It was not until college that alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her. The book follows alison from her early childhood and through to the beginning of her adult life when a family tragedy. It was not until college that alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her father was also gay. In 2006, bechdel wrote fun home, a graphic novel memoir about. Alison bechdel has been writing and drawing dykes to watch out for since 1983. Burlington book festival 2006 september 15, 2006 cartoonist and author alison bechdel reads from her new, critically acclaimed graphic memoir fun home with a slide presentation as accompaniment. Bechdels memoir offers a graphic narrative of uncommon richness, depth, literary resonance and psychological complexity. Jun 08, 2006 bechdels memoir offers a graphic narrative of uncommon richness, depth, literary resonance and psychological complexity. If the theoretical value of a picture is still holding steady at a thousand words, then alison bechdels slim yet proustian graphic memoir, fun home, must be the most ingeniously compact, hyper. Fun home is an entertaining and poignant autobiography of bechdels childhood. Nov 30, 2008 alison bechdel hoped that fun home, her very personal graphic memoir, would heal her familys wounds. A family tragicomic is a graphic memoir by alison bechdel. Sep 22, 2014 oh, thats right, were talking about alison theres a pulitzer nominated musical based on my book bechdel.
Alison bechdel asks midway through her critically acclaimed graphic memoir, fun home. The first edition of the novel was published in june 8th 2006, and was written by alison bechdel. The subtitle, a family tragicomic, reveals the tone of the story for the audience by insinuating the existence of adversary in bechdels family dynamics. Alison spending hours with her mother helping her engage with fictionin this case oscar wildes playwhile suffering and failing to share the reallife event of her first period is another perfect example of the bechdel familys tendency to prefer fiction to reality, and even to use fiction to escape from or ignore the problems of reality. Bruce and helen had been living in europe, but the death of. Alison bechdel has been a careful archivist of her own life and kept a journal since she was ten. Its bechdels autobiography presented in graphical illustration. Alisons father on the other hand, often tried to make alison act and be more feminine. A family tragicomic chapter 3, bechdel tells about the struggle she had to face when she had to reveal her true sexual nature. Mar 03, 2017 alison bechdels career as a cartoonist started with her comic strip, dykes to watch out for, which ran from 1983 to 2008. Alison bechdel on fun home, the winspearbound musical that changed her life the groundbreaking musical based on her memoir. Jun 18, 2006 if the theoretical value of a picture is still holding steady at a thousand words, then alison bechdel s slim yet proustian graphic memoir, fun home, must be the most ingeniously compact, hyper.
Distant and exacting, bruce bechdel was an english teacher and director of the town funeral home, which alison and her family referred to as the fun home. Thanks to the comic book legal defense fund for the handy dandy list. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 232 pages and is available in paperback format. Jun 08, 2006 in this graphic memoir, alison bechdel charts her fraught relationship with her late father. Fun home bechdel, alison, kuchler, sabine, scheck, dennis on. A cult favorite in the comics world, alison bechdel has chronicled the lives of fictionalized characters in her dykes to watch out for comic strip since 1993. A family tragicomic, an amazing and awardwinning memoir graphic novel by alison bechdel. The comic memoir is a unique take on her life and gives you a real insight to the troubles her childhood held. The book addresses themes of sexual orientation, gender roles, suicide, emotional abuse, dysfunctional family. Alison bechdel, author of the graphic novel fun home, muses on her groundbreaking body of work, her fathers secret life and how it fueled the fun multipletonywinning musical. Sep 20, 2011 the subtitle of the book is a family tragicomic.
Instead it led to terrible upset, she tells emma brockes. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. A graphic novel exploration of some difficult issues in alison bechdels childhood. Putting the fun back in funeral and spicing it with tenderness, grit and regret, alison bechdels memoir fun home. Amanda biggs as older alison, natalie shea as the college age alison and marcela weltsekmedina as one of the two actors who play small allison. I bought it after discovering the musical of the same name and it is a great addition to the information i had gained through experiencing the musical. Since 1983 she has been chronicling the lives of various characters in the fictionalised dykes to watch out for strip, one of the preeminent oeuvres in the comics genre, period ms. A family tragicomic grabs you from the first page and never lets go. Fun home alison bechdel, author, alison bechdel, illustrator. Its like reading someones diary, because essentially it is someones diary, but this has to be the most painstakingly artful diary ever created. Though bechdel known for her syndicated dykes to watch out for strip and collections takes her formal cues from comic books, she receives more inspiration from the likes of proust and joyce as she attempts to unravel the knots of her familys twisted emotional. A family tragicomic, starts with the death of her father. Young alison bechdel lives in pennsylvania with helen, bruce, and her little brothers christian and john.
Most people who know the name bechdel will recognize it from the. The main characters of this sequential art, graphic novels story are. Bechdel builds the narrative around the tragic event of her fathers death. From the very beginning of the memoir, alison bechdel establishes the main characters, her family. It focuses specifically on her parents, helen and bruce, and their role in her life. Alison bechdel hoped that fun home, her very personal graphic memoir, would heal her familys wounds.
Theres her mother, and two brothers featured in this autobiographical piece, but the relationship at the centre of it all is the one she has with her father, bruce. A family tragicomic illustrates the plight of a lesbian growing up in a household filled with secrets in every nook and cranny. While youre at it, go help the good folks over at cbldf if you can. One of the longestrunning queer comic strips, dykes to watch out for is over 20 years old, has been syndicated in hundreds of papers, released in over. The strip appears in 50 alternative newspapers including this one and is available in book form. A family tragicomic is a 2006 graphic memoir by the american cartoonist alison bechdel, author of the comic strip dykes to watch out for. Alison bechdel has 48 books on goodreads with 334367 ratings.
The graphic memoir fun home starts with the adult alison bechdel narrating over images of her childhood. Her family owns a funeral home in a small town so her father works as an english teacher, her mother an actress. Alison says the discomfort caused by the pressure to her stomach was well worth the rare physical contact. The first panel shows alison approaching her father bruce, who is lying on the floor and puts his feet in the middle of her chest to launch her in the air for a game of airplane. Like marjane satrapis persepolis, its a story exhilaratingly suited to graphic memoir form.
I will argue that bechdels creation of her father as her doppelganger throughout her childhood, and eventually her foil as she comes to terms with her sexuality, serves to illustrate the ways in which attempts to maintain a veneer of heterosexuality due to pressures from. Its a fitting question to ask in a story that hinges on the idea that things left unsaid can have as much. Meet alisons father, a historic preservation expert and obsessive restorer of the familys victorian house, a thirdgeneration funeral home director, a high school english teacher, an icily distant parent, and a closeted homosexual who, as it turns out, is involved with male students and a family babysitter. The underground market allowed for a more open depiction of sexuality and in the 70s and 80s openly lesbian and bisexual artists told their stories in comic book form, such as alison bechdels dykes to watch out for and graphic novel fun home.
A fresh and brilliantly told memoir from a cult favorite comic artist, marked by gothic twists, a family funeral home, sexual angst, and great books. The strip appears in 50 alternative newspapers including this one and is. Happy death the second chapter in alison bechdels graphic novel, fun home. Meet alison s father, a historic preservation expert and obsessive restorer of the familys victorian house, a thirdgeneration funeral home director, a high school english teacher, an icily distant parent, and a closeted homosexual who, as it turns out, is involved with male students and a family babysitter. A family tragicomic by alison bechdel 2007, paperback, new edition at the best online prices at ebay. It chronicles the authors childhood and youth in rural pennsylvania, united states, focusing on her complex relationship with her father. Meet alisons father, a historic preservation expert and obsessive restorer of the familys victorian home, a third. A family tragicomic by alison bechdel and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Fun home is her familys nickname for the funeral home they ran. Called one of the preeminent oeuvres of the comics genre, period by ms, dykes is syndicated in fifty alternative newspapers and is collected into a book with a quarter million copies in print. One of the most eagerly anticipated graphic memoirs of recent years, fun home is a darkly funny family tale, pitchperfectly illustrated with alison bechdels sweetly gothic drawings. A family tragicomic by alison bechdel librarything.
Alison bechdels career as a cartoonist started with her comic strip, dykes to watch out for, which ran from 1983 to 2008. Lcsh scription fun home, subtitled a family tragicomic, is a 2006 graphic memoir by the american writer alison bechdel, author of the comic strip dykes to watch out. May 24, 2006 alison bechdel s graphic memoir fun home. There is something palpable and special about the way she tells this story, giving the reader an almost voyeuristic peak into her adolescence that is difficult to turn away from. A family tragicomic and the comic strip dykes to watch out for. Alison again uses a fictional myth as a way to understand her fathers behavior, and, further, by comparing the bechdel family home to daedaluss labyrinth, alison hints at the darker secret of the home. Its like reading someones diary, because essentially it is someones diary, but this has to. Fun home is an entertaining and poignant autobiography of bechdel s childhood. Alison bechdel is an american cartoonist who was born in lock haven, pennsylvania. Originally best known for the longrunning comic strip dykes to watch out for, she came to critical and commercial success in 2006 with her graphic memoir fun home, which was subsequently adapted as a musical and won a tony award for best musical in 2015.
Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read fun home. Apr 25, 2016 alison bechdel asks midway through her critically acclaimed graphic memoir, fun home. The title fun home is a play on words, commenting on the family business and funeral home in which the bechdel kids spent a great deal of their childhood in and around. This breakout book by alison bechdel is a darkly funny family tale, pitchperfectly illustrated with bechdel s sweetly gothic drawings. Jun 22, 2006 a cult favorite in the comics world, alison bechdel has chronicled the lives of fictionalized characters in her dykes to watch out for comic strip since 1993. This breakout book by alison bechdel is a darkly funny family tale, pitchperfectly illustrated with bechdels sweetly gothic drawings. Read alison bechdels brilliant graphic novel fun home. A family tragicomic ebook written by alison bechdel.
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