In ‘Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China’, by the Canadian author, illustrator and animator Guy Delisle we meet the perspectives of an outsider who is trIn ‘Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China’, by the Canadian author, illustrator and animator Guy Delisle we meet the perspectives of an outsider who is trying to understand the customs and life of a society – limited to the short time he spends there and limited to the small area which he is allowed to visit - which is totally alien to him. On a three-month visit to Shenzhen, in People’s Republic of China, as a coordinator between a Belgian animation company and a Chinese studio, Guy Delisle narrates the tediousness of the daily life that he encounter, difficulties caused by the language barrier and the culture shock through elegant deep black charcoal pencil illustrations.
Guy Delisle captures some of the key moments of his stay at ‘Shenzhen’ – like his routine work related frustrations, mainly due to language issues, that he has with the animators, often resorting to drawing for the purpose of communications; his culinary adventures; his experiences with Chinese art books; his Christmas dinner with a colleague; his weekend trips to canton and Hong Kong; his attempts at experiencing the local sights by riding bikes; - all scrupulously through his visual narrative. He picks both moments which are trivial and moments which are socially and politically of importance from his keen sense of observation for illustrations. The artwork by Delisle is fascinating with its charm and level of detailing and his use of shadows and darkness to contribute a layer of added meaning to the frames is laudable. His skills as an illustrator are best observed in his drawings of cityscapes and architecture.
‘Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China’ can be seen as a portrayal of his intimate thoughts, reactions to alienation and personal experiences, as the level of political observations that Delisle make in this volume is too shallow when compared to ‘Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea’. The personal disorientation that Guy Delisle feels in the cultural surroundings of ‘Shenzhen’ - which is totally new to him - is captured lively in these cartoon panels and is portrayed with a haziness of dark tones that underline this chaos.
One scene from the book, which left too much of a distaste was the way in which he represents the ‘Rural Flight’ in China metaphorically by comparing it to the Dante’s visions of ‘Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso’. It felt exaggerated and born from arrogance, as his trips outside the ‘Shenzhen’ and to Chinese countryside were too limited to form such opinions.
His attempts in understanding the culture, life and people by relating them to his own experiences back home cause further confusion and this offers the reader a unique viewpoint of observation. This candidness and straightforwardness may make the reader feel the narrative being obnoxious and insensitive but it is those elements which make reading Guy Delisle’s works a different experience.
Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea - originally published as 'Pyongyang' in French - by Canadian cartoonist Guy Delisle, is a travel memoir presentedPyongyang: A Journey in North Korea - originally published as 'Pyongyang' in French - by Canadian cartoonist Guy Delisle, is a travel memoir presented in a graphic novel format. The book presents the author’s personal experiences at 'Pyongyang', the capital of North Korea during his two months stay in 2001 working as a coordinator between a French animation company and SEK studio in North Korea. During this stay every movement of Guy Delisle was constantly accompanied and monitored by the state sponsored translators and guides and like any foreign visitor he was limited to access only a pre-select choice of sights and monuments to enjoy.
The book is narrated in a straightforward, matter-of-fact tone, which can seem insensitive and even rude at the first glance. Guy Delisle records the routine life that he faced during his stay in Pyongyang as sharp notebook sketches brimming with his thoughts and opinions on whatever sights and people he was allowed to encounter. While conveying these opinions the author is so candid and full of cynicism that these comments and thoughts borders the realms of being classified as racist, tactless, egocentric and arrogant. He is not at all concerned about being politically correct and this is the point which makes ‘Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea’ a worthy read.
The sketches are done entirely in black-and-white with a plain, unadorned pencil drawing style and this shows the author’s intent on reflecting the bleak dullness and monotony of a totalitarian regime, which he experienced during his stay. This book was written during a period when North Korea was opening it’s doors for foreign economic investments after a long period of isolation and this is mused upon by the author in some of his sketches.
This is not a book on the daily life of North Korean people or a judgmental study of the moral atrocities related to the authoritarian system of the country. The ‘author intent’ was to showcase the personal viewpoints and thoughts of a foreigner who was experiencing such a strange controlled environment for the first time as candidly as possible and in this ‘Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea’ succeeds....more
‘Special Lassi’ is a magical journey through some of the most beautiful locations on the foothills of Himalayas. The narrative is easy to read like a ‘Special Lassi’ is a magical journey through some of the most beautiful locations on the foothills of Himalayas. The narrative is easy to read like a gripping novel and gives the reader access not only to the rich views of the journey but also to the feelings of the author and the people around her. The overall mood of the book is bright and joyful and the author has a great sense of humor, which makes the narrative highly enjoyable.
In this very enjoyable travel narrative Amrita Chatterjee takes her readers to some of the most exotic places in the eastern Himalayas like Darjeeling, Rumtek, Yuksom, Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lumbini, Leh and Ladakh. The clarity with which the author describes her experiences during the journey, the richness of the locations she visit and the people with which she interacts is quite amazing.
As the book’s blurb claims, this is definitely the narrative of a psychedelic odyssey!...more
A fascinating account of the author's journey through Nepal. The book is very easy to read and the narrative nicely blends travel experience along witA fascinating account of the author's journey through Nepal. The book is very easy to read and the narrative nicely blends travel experience along with geographical and historical facts about the locations visited.
My heart goes out to the victims of the Earthquake that happened on the 25th April 2015, which wreaked havoc with this mountain kingdom. ...more
'Pariadanam' is a rare kind of travelogue. It gives the reader a glimpse at the life and times of Malayalam's most favorite literary minds and 1980 Jn'Pariadanam' is a rare kind of travelogue. It gives the reader a glimpse at the life and times of Malayalam's most favorite literary minds and 1980 Jnanpith Award recipient S.K. Pottekkat. Unlike the other travel books from this prolific writer of poetically beautiful travel adventures, 'Pariadanam' is not a travelogue per se. It is a compilation of personal notes and experiences from his routine life that the author kept as manuscripts during the 60s and 70s. Each of these entries describes the sights and sounds of his surroundings as felt by the author during his daily morning or evening walks or during his routine official or personal short trips. These journal entries that the author kept written in a bunch of notebooks is a great source for discovering some nostalgic descriptions of daily social life in Kerala during that time period.
The book is divided in to two sections with the initial part describing the sights seen by S.K. during his daily morning or evening walks. These entries are written like diary notes and are arranged in a chronological manner. Each entry in this section range from two or three sentences to two or three paragraphs. These entries are full of descriptions of people he meet, the routine life happening around him, narrations on the lush natural scenery, descriptions of agriculture practices, his musings over the beginning of pollution and encroachment on nature etc. This first part of the book can be a cross-section reference for anyone who needs to learn about the social and cultural life of Kerala in the time of the author.
The second part of the book consists of journal entries, which describes some short trips that the author took in and around Kerala. These entries are more developed and are easy to read like short travel narrations. They are also lengthier with some entries spanning over 3-4 pages. Entries which describe 'Kodungalore Bharani' festival; 'Pooram festival at Aaraattupuzha temple'; his trip with M.T. Vasudevan Nair and other fellow literary laureates in quest of buying a rubber plantation; trips across Tamilnadu and Karnataka and trips across Kerala on various literary activities are some of the highlights of this section.
For a person who has enjoyed the complete volumes of the authors travel writings I found this book truly interesting. Only a man like S.K, with his keen eye for detail and mastery over language can describe the sights that one meets during routine daily life with so much vibrancy. If you are a fan of his travelogues or the writer then this is a highly recommended title as you can definitely identify some of the characters and settings from some his novels and short stories in this book....more
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