-rise development, provides a polarizing backdrop of social conflict. The character depth, plot complexity, and storytelling in this lyrical, sexual, and scholarly epic would make any novelist proud. But no graphic novel lives on narrative alone, and through it all, Thompson strings compositions that are often more tapestry than comics and that balance graphic design, illumination, calligraphy, and cartooning in steady alignment. It is unfair to expect two masterpieces in a row from anyone, but here Thompson sits securely in that rarefied air.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)
Quote Reviews
- "The character depth, plot complexity, and storytelling in this lyrical, sexual, and scholarly epic would make any novelist proud...Thompson strings compositions that are often more tapestry than comics and that balance graphic design, illumination, calligraphy, and cartooning in steady alignment. It is unfair to expect two masterpieces in a row from anyone, but here Thompson sits securely in that rarefied air." -"Booklist," starred review
"A lushly epic love story that's both inspiring and heartbreaking...In addition to richly detailed story panels, the gorgeous Arabic ornamental calligraphy makes each page an individual work of art. A dense, swirling dervish of a tale...this will be the most talked about graphic novel of the fall." -"Publishers Weekly," starred review
"The exquisite beauty and deep magic of this "Arabian Nights"-style love story cannot be overstated...Habibi is certain to join the ranks of graphic novels that expand our understanding of not only the ge - "This is not just an epic that sprawls from desert to harem to modern urban waste...it's a look at how the first and third worlds are divided, Islam and Christianity united, and humanity too separated from the natural world. Ambitious." -"Library Journal"
"The character depth, plot complexity, and storytelling in this lyrical, sexual, and scholarly epic would make any novelist proud...Thompson strings compositions that are often more tapestry than comics and that balance graphic design, illumination, calligraphy, and cartooning in steady alignment. It is unfair to expect two masterpieces in a row from anyone, but here Thompson sits securely in that rarefied air." -"Booklist," starred review
"A lushly epic love story that's both inspiring and heartbreaking...In addition to richly detailed story panels, the gorgeous Arabic ornamental calligraphy makes each page an individual work of art." -"Publishers Weekly," starred review
"The exquisite beauty and deep magic ofy
Product Detail
ISBN: 0375424148
EAN: 9780375424144
Media: Book
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Publication Date: 09-2011
Language: English
Pages: 655
Dimensions: 9.14 x 7.36 x 1.92
Weight: 3.55
Categories:
Illustrated
