Strokes and stories

BENGALURU: Think about graphic novels and what comes to mind is speech bubbles, crisp one-liners and, of course, vivid images. Bringing this world of alternative literature online is an interactive session being organised by Dialogues Cafe this Sunday. The virtual meet-up, titled Dialogues with Books: Graphic Novels, will be hosted by Ananth Harihar, a city-based IT professional and graphic novel enthusiast who will discuss the genre with participants. 

Since the scope of graphic novels is massive, Harihar says he decided to exclude works that are considered comics, such as Calvin and Hobbes, Tintin, Asterix, Chacha Chaudhary, Mandrake, Phantom and Manga. “By definition, graphic novels revolve around serious content. It appeals to adults and is written for them,” Harihar says, adding that some of his picks for the session are Berlin and A Fun Home.

“Berlin is a three-part graphic novel that talks about Germany between WW-I and WW-II. The reason I chose this is because it’s quite descriptive and focuses on the lives of common people in the region during that period. On the other hand, Fun Home is a LGBTQ graphic novel which talks about an American girl who comes out as lesbian and the struggles that follow.”

The participants, including one from Canada, will also talk about their picks. Graphic novels are relevant in the current times, says Harihar. “The genre is post-modern and is less than 50 years old. Even in the case of Berlin, where the subject is close to 100 years old, it was written only in the late 1990s. Because of that, the gaze that we have is quite contemporary, wherein current realities are represented in the works of the artist. It’s something one cannot escape from,” he explains.

(The online event will be held on July 12, 4 pm; registration fee is `100)