THE GRAPHIC CANON (Seven Stories Press) is a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind trilogy that brings classic literatures of the world together with legendary graphic artists and illustrators. There are more than 130 illustrators represented and 190 literary works over three volumes—many newly commissioned, some hard to find—reinterpreted here for readers and collectors of all ages.
Volume 1 takes us on a visual tour from the earliest literature through the end of the 1700s. Along the way, we're treated to eye-popping renditions of the human race's greatest epics: Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Odyssey (in watercolors by Gareth Hinds), The Aeneid, Beowulf, and The Arabian Nights, plus later epics The Divine Comedy and The Canterbury Tales (both by legendary illustrator and graphic designer Seymour Chwast), Paradise Lost, and Le Morte D'Arthur. Two of ancient Greece's greatest plays are adapted—the tragedy Medea by Euripides and Tania Schrag’s uninhibited rendering of the very bawdy comedy Lysistrata by Aristophanes (the text of which is still censored in many textbooks). Also included is Robert Crumb’s rarely-seen adaptation of James Boswell’s London Journal, filled with philosophical debate and lowbrow debauchery.
Religious literature is well-covered and well-illustrated, with the Books of Daniel and Esther from the Old Testament, Rick Geary’s awe-inspiring new rendition of the Book of Revelation from the New Testament, the Tao te Ching, Rumi’s Sufi poetry, Hinduism’s Mahabharata, and the Mayan holy book Popol Vuh, illustrated by Roberta Gregory. The Eastern canon gets its due, with The Tale of Genji (the world’s first novel, done in full-page illustrations reminiscent of Aubrey Beardsley), three poems from China’s golden age of literature lovingly drawn by pioneering underground comics artist Sharon Rudahl, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, a Japanese Noh play, and other works from Asia.
Two of Shakespeare’s greatest plays (King Lear and A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and two of his sonnets are here, as are Plato’s Symposium, Gulliver’s Travels, Candide, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Renaissance poetry of love and desire, and Don Quixote visualized by the legendary Will Eisner.
Some unexpected twists in this volume include a Native American folktale, an Incan play, Sappho’s poetic fragments, bawdy essays by Benjamin Franklin, the love letters of Abelard and Heloise, and the decadent French classic Dangerous Liaisons, as illustrated by Molly
Crabapple.
Reviews with the most likes.
The most important works of literature in both Western and Eastern culture retold as short graphic interpretations. The concept alone makes want to praise it as a fantastic book, but this suffers seriously from anthology syndrome. Some of these comics are simply not good. There where multiple points where I simply found myself reading the excerpts explaining why each piece was important, and then moving on to the next one. I managed to find Volume 2 for a cheap price, so I'll keep going because I find it educational, but it's not necessarily something I'd recommend unless you are more interested in the academic side of things.
I especially enjoyed tales from the Mayan and other cultures I would not have otherwise encountered.
The Rumi poetry was lovely, heart warming, comforting. I also delighted in an alternative perspective of Shakespeare's “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day” (Sonnet XVIII). Told from a son recalling a summer memory of his mother.
Loved the mystical nun artwork, as well as The Book of Ester as a whole.
I would be intrigued to see what else was considered. The Book of Kells comes to mind, as does Utopia (or something by Thomas More), Machiavelli's The Prince, Faust, an opera (although it might be that early opera (1600's) seem to be heavy with Greek/Roman history/mythology), some Norse Mythology, some Egyptian literature, the tale of Anansi or African folk tale (understandable that much of it might be oral and thus difficult to put a date on it).
I appreciated that these volumes cover both the familiar and undiscovered for me, helping to reveal knowledge gaps or expose me to that which I might not have considered. It also makes classical literature feel more accessible.
I hope that I can seek out some of the artists' work.
Featured Series
2 primary books3 released booksThe Graphic Canon is a 3-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2012 with contributions by Russ Kick.
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