” Burma Chronicles is the most enlightening and insightful book about life under the country’s brutal dictatorship in years.
Rory MacLean, Guardian newspaper.
The Burma chronicles is a graphic novel written and drawn by cartoonist Guy Delisle chronicling the year he, his wife and their baby spent in Burma when he wife was employed by Medecins Sans Frontieres ( Doctors without borders.)
The Burma that Delisle describes is ( and still is now ) a military dictatorship and Delisle uses the Burma chronicles to show us the hardships and absurdities of living in a such a country. Rather than present his visit in a strict chronological order Delisle gives us an entertaining series of viginettes based on his observations, some are very funny such as when he was conned by a fat monk and some are harrowing like when he shows that any Burmese person associated with him could be thrown in jail without warning.
To illustrate his adventures Delisle uses a simplistic art style that means none of the flow of his observations are interupted by too much eye candy but at the same time it brings to life the parts of Burma he is focusing on.
Despite the ” choppy ” nature of the stories I never felt jarred or unable to read more of this fascinating account of living in a country I am never likely to visit. In fact while reading this book I became so engrossed that I finished it in one night and was disapointed to come to the end. Luckily Delisle has written plenty more for me to enjoy and if you wish to know more about this talented author and his work his official website can be found here .