Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea 
asked by caramel on November 22, 2006 6:15 PM
A westerner's visit into North Korea, told in the form of a graphic novel.
Famously referred to as one of the "Axis of Evil" countries, North Korea remains one of the most secretive and mysterious nations in the world today. In early 2001 cartoonist Guy Delisle became one of the few Westerners to be allowed access to the fortresslike country. While living in the nation's capital for two months on a work visa for a French film animation company, Delisle observed what he was allowed to see of the culture and lives of the few North Koreans he encountered; his findings form the basis of this remarkable graphic novel. Pyongyang is an informative, personal, and accessible look at a dangerous and enigmatic country.
Famously referred to as one of the "Axis of Evil" countries, North Korea remains one of the most secretive and mysterious nations in the world today. In early 2001 cartoonist Guy Delisle became one of the few Westerners to be allowed access to the fortresslike country. While living in the nation's capital for two months on a work visa for a French film animation company, Delisle observed what he was allowed to see of the culture and lives of the few North Koreans he encountered; his findings form the basis of this remarkable graphic novel. Pyongyang is an informative, personal, and accessible look at a dangerous and enigmatic country.
Reviews
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Whether you like animatated novels or not this is one of the most facinating books concerning a country we have all heard about but don't know too much about. The animation is nicely done but the store of his time in North Korea is just amazing.
reviewed by glassysurf on November 28, 2006 5:41 PM
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If there is one thing I'm sick of it's superheroes. Being an avid fan of the medium and a comic collector since i was 12 I've been guilt of the superhero syndrome. I still read a few superhero books, they exist,there out there but it's books like this that give me faith that the medium is not dead and can still evolve. Guy Delisle has put together a great piece of work. I remember living in divided Berlin when i was a kid and my father was stationed there. I got to take a trip into East Berlin after the wall fell but before reunification and it was surreal. Like the images you used to see one side of the wall was graffitied and decorated the other was painted white to help people show up better if they tried to escape. That same eerieness rings through this novel. To see the poor and starving afraid and brainwashed but still trying to put on a face of superiority is all they know. What will happen if north and south ever reunify here? This is book is all the more interesting with the current events that have taken place. Not only is this story captivating but Guy's artwork will truly amaze you. I wish i could draw like this all the time.
reviewed by wellness on November 24, 2006 1:58 AM
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First: A comment on the professional reviews.
The Publishers Weekly review up above does not accurately catch the flavor of this book. The Booklist review is on the money. The Publishers Weekly review gives you the impression that the book is a good-humored look at a different culture from the perspective of a Westerner. The reviewer misses the point entirely. On the 2nd page, Delisle shows how he snuck in a copy of George Orwell's "1984" (a banned book in North Korea) - any moderately well-read person can identify the constant presence of the photos of "The Great Leader" and "The Dear Leader" with Orwell's omnipresent "Big Brother". It is intended to be a bit of foreshadowing to tell the reader where he is going with the book - and he hits a home run with it! This is an anti-communist triumph from beginning to end - not with the soaring rhetoric of a Kennedy or a Reagan, but rather with its gentle story-telling style and its simple emphasis on communism's absurdities - from the lack of information, to the lack of food, electriciity and choices of what to watch on TV and listen to on the radio. The constant barrage of revolutionary songs and the presence of "volunteers" who sweep an empty 4 lane highway to nowhere with straw brooms are perfect illustrations of the bizarre nature of both communism and North Korea.
I first heard about this book from an interview on NPR. Unfortunately, the NPR reviewer had only done about as much reading as the Publishers Weekly and hadn't really figured out what the book was all about. So, I was not expecting much more than a lightweight travelogue in graphic novel form about a cotnroversial country. Instead, I was pleased to see that it was that and so much more. This is one not to miss.
I give this one a score of A+!
The Publishers Weekly review up above does not accurately catch the flavor of this book. The Booklist review is on the money. The Publishers Weekly review gives you the impression that the book is a good-humored look at a different culture from the perspective of a Westerner. The reviewer misses the point entirely. On the 2nd page, Delisle shows how he snuck in a copy of George Orwell's "1984" (a banned book in North Korea) - any moderately well-read person can identify the constant presence of the photos of "The Great Leader" and "The Dear Leader" with Orwell's omnipresent "Big Brother". It is intended to be a bit of foreshadowing to tell the reader where he is going with the book - and he hits a home run with it! This is an anti-communist triumph from beginning to end - not with the soaring rhetoric of a Kennedy or a Reagan, but rather with its gentle story-telling style and its simple emphasis on communism's absurdities - from the lack of information, to the lack of food, electriciity and choices of what to watch on TV and listen to on the radio. The constant barrage of revolutionary songs and the presence of "volunteers" who sweep an empty 4 lane highway to nowhere with straw brooms are perfect illustrations of the bizarre nature of both communism and North Korea.
I first heard about this book from an interview on NPR. Unfortunately, the NPR reviewer had only done about as much reading as the Publishers Weekly and hadn't really figured out what the book was all about. So, I was not expecting much more than a lightweight travelogue in graphic novel form about a cotnroversial country. Instead, I was pleased to see that it was that and so much more. This is one not to miss.
I give this one a score of A+!
reviewed by ozone on November 25, 2006 7:34 PM
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This got 5 stars from me not because it was a grand masterpiece, but because I found it to be unique and very well put together. Reading through Delisle's graphic novel, I felt myself transported to North Korea, quiet and alone in a hotel and throwing airplanes out the window. The book has a wonderful balance between a look at what North Korea is actually like and what it's like to be a guest in the country. Appropriate uses of humor and seriousness where applicable also left me feeling as though I got my money's worth. For depth on the history and nature of North Korea, I recommend "North Korea Through The Looking Glass". For a light read that will leaving you with a sense of familiarity with both the author and the country, this is definitely the way to go.
reviewed by stix on November 27, 2006 9:58 PM