Pyongyang
  • Published: 1 December 2006
  • ISBN: 9780224079907
  • Imprint: Jonathan Cape
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 192
  • RRP: $36.99

Pyongyang

A Journey in North Korea

Formats & editions
EBook
4 May 2017
EBook
4 May 2017
Tr. Paperback
1 Dec 2006
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'Great stuff - and proof that the comics panel can be another kind of window on the world' - Guardian

Famously referred to as part of the 'Axis-of-Evil', North Korea remains one of the most secretive and mysterious nations in the world today. A series of manmade and natural catastrophes have also left it one of the poorest. When the fortress-like country recently opened the door a crack to foreign investment, cartoonist Guy Delisle found himself in its capital Pyongyang on a work visa for a French film animation company, becoming one of the few Westerners to witness current conditions in the surreal showcase city.

Armed with a smuggled radio and a copy of 1984, Delisle could only explore Pyongyang and its countryside while chaperoned by his translator and a guide. But among the statues, portraits and propaganda of leaders Kim Il-Sung and his son Kim Jong-Il - the world's only Communist dynasty - Delisle was able to observe more than was intended of the culture and lives of the few North Koreans he encountered.

His astute and wry musings on life in the austere and grim regime form the basis of this remarkable graphic novel. Pyongyang is an informative, personal and accessible look at an enigmatic country.
  • Published: 1 December 2006
  • ISBN: 9780224079907
  • Imprint: Jonathan Cape
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 192
  • RRP: $36.99
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About the author

Guy Delisle

Guy Delisle was born in Quebec City, Canada. His bestselling and acclaimed travelogues (Pyongyang, Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City, Burma Chronicles, and Shenzhen) are defining works of graphic nonfiction, and in 2012, Delisle was awarded the top prize in European cartooning when the French edition of Jerusalem was named Best Album at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. He lives in France with his wife and children.

Also by Guy Delisle

Hostage
Jerusalem
Burma Chronicles
Shenzhen
See all

Praise for Pyongyang

Delisle has drawn an unforgettable picture of Pyongyang

Time

Combining a gift for anecdote and an ear for absurd dialogue, Delisle's retelling of his adventures makes a gently humorous counterpoint to the daily news stories about the axis of evil, a Lost in Translation for the Communist world. Delisle's simple but expressive art works well with his account, humanizing the few North Koreans he gets to know and facilitating digressions into North Korean history and various bizarre happenings involving brandy and bear cubs. Pyongyang will appeal to multiple audiences: current events buffs, Persepolis fans and those who just love a good yarn

Publishers Weekly

News coverage from North Korea is scant - the regime of the world's last true totalitarian state is not exactly welcoming to foreign journalists. But a new graphic novel gives a rare, tragicomic, glimpse into everyday life in the drabbest of world capitals

Independent

The reigning king of the graphic travel memoir... Delisle's curiosity and amusement at the country's bizarre relationship with foreign visitors is equally funny and fascinating

Guardian, *Top 10 Funny Comic Books*
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