As part of the discussion around Inside the Giant Fish, a graphic novel written by Rawand Issa and translated by Amy Chiniara, both made a list of some of their favorite comics and graphic novels from Lebanon.
Amy’s list:
1 – ليلة الثلاثاء (Tuesday Night) by Mohamad Kraytem
Published by Nool, find out more on Kraytem’s Instagram, and from Nool Books.
2 – Toutes les Mers by Michèle Standjofski
Winner of the Audience Award at Pulp Festival 2018 and nominated for the Artemisia Prize in 2018; see excerpts at the publisher’s website.
3 – مدينة مجاورة الأرض (A City Neighboring Earth) by Jorj Abu Mhayya
Published by Dar Onboz, this book won a 2012 International Comics Book Festival of Algeria (FIBDA) book award. More at Goodreads.
4 – Samandal comics
One of the original Arabic comix collectives. Find more at their instagram.
5 – Le Piano Orientale by Zeina Abi Rached
Published by Casterman in 2015, this story is inspired by the life of the author’s ancestor, inventor of a new musical instrument in the Beirut of the 1960s. An excerpt is available on Amazon.
6 – متى نلتقي؟ (When Will We Meet?) by Sirene Moukheiber
Published by University of Balamand, Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts, in 2017; see excerpts at Arabic Bookshop.
Rawand’s list:
7 – Lena Merhej’s أعتقد أننا سنكون هادئين في الحرب المقبلة (I Think We Will Be Chill in the Next War).
Rawand writes: “It’s a tiny book, but it’s very intimate.”
Also read:
Going ‘Inside the Giant Fish’ with Rawand Issa and Amy Chiniara
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