"To what extent can a mind be manipulated?" Itu pertanyaan terbuka yang digulirkan oleh Guy Delisle, setelah melihat kehidupan sehari-hari di Pyongyang. Sebagai orang yang bekerja sebagai animator, tentu Guy dapat menangkap kesan sehari-hari tersebut dalam bentuk komik yang - mau gak mau - membuat saya berpikir ulang soal realitas yang terjadi di korut. Realitas seperti apa sebenarnya yang ada disana. "They live in a state of constant paradox where truth is anything but constant" paradoks itu, untuk kita yang tidak merasakan. Untuk saya, guy cukup sukses menangkap realita sehari-hari yang dialaminya di Pyongyang, dituangkan dalam bentuk gambar hitam putih tetapi inti ceritanya toh punya warna-warnanya tersendiri. Ada satire disana, ada keprihatinan disana, ada yang membuat (saya) mengernyitkan alis, tapi ada bagian humor juga disana. Intinya, 4 bintang untuk buku ini untuk cerita yang mengalir santai dan ringan tetapi punya makna tersendiri dari gambar-gambar dan dialog-dialognya yang mengundang juga mengundang tawa. Siapa yang sangka, negeri "hitam-putih" tersebut ternyata punya warna tersendiri yang bisa digambarkan. Terimakasih kepada teman yang sudah meminjamkan (y) p.s. saya jadi tertarik mengunjungi Pyongyang. Menarik sepertinya, hm?

El mejor reportaje que he leído de Corea del Norte. Tampoco es que haya leído muchos más la verdad. Evidentemente no refleja con profundidad el drama del país, y ni tan siquiera creo que Delisle lo pretendiera, sino que se centra en muestrar algunos de los aspectos más chocantes de la vida en Pyongyang para un occidental que pasa allí unas semanas; una labor que el autor lleva a cabo con notable sutileza e ironía.

Esta semana escrevi para o IGN um texto* sobre a diferença entre contar histórias baseadas na realidade e na fantasia, defendendo que o facto de basear as histórias numa “verdade”, não as torna mais relevantes. O que digo aí não podia assentar melhor no problema com que me deparei ao ler "Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea", um livro de banda desenhada escrito por Guy Deslile, no qual relata os dois meses que passou na Coreia do Norte a trabalhar num filme de animação. “Pyongyang” revela-se uma espécie de obra voyeurista, tal câmara escondida, em que a objetiva era o olho do autor, e o gravador as suas memórias. Como tal funciona muito bem, a obra dá conta da vida diária dos habitantes daquela cidade, do que é possível aí ver e visitar enquanto cidadão estrangeiro, e em parte do que aquelas pessoas pensam sobre determinadas temas. Tem valor enquanto registo que reporta um real, dá conta de um fluxo temporal num espaço concreto, mas fica-se por aí. [Imagem] "Verdade e Fantasias nas Histórias", texto escrito esta semana para o IGN “Pyongyang” não tem história, porque é apenas descrição do dia-a-dia de quem passou dois meses num local. O arco é apenas delimitado pelo dia de chegada e dia de partida, não havendo sequer o esforço de esboçar um climax. Mas se fosse apenas esse problema, menos mal, poderíamos dizer que estávamos perante uma tentativa de documentar o que se viu. Contudo o que temos não é um relato neutral, é um relato enviesado pela cultura de quem olha, por acaso a minha (ocidental), mas que nem sequer crítica chega a ser, menos ainda interpretativa, fica-se antes pela mera chacota, um desrespeito que chega por vezes a roçar o xenófobo. Não se trata aqui de defender o regime, esse é irrelevante nesta discussão, trata-se de ser capaz de compreender o real, e isso implica muito mais do que descrever edifícios, regras, proibições, atrasos tecnológicos, requer capacidade para compreender as pessoas com que se interage, compreender a vida que o sistema como um todo germina. Mas para isso era preciso que o autor fosse dotado de mais mundo, das ferramentas necessárias ao estabelecimento de comparações que lhe iriam abrir horizontes para a interrogação e o questionamento. De outro modo, ficamo-nos por um conjunto de piadas, algumas de gosto duvidoso. Quanto ao traço não ajuda muito, serve e segue o relato, no seu tom vulgar e despretensioso, conseguindo talvez como melhor feito dar conta do vazio e da descaracterização que constitui o panorama da cidade de Pyongyang. * Texto no IGN "Verdade e Fantasias nas Histórias": http://pt.ign.com/behind-media/25171/... Ler com imagens e links: http://virtual-illusion.blogspot.pt/2...

This was one book that I had picked up on a whim at the 'Books by the Kilo sale' that keep happening in Mumbai. One of those impulse picks which turn out to be wonderful. After reading this book, I can safely say that the medium of graphic novels brings out the experiences of an oppressive regime quite well. Marjane Satrapi did that wonderfully with 'Persepolis'. And although I wouldn't place Guy Delisle's 'Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea' on the same pedestal, because unlike Satrapi, Delisle's is a travel memoir based on a couple of months' stay in Korea and he never was a native of the country under discussion. Delisle, a French Canadian cartoonist, is sent over to North Korea to oversee the production of an animation film his company is working on. This novel is his memoir of the stay during that period. It is a relatively new novel, first published in 2006. Nevertheless, Delisle manages to bring out the pathos of the Hermit Kingdom quite well with his monochromatic sketches. I specially liked the idea of using a monochromatic color tone as it's kind of metaphorical of the prospects available to the citizens of this totalitarian nation. Having seen a lot of documentaries on the DPRK and read about the country through my favourite travel writer Pico Iyer, a lot of the revelations in the book weren't really 'brand new' for me. But there were still a lot of things that made me go, 'Oh! That's something I did not know'. For instance, the fact that one is not supposed to stick or hang anything on the wall, that has the portraits of North Korea's Great leaders. Or the fact that people are 'Volunteering' outdoors on holidays. Or the fact that a lot of charitable organisations exited the country due to the fact that a lot of the supplies and monies were being misused to benefit the creamy population of the country. Delisle brings in a lot of humour throughout the books in the form of explaining certain things or giving historical anecdotes or the multiple pop-up quizzes where he asks you to identify a spy or a anti party elements, conspirators and so on. He also manages to carry along George Orwell's 1984 with him, thanks to the fact that he has been invited by the 'Scientific and Educational Film Studio of Korea'. As he says, there's no other country where the contents of that book tend to resonate more clearly. His opinions and thoughts on the country may at times seem too blunt, at times even downright racist; so you're warned. This book is recommended if you are a rank newbie to the Hermit Kingdom and want to know about its eccentricities in a humorous way. It is a good read even for those who are decently aware of North Korea.

3,5/5 Kuzey Kore hakkında derinlemesine bir şeyler öğrenmeyi bekliyorsanız beklentinizi karşılamayacaktır. Zaten öyle bir iddiası da bulunmuyor. Çizimler çok sade, yalın. O yüzden de okuması rahat ve keyifli.

I've read a lot of books about North Korea, but never a graphic novel. While I thought this was a really interesting account of a foreigner's journey into North Korea and the creepily controlled experience he has there, I wouldn't say this is my favorite book about North Korea, and I don't think it's the best introduction for someone wanting to learn more. I would say someone interested in North Korea should read Escape From Camp 14 first, then The Aquariums of Pyongyang, then maybe watch the Vice documentary -- Actually, the Vice documentary is extremely similar to this graphic novel, involving tourists visiting North Korea and having their experience extremely controlled and suspiciously discordant with what's actually going on in the country. To watch the documentary *and* read the graphic novel and see that these two completely different tourists had eerily similar experiences in the same country is very interesting and haunting. But what I'm trying to say is, I would read the accounts from the prison camp refugees first, before watching the documentary or reading this graphic novel that's just about the strange and sterile face North Korea turns towards the world. Learning about the actual suffering and human rights crimes going on in that country is much more important, I think, and gives a better perspective for and understanding of how odd and terrible this facade of ~prestige they show foreigners really is.