Memoirs of a Book Thief
Words by Alessandro Tota
Art by Pierre Van Hove
Translated by Edward Gauvin
Hardback, 176 pp, $24.99
Daniel Brodin - bibliophile, book thief, self-proclaimed poet - enters the heated atmosphere of the Café Serbier, home of the Parisian literati. A poetry night is taking place and, when one luminary suggests giving the floor to an unknown, Daniel impulsively puts himself forward. Under pressure, he recites not one of his own surrealist poems but an obscure piece of Italian verse he’s certain no one will know. It’s plagiarism - but it’s a triumph.
At last, success. Daniel’s recital marks his entrance into the Parisian avant-garde: a band of cultured rogues and pseudo-revolutionaries for whom life is a playground for art, whether plotting a novel or planning a heist. In such a milieu, the company is as intoxicating as the wine - but will success lose its dazzle if it is built on theft?
At last, success. Daniel’s recital marks his entrance into the Parisian avant-garde: a band of cultured rogues and pseudo-revolutionaries for whom life is a playground for art, whether plotting a novel or planning a heist. In such a milieu, the company is as intoxicating as the wine - but will success lose its dazzle if it is built on theft?
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Alessandro Tota
Alessandro Tota was born in Italy and lives in Paris. He is one of the founders of the magazine Canicola, which won the BD Alternative Prize at the Angoulême Festival in 2007. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna, he is the author of numerous children's books (including the Angoulême-nominated Caterina) and graphic novels. Since 2011, he has been a lecturer in comics at the Auguste Renoi Technical College in Paris.
Pierre Van Hove
Pierre Van Hove is an illustrator and graphic artist. He is the co-founder of Enfin, a production company that works in the fields of audiovisual production, animation and short films. In 2003, he wrote and directed the series of erotic cartoons "Un peu d'amour", which was broadcast on Canal+.
Reviews
"The delight of this graphic novel is that it works both as sharp satire and loving homage."
— TLS
"We, as a society, have all become that crowd of Paris existentialists, fascinated by the forbidden and embracing it as a way of making ourselves seem interesting and different. But in doing this, we’re vulnerable to our own book thieves that hover around us waiting to fulfill the destiny of a parasitic relationship that we don’t even realize exists."
— The Beat
"Crackling, anarchic and wonderfully acerbic take on literary and artistic pretensions in a vividly realised 1950’s Paris"
— Irish Examiner
"Laced with perceptive and warm humour. A singular success."
— Morning Star