Burma Chronicles

The cartoonist, his wife and son move to Myanmmar when his wife, who works for Doctors Without Borders, is posted there for a year. In that year, the cartoonist looks after their son, Louis, and shares his daily life with us through his strips. His depiction of everyday Burmese life, from the

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morning jaunts by the monks seeking alms, to the frequent power outage, government censorship, government corruption and nepotism, expat life, developing local friends and Burmese culture.

He's provided a very interesting peek into a country that receives little non-political media coverage.

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Guy Delisle accompanied his wife to Burma while she spent a year as a humanitarian worker there. They also took their son and Delisle functioned as a stay-at-home dad most of the time. He also continued his writing, drawing and animation work, including teaching locals about the art of animation. I

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found this graphic memoir to be fascinating as he writes about things like shopping in a foreign grocery store, joining a "moms' group" as the only dad, attending expatriate social functions, as well as living under a strict dictatorship. (little understatement there) It was refreshing to hear the perspective of an author from Quebec, espelcially. While in Burma Delisle and his family took vacations to places most people will never see, visited forbidden territories where his wife's clinics were operating and took a meditation retreat at a Buddhist monastery. I found the most interesting part to be discussions of foreign aid (these were medical relief and treatment) and the pros and cons of giving aid - pros and cons for the receivers that is. Interesting descriptions and analyses were also given regarding the motivation and purposes of those working in the field, and often motives were mixed. I very much enjoyed this visit to Burma and will be following through with Delisle's books on China and North Korea, as well as parenting.

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The Burma Chronicles are not, in my view, as strong as Deslisle's earlier efforts. Given how amazing Pyonyang and Shenzhen were, however, this isn't really condemning Burma. The book is a depiction of Deslisle's time spent in Myanmar. Unlike in the aforementioned books, the author is here along

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with his wife and their newborn son. His wife works for Doctors Without Borders and so Deslisle spends a good deal of his time as a stay-at-home-father.

The strengths of his earlier books lie in the author's ability to convey a sense of being an outsider wherever he visits. He has an appealing detached and liminal existence in both North Korea and China. This is also true in Burma, but the dictatorship seems a lot less totalitarian than in his previous books. He has more time to associate with the locals, hang out with expats, and wander around with his kid in tow.

The drawings are once again appealingly simple and clear; the text is engaging; and the characterizations convey both familiarity and alienation (something that I find really impressive -- it can't be easy to do that). Deslisle's wry sense of humor pokes out at appropriate times. Given that he tends to write about some of the more brutal dictatorships, these humorous interludes are welcome and appropriate. Another amazing book.

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Guy Delisle's graphic novel Burma Chronicles eloquently portrays daily life in Myanmar, the official name of Burma since 1989 when a militaristic government seized power. Canadian animator Delisle joins his French wife who works for the humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontières (Doctors

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Without Borders) and their infant son for a year in this tightly controlled Southeast Asian nation. Humorous and observant, Delisle's treatment demonstrates that drawings with text can match solo prose, no sweat. Give me a comic book, please.

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My first graphic novel…and I was impressed.Through the medium of black and white cartoons, the author tells the story of his family’s sojourn in the country of Myanmar (we used to call it Burma) in Southeast Asia. His French wife is a member of the Medecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without

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Borders) and they take their young son on a journey throughout the country.

With limited electricity (often only 2 hours a day), tightly controlled access to many areas, particularly anywhere close to the house where Nobel Prize winning peace activist Aung San Suu Kyi lives, DeLisle tries to continue his work as an illustrator- writer while searching for adequate housing, learning to navigate the baby stroller among the motorcycles, and trying to make sense of a culture that is very different from his native Canada. There are short vignettes of visits to local markets and restaurants, a sojourn in a Buddhist facility to learn to mediate, starting up classes in illustrations for locals. A wonderful story of foreigners trying to fit it, and the struggles they have.

Having lived overseas for several years, I could definitely relate to some of his quandaries, and found myself laughing out loud at some of them. For instance, men are not normally accepted as stroller pushing care-givers. DeLisle’s adventures in play-groups are quite funny. I remember well the stares, followed by hisses, my husband used to get when he would take our son (then about 8 mos old) out for a stroll to the local Japanese market.

While not a novel in the fictional sense of the word, the graphic format is stunning. I’m not sure I could read consistently only in this format, but the simple black and white illustrations bring the starkness of the life in Myanmar into startlingly clear view. I have glanced at other graphic publications but found them confusing, blaring, and assaulting to my senses. This does none of that, and is a surprisingly easy to read story of what is currently happening in that that area of the world.

I can certainly see how social studies teachers could make great use of a format like this to encourage young readers to get their world studies very easily completed.

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Brilliant series of vignettes from Burma (Myanmar). Delisle's genius is in portraying life through small instances - of beauty, ugliness, absurdity, humour: of humanity. The mix of reportage and autobiography works very well.

Such a wonderful clean style. I want to do one on Japan like this.

Whereas Pyongyang was really insightful to the inner workings of North Korea and its dictatorship, I felt that Burma Chronicles was less a look into Burma's dictatorship, and more of a travelogue. It was, however, so entertaining, and enjoyable (and yes) insightful, however, that I gotta give it 5

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stars.

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A wonderful collection of honest, humane, and quite humorous impressions of Burma. The graphic novel medium does not lighten the descriptions of the terrible conditions and oppressive regime. These reflections are presented only briefly however, amidst all of the other complexities of an extended

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stay in a strange land.

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Guy Delisle chronicles his time in Burma--he travels with his wife, who works for MSF-France (a medical NGO providing humanitarian aid). Delisle's books are always an education in politics and geography, presented through the eyese of an explorer.

Guy Delisle's Burma book is definitely recommended. He's much more comfortable with his tools than he was in his North Korea book, and I really enjoyed that one. The scenario here has less inherent drama, because the situation is less politically dire, even though matters of life and death are

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closer at hand (his wife works for Doctors Without Borders, or something like it). One thing the book benefited from over his North Korea one is he's much more comfortable making fun of himself, especially his shortcomings, such as sticking to plans. His drawings are stronger, as well, just owing to his having improved over time. I love his observations about parenthood, and his low-key comic moments about the simple passing of days, and the ridiculousness of making plans, and various cross-cultural confusions.

A friend mentioned to me how the book seems to be more a collection of little bits than an actual story — to the extent that a memoir would have a story in the first place. It does seem like he set out from the start with a plan: to create the book by telling a series of brief stories, anecdotes lasting little more than a few pages, tops. I'd think of this as lazy except the pieces fit together well; there's enough thematic material throughout to suggest more than timeline and setting as connective tissue.

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Guy Delisle does it again! He uses his trademark wry writing and illustrating style to tell readers about his year-long stay in Burma (Myanmar).

Married to a woman who works for Doctors Without Borders, French/Canadian Delisle travels frequently and is writing/drawing his way through the world.

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After writing about Pyongyang, North Korea, and Shenzhen, China, Delisle manages to show readers a fascinating yet limited look of Burma in this latest entry in his graphic novel/travelogue series.

A country with 87% Buddhists in its population, rich in oil, jade, and teak, Burma should be a peaceful and affluent country, yet its domination by a military dictatorship makes it isolated, poor for most ordinary citizens, and forbidden to the outside world. There are many externally-imposed embargoes and internally-imposed permits, so to do anything at all, it means a trip to some nameless bureaucracy and cautious bribing. It's probably a mystery to a lot of people, I know it has been to me.

I wish Delisle had a chance to talk to more real everyday people of Burma, and not just expats and people in the NGO circle, but given the many rules and permits to even get to another area of the country, I understand why he couldn't explore more. He did visit some remote areas controlled by rebel juntas when visiting DWB's field sites, and he taught a class for aspiring comic novel students. He also had a baby to take care of while his wife was healing people at her DWB job, so whatever glimpses he gave us into real Burmese' lives was precious and appreciated.

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There is so much packed into this 200+ travelogue about living in Burma. DeLisle's wife Nadege is a French aid worker with Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) on assignment in Burma. Guy and infant son Louis travel with her and Guy spends his time teaching about comics, touring the

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country and writing about his observations. Burma Chronicles is Guy's account of their time in Burma from every angle from weather to architecture to malaria and AIDS to politics.. From the very beginning there is subtle humor (just look at the square for mom, dad & son and their luggage on page 3), but at the same time he tackles the politics of the country (his infatuation with seeing Aung San Suu Kyi's house is cute).

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This could certainly be just a biting commentary on the horrors of dictatorships, but why bother with the funnies, then? Delisle is a a comics artist who blends politics, daily life, and the funnies very well. His observations at times are removed, as he was, in Burma, kind of out of the loop from

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the political developments. Perhaps some of the funniest moments in the book are his parenting adventures. The world does not need yet another book about the horrors of dictatorships, nor one about the horrors of the dictatorship in Burma, but a book about how people live their daily lives with the backdrop of the alarming spread of malaria and HIV, the struggles of the transnationals for gas and oil, the silent war between the NGOs and the Burmese government to help the oppressed minorities, that book is here, thanks to Delisle.

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On par with chronicles of the holy city.

A memoir in cartoons of a year spent in Burma in 2005, where his wife was working with MSF France. Some vignettes are totally personal and non-political (at the very beginning, his sticking airport luggage stickers over electrical outlets so his toddler son won't stick his fingers in them; later,

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coming across pop tarts in a supermarket and remembering the joys of searing your tongue on them, fresh from the toaster), others touch on the repressiveness of the regime there (as when one of the members of his informal animation tutorial has to stop coming once Guy's name and picture are featured in an article (in a non-Burmese paper, but still) critical of the regime. I was very moved by some of the vignettes--for example, his wife rushing to find jobs for all the local people MSF France has employed, when the organization decides to pull out, and his creation of a book for HIV-positive children to get them to help their parents remember to give them their antiretroviral each day. The art also really evokes a sense of place; I especially noticed how his representation of shadows made me aware of the heat of the place. Nice book.

ETA: I went to the author's website to ask if Millie's Angels, the book for HIV positive children, was available at all. He replied that he had only one copy, himself, and that he didn't think it had even been reprinted in Burma. As a result of going to his website, though, I did get another book of his, A User's Guide to Neglectful Parenting, which was great.

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A memoir in cartoons of a year spent in Burma in 2005, where his wife was working with MSF France. Some vignettes are totally personal and non-political (at the very beginning, his sticking airport luggage stickers over electrical outlets so his toddler son won't stick his fingers in them; later,

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coming across pop tarts in a supermarket and remembering the joys of searing your tongue on them, fresh from the toaster), others touch on the repressiveness of the regime there (as when one of the members of his informal animation tutorial has to stop coming once Guy's name and picture are featured in an article (in a non-Burmese paper, but still) critical of the regime. I was very moved by some of the vignettes--for example, his wife rushing to find jobs for all the local people MSF France has employed, when the organization decides to pull out, and his creation of a book for HIV-positive children to get them to help their parents remember to give them their antiretroviral each day. The art also really evokes a sense of place; I especially noticed how his representation of shadows made me aware of the heat of the place. Nice book.

ETA: I went to the author's website to ask if Millie's Angels, the book for HIV positive children, was available at all. He replied that he had only one copy, himself, and that he didn't think it had even been reprinted in Burma. As a result of going to his website, though, I did get another book of his, A User's Guide to Neglectful Parenting, which was great.

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Burma Chronicles by Guy Delisle is one from a series of graphic novel memoirs of his time in a particular part of the world while his wife is on assignment for Doctors without Borders. Burma Chronicles (originally Chroniques burmanes) covers the time spent living in Myanmar.

While his wife works at

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the clinic, he spends his time between raising their infant son and writing (and drawing) his memoir. The book is divided into small vignettes of panel comics on a given topic — finding a home, learning the language, living with the heat, etc.

Mixed in with the mundane, there are also observations on the political and economic situation. They live just around the corner from a political prisoner. As foreigners they are not allowed anywhere near her home.

Interestingly, though, Delisle also chronicles how easy it is to become complacent. He shows himself in one vignette filled with plans to participate (for instance, getting up each dawn to feed the monks) or to rebel (trying to see the political prisoner). But each time, though, the vignette ends with "Next morning" and he's either sleeping in or doing something else — the grand plans long forgotten.

Although I found some of the pacing a little slow, it was fascinating enough that I plan to track down other travelogues in this series.

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Excellent story, really enjoyed, do not yet own it, but seek to add it to my collection ASAP, brilliantly done

I really liked this book. The author and illustrator, Guy Delisle, is a cartoonist who spends time in Burma with his wife who is stationed there for Doctors Without Borders. Delisle depicts daily life in Burma and his experiences there with humor and satirical wit, and just the right amount of

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seriousness. Obviously a book about life in a totalitarian state could be quite depressing, and while this book by no means ignores the issues of oppression, it recognizes something in the country other than the horrors of a military dictatorship. It is hard to describe, but the illustrations and the text were entertaining and touching, and I really grew to like the author and his family.

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A sweet, plotless memoir of a year in Myanmar. Because I know nothing about the country, I found it fascinating, but I don't really care for Delisle's art style or weak attempts at humor. Basically, it's the setting that sells this book.

The book was worth a few chuckles, but the artwork pales in comparison to better artists such as R. Crumb. Also, the storylines were mostly blah (read, mediocre) and some were absolutely unintelligible, story and art. The location sells this book as mentioned elsewhere because I doubt I would buy

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this under any other conditions. Does he nail it regarding the atmosphere in the country? A bit and that was worth the few chuckles. I do think he misses a lot that could be emphasized, but maybe that is the nature of his work. I won't be reading any more of his works. A 3/5 was about right, maybe slightly on the positive side.

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I really liked getting a glimpse of Burma here, or what it's like to be a foreigner in Burma, but after a while I think I wanted this to be more than what it was. Mostly, I wish we were following his wife Nadège as she made her MSF rounds. Maybe it's just from the nature of her job, but she seemed

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a lot more adventurous and knowledgeable, while Guy stayed home most of the time and observed life in his neighborhood. It was still interesting and still gives the notion to the reader of taking a vacation while sitting around at home. I'm sure I'll continue to read Delisle.

*******
Counting this as my "comic set in another country" for the Panels Read Harder.

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