Tomorrow's Arab: A Childhood in the Middle East (1978–1984)
The Arab of Tomorrow: A Childhood in the Middle East (1978–1984) ( French original title: L'Arabe du futur. Une jeunesse au Moyen-Orient (1978–1984) ) is a graphic novel by the French caricature and comic artist Riad Sattouf . The 160-page work was published in May 2014 by French publisher Allary and in 2015 in the German translation by Andreas Platthaus by Albrecht Knaus Verlag . At the 42nd Angoulême Festival , the comic was awarded the Fauve d'or, the most important European comic prize, as the best graphic novel of the year.
Sattouf's theme in Tomorrow's Arab is his own childhood. He describes his experiences from 1978 to 1984 in France , Libya and Syria in an autobiographical illustration from the perspective of a little boy. In the first volume of the series, Sattouf describes this childhood between two cultures with a lot of humor and satire and subtly explains why Libya and Syria are sinking into chaos and violence today: the authoritarian dictatorship, the failed social policy, the ailing economy, corruption, Propaganda, but also violence and the patriarchal society are omnipresent in his book.
In June 2015 Allary published the second volume L'Arabe du futur 2. Une jeunesse au Moyen-Orient (1984–1985) . The third volume appeared in October 2016 and covers the years 1985 to 1987. The fourth volume followed in September 2018 and covers the years 1987 to 1992. This volume was no longer published by Albrecht Knaus, but by Penguin Verlag .
content
The story is told from the perspective of the little Riyadh, who sees the world through the eyes of a child, innocent and naive. This innocent narrative style is supplemented with a second level, a voice from the off. It accompanies the reader over the 160 pages, explains important connections and makes the historical context clear.
It all starts with getting to know your parents in Paris . His father, a fellow from Syria, and his mother, a French woman from Brittany , meet at university, fall in love and Riyadh is born. But after his studies, his father moved back to the Middle East . So the family moves to Libya, where he teaches as a university lecturer. Riyadh describes the family's life, which is very different from that in France and does not always go as the father wanted or imagined.
The family is confronted with problems such as the shortage economy in Libya in the early 1980s. There are many things that the small riad does not yet understand. When his mother laughs while reading the news from Muammar al-Gaddafi's propaganda kitchen on a French-language radio station, the family's situation becomes dangerous. A short time later they temporarily return to France to live with their French grandmother. Riyad's father wants to go to Syria next.
They come to their father's home village near Homs , where Riyadh meets his Syrian family. His father, a proud patriot, shows his family the village but overlooks the country's many problems. Life in Syria is not easy for Riyadh. The children his age seem to be very violent. He is ridiculed for his European appearance and is considered a " Jew " to be beaten up. Riyadh doesn't want to go to school as he doesn't speak Arabic either, but his father believes that tomorrow's Arab will do just that. Riyadh has a hard time making friends and is particularly afraid of his two cousins, who keep attacking him.
When Riad's mother watched the children in his school torment a dog and end up impaling them because dogs are considered unclean in Muslim tradition, she demands that they go back to France. But Riyadh's father is convinced that despite a difficult first year, they will have a good future in Syria. After a brief return to France, he decides to build a villa near his home village in Syria.
reception
- n-tv , May 17, 2015
- Deutschlandradio Kultur , March 23, 2015
- Henryk Broder : The Arab who drew for “Charlie Hebdo” . In Die Welt March 24, 2015. [1]
Web links
- Publishing website for the book
- Review notes on Riad Sattouf: The Arab of tomorrow at perlentaucher.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tragic comic about the Arab world Deutschlandradio Kultur. Article from March 23, 2015. Accessed June 8, 2015.
- ^ L'Arabe du futur 2nd Allary Editions, accessed July 3, 2015 (French).
- ↑ Interview with Riad Sattouf on Europe 1 (French).
- ↑ A Childhood in the Middle East: Where's the Arab of Tomorrow?
- ^ Graphic Novel: Tragic comic about the Arab world , Deutschlandradio Kultur, March 23, 2015