Siberia

I bought Siberia by Nikolai Maslov after reading impressive reviews, one after another. Siberia is a graphic novel, so if that sends you screaming for the door, please exit slowly and in an orderly fashion. Thank you.

Unlike other graphic books in the historical/memoir genre, Siberia contains little in the way of dialog and a minimum of exposition.

Instead, Maslov largely lets the pictures tell his story. The author/artist actually grew up in Siberia, as opposed to being sent there for punishment. He worked construction for a while, dodged the town’s drunks and rowdies, served in the Russian Army in Mongolia, and worked a variety of odd jobs. One such job was getting a job at a Moscow art gallery. Instead of the glamorous job he envisioned, the job mostly entailed packing official portraits of Lenin.

The story is one of desolation, pointlessness, beauty, despair, loss, art, violence, madness, and, occasionally, hope. It is no accident that the author’s landscapes and cityscapes are beautiful, while his pictures of average Soviet citizens are grotesque. The Soviet era does not appear to have been kind to its citizens.

The author laments that the Soviets did not allow his generation to create. In one scene, Maslov is threatened with arrest if he does not remove the drawings he has displayed for sale in a park. The book is filled with images of the destruction that replaced the creative impulse of a generation. Fields are littered with industrial/military debris. Senseless violence seems to be a staple of life. Life was to be endured, not lived. If nothing else, the book is a testament to the importance of the creative impulse. But it is more. Siberia also bears witness to the realities of a life on the extreme fringes of the Soviet nation.

The drawing in Siberia are relatively naive by modern graphic novel standards. The drawings are in pencil only. They have not been “finished” in ink or colored in any way. This is understandable, given that the artist has been creating the work in isolation – in a world where the art form is largely non-existent. That the work was created at all is fairly amazing.

The story of how the book came to be published is also interesting on its own. The author marched into the offices of a French publisher based in Moscow and presented him with three pages of drawings. Based on these, Maslov essentially demanded an advance so that he could quit his job and complete the book. It worked.

Siberia is greater than the sum of its parts. It almost requires multiple readings so that the full message of its images can be conveyed. The drawings, so simple at first blush, prove to be surprisingly complex. Maslov’s minimalist accounting of the life of a Siberian everyman in pictures could fill volumes.

Bonus: The nice people at Soft Skull Press have thoughtfully provided us with a copy of Siberia to pass along for free ($0) to one of our readers. If you have an interest in checking out Siberia, this is about as cost-effective a way to realize that dream as you are likely to find. Leave us a comment, and I’ll pick a lucky recipient from among the responses.

Books, Comix, Review | Tim | March 29, 2007 7:00 am

By Herman Glimscher, March 29, 2007 @ 7:46 am

Did I hear “free”? Actually, various people I respect have been urging the graphic novel form on me, and this sounds pretty interesting. Please put my name in the hat.

Thanks.
By DJ Cayenne, March 29, 2007 @ 1:12 pm

Herm: It looks like the competition will be light for this one. Some of my favorite graphic novels have been in the non-fiction category. Titles like Persepolis, Safe Area Gorzade, and especially Maus are outstanding. Check out the “comix” link in the sidebar under categories for reviews of some other graphic novels you might to check out.
By Frank, March 29, 2007 @ 1:42 pm

A contest I’m eligible to win? Count me in, sounds interesting.
By Herman Glimscher, March 29, 2007 @ 2:36 pm

DJ, thanks for the info. And Frank, thanks for coming in on this. It was getting lonely!
By DJ Cayenne, March 29, 2007 @ 2:38 pm

This is round one of the competition. After all of the entries are received, we’ll move on to the essay questions and then the swimsuit competition…
By Rich, March 29, 2007 @ 5:43 pm

Swimsuits? I’m in. Are thongs allowed?
By DJ Cayenne, March 29, 2007 @ 11:40 pm

I’m having a painful Borat-style visual now.

Yes, you’re in the hunt for a free book. No, you presence in a thong is required.
By Nicole, March 30, 2007 @ 8:17 am

Well I’ve never read a graphic novel, so throw me in too. Considering I was so brutally trampled for the Dave and Valentino picture, I think it’s high time I start participating in this blog…in a more non-violent sort of way.
By DJ Cayenne, March 30, 2007 @ 2:36 pm

Nicole: It is high time you start participating – in a non-violent sort of way – welcome. Your hat is officially in the ring.