Habibi - Hardcover

Craig Thompson

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0571241328 ISBN 13: 9780571241323

Publisher: Faber & Faber, 2011

Synopsis

"Habibi", based on a Middle Eastern fable, tells the story of Dodola, who escapes being sold into slavery and rescues an abandoned baby she names Zam. They live in isolation in an old boat in the desert. As they age their relationship shifts from mother and son, to brother and sister and eventually lovers. In the meantime however Dodola is forced to prostitute herself to desert traders in order to provide for Zam. When he seeks an alternative means of income Dodola is captured by the Sultan and Zam is forced into a quest to try and rescue her. At heart Habibi is, like Blankets, a profound love story, but it also functions as a parable about the environment and the state of the world. Set in the place where Christianity and Islam began, it explores the fundamental connection between these religions, and also the relationship between the first and the third world and the increasingly important battle for the earth's resources. Ambitious, but always deeply felt, "Habibi" is a beautifully drawn and moving graphic novel that will get a huge amount of attention.

About this title

Review

Amazon Best Books of the Month, September 2011: Habibi is impressive to hold. It looks like a lost tome, recovered from a different time and place--a fitting package for a comic book that feels like an exotic, bizarre fairy tale. Craig Thompson's inkwork is bold yet intricate. Each page reveals a meticulous symmetry, both in art and narrative, that unravels a sweeping tale that takes readers from the dessert to an industrial wasteland to the inner walls of a harem. Thematically, there's no shortage of ambition here, as Thompson tackles familial and romantic love, one's relationship to their environment, the shared roots of Christianity and Islam, and the effects of industrial modernization. Not all of these conflicts are resolved--in fact, there's more ambiguity than there is clarity--but it's Dodola and Zam, the book's two orphaned lovers, that imbue Habibi with empathy and humanity. Thompson, who is best known for Blankets, one of the most critically lauded comics of the past decade, has crafted another affecting story of passion, humor, and imagination. --Kevin Nguyen

About the Author

Craig Thompson's previous graphic novels include Goodbye, Chunky Rice, Blankets, Carnet de Voyage and, most recently, Habibi, an Observer Graphic Novel of the Month and a New York Times bestseller, which was described by Neel Mukherjee as 'a landmark publication'. His work has received four Harvey Awards, three Eisner Awards and two Ignatz Awards.

About this edition

• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0571241328
• ISBN 13: 9780571241323
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 672