Animal farm : the graphic novel

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Title:

Animal farm : the graphic novel

Author:

Orwell, George, 1903-1950, author.

Odyr, illustrator, adapter.

Summary:

"A beautiful graphic adaptation of George Orwell's timeless and timely allegorical novel"-- Provided by publisher.

General Note:

Subtitle and statement of responsibility from cover.

"First published with the title A revolução dos bichos in Brazil by Editora Schwarcz s.a. ©2018, by the estate of Sonia Brownell Orwell and Odyr Fernando Bernardi. All text included in this volume is true to George Orwell's original work."--Colophon.

Edition:

First U.S. edition.

Physical Description:

175 pages : chiefly color illustrations ; 26 cm

Genre:

Graphic novels.

Allegories.

Comics (Graphic works)

Political comics.

Subject Term:

Totalitarianism -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Domestic animals -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Author(s):

Odyr,

Publisher:

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,

Publication Date:

2019

ISBN:

9780358093152

Publication Information:

Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019.

Call Number:

YA ORWELL

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003438309	Young Adult Graphic Novels	ORWELL	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

A beautiful graphic adaptation of George Orwell's timeless and timely allegorical novel.

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

In 1945, George Orwell, called "the conscience of his generation," created an enduring, devastating story of new tyranny replacing old, and power corrupting even the noblest of causes. Today it is all too clear that Orwell's masterpiece is still fiercely relevant wherever cults of personality thrive, truths are twisted by those in power, and freedom is under attack. In this fully authorized edition, the artist Odyr translates the world and message of Animal Farm into a gorgeously imagined graphic novel.

Old Major, Napoleon, Squealer, Snowball, Boxer, and all the creatures of Animal Farm come to life in this newly envisaged classic. From his individual brushstrokes to the freedom of his page design, Odyr's adaptation seamlessly moves between satire and fable and will appeal to all ages, just as Orwell intended.

Author Notes

George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair on June 25, 1903 in Motihari in Bengal, India and later studied at Eton College for four years. He was an assistant superintendent with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. He left that position after five years and moved to Paris, where he wrote his first two books: Burmese Days and Down and Out in Paris and London. He then moved to Spain to write but decided to join the United Workers Marxist Party Militia. After being decidedly opposed to communism, he served in the British Home Guard and with the Indian Service of the BBC during World War II. After the war, he wrote for the Observer and was literary editor for the Tribune.

His best known works are Animal Farm and 1984. His other works include A Clergyman's Daughter, Keep the Aspidistra Flying, The Road to Wigan Pier, Homage to Catalonia, and Coming Up for Air. He died on January 21, 1950 at the age of 46.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 6 Up--Tired of being enslaved by humans, the animals of Manor Farm overthrow their master, Mr. Jones, and reclaim the farm for themselves, setting out to create an environment in which all creatures are equal. While this plan succeeds initially, the original ideals get blurred as some animals are treated as "more equal than others." This graphic take, first published in Brazil, is a highly faithful adaptation of the classic political satire. There are strategic edits for brevity, but many lines and paragraphs are pulled word for word from Orwell's text. The page count exceeds that of the source material, though the graphic novel reads more quickly and maintains the original's 10 chapter division. The allegory and references to the Russian Revolution and the following Stalinist era of the Soviet Union are no more or less obvious in graphic form, but the message and delivery are neither diminished nor confused by the format. The coarse, visible brushstrokes of Odyr's largely unlined and unrestrained illustrations occasionally rely on a primary color palette that evokes the painted tissue collage style of Eric Carle while never skewing too young in appearance. At other times, the comingling of darker blues and grays adds gravitas to the story of talking animals. The use of white space keeps clumps of text, a digitized form of the illustrator's handwriting, from overwhelming the page. VERDICT Odyr vividly reimagines Orwell's allegory of the Russian Revolution and the Stalinist Soviet Union. Recommended where this title is required reading at school.--Alea Perez, Elmhurst Public Library, IL

Publisher's Weekly Review

In this painterly adaptation of the slim volume read by most Americans in middle school, Odyr's expressive watercolor palette strikes a visceral note that matches the intensity of Orwell's original text. An intelligent pig, named Old Major, inspires the other animals on an English farm to revolt against their cruel human masters, sparking a revolution. While all of the animals were considered to be free and equal, pigs Napoleon and Snowball wind up running the farm, earning extra luxuries as a result. An ideological disagreement between the pigs leads to Snowball's brutal ouster and Napoleon rising up as a dictator harsher than their original human master. The novel was about the failure of the Russian Revolution and the betrayal of its ideals, but it stands as a general example of the desire for power overtaking idealism. This graphic novel version picks up on symbolic visuals, such as the animals' hoof and horn flag resembling the hammer and sickle. Odyr skillfully plays to these stark elements while evoking the mood of the countryside and the plot's shocking violence; the atmosphere and emotions are spot-on. But, while an effective illustration of the text, Odyr proves faithful to the original to a fault, not taking the opportunity to create a new, hybrid work of art. Still, the fidelity to Orwell's vision makes it ideal for younger readers, in particular, and Orwell's message is sustained. Agent: Bill Hamilton, A.M. Heath (Sept.)

Library Journal Review

One fateful night, an aged pig named Old Major gathers all of the animals living on Manor Farm and urges them to rise up against their human masters. Inspired by Old Major's words, the animals rebel, and after taking control of their home and renaming it Animal Farm, develop a list of commandments dedicated to ensuring equality and success. The following harvest is a triumph, but before long life on Animal Farm darkens when a malevolent pig named Napoleon seizes power and establishes a cult of personality based on fear, disinformation, and brute force. The thick, textured brushstrokes from Brazilian graphic novelist Odyr (Copacabana) are marvelous, and pages that resemble a synthesis of graphic novel and storybook layout prove brilliant at evoking the allegorical and fantastical layers of the story simultaneously. VERDICT While Orwell's classic 1945 novella is a specific satire of the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union under Stalin, this skillful adaptation highlights the relevance of Orwell's warning to stay vigilant against the gradual erosion of freedom and to resist leaders who preach equality but demand absolute fealty.