Joe Sacco’s
graphic novel, Palestine, has to do
with the situation in Palestine, and their citizens in the early 1990’s. Sacco
is a reporter and he goes to the Middle East to gather information for his
graphic novel, he mostly visits towns and refugee camps in Palestine, and of
course he also goes to Israel.
Sacco’s is
trying to go to whichever place achievable in Palestine to collect useful and
new information of Palestinian people, their side of the story and the intifada. At this point we can see how Sacco’s,
being of Maltese origin, is not particularly totally biased towards any
religious group in the Middle East. I would speculate that his main interest is
Palestine, well, obviously, that the novel name. However he makes it seamlessly
clear how interested he is in recollecting information, opinions and conditions
of these people. And is able to represent it in pleasurable accordingly
pictures.
At first I
was not truly convinced with this graphic novel. Probably because prior of
starting it I had the idea that it would be similar to another graphic novel,
which I previously read: Maus, by Art
Spiegelman, a really enjoyable reading, I must add. Also concerning the same
areas, except a different time frame. Except this was much more different, not
only how it was told, but also the different point of views and actual
characters where particularly dissimilar.
I was about to drop this reading because I
definitely didn’t want it to be another ordinary graphic novel (but couldn’t
because of class rules), when I unexpectedly started liking the dynamic, and
structure of this reading. It tells facts about political conditions in
Palestine and Israel, in a not-so boring way. Besides, the actual story line
has become more interesting and catching, as the novel progresses. Although for
now there’s not much of a point to the novel, the content is interesting and I
do look forward to seeing how it will eventually develop.
Vocabulary:
Intifada: The Palestinian uprising against
Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, beginning in 1987.
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