Author
Zeina Abirached
Back Cover
Cette bande dessinée est inspirée de la vie de son grand-père qui est inventeur d’un nouvel instrument de musique – le piano oriental! Il a créé un piano qui joue de la musique occidentale et orientale dans le Beyrouth des années 1960. La métaphore du piano est amusante et touchante en lisant l’histoire de Zeina Abirached, la petite-fille, qui se trouve à Paris dans une autre culture. Pendant ce récit, les deux cultures, les deux mondes, et les deux musiques cohabitent.
The graphic novel recounts the dual stories of a grandfather and granddaughter. The grandfather’s story unfolds in the 1960s in Beirut before the civil war while the granddaughter’s leads her to Paris several decades later. The piano is central to the story as it is used as a metaphor for the fusion of cultures, worlds, and music. With a switch of the peddle, the instrument can change the tempo and sound just like the granddaughter does in France (code switching between Lebanon and France). A beautifully illustrated novel with an equally touching story.
Our Thoughts
I was fortunate enough to hear Zeina Abirached speak. One of the things that struck me most was when she said that she writes in French but draws in Arabic. The beautiful illustrations depict the knitting of words and how easily words and cultures can shift just like the piano in order to play new and sometimes strange words and sounds. I love how this BD weaves both the story of her grandfather and his piano with her own cross cultural journey. I truly enjoyed the illustrations, storyline, and cultural exploration. I highly recommend it!
Genre:
Graphic Novel
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