Forget Sorrow
Forget Sorrow: An Ancestral Tale is a 2010 biographical comic book by Belle Yang. It is a memoir about her relatives' experiences in China in the mid-20th century.
Plot[edit]
The book initially takes place in the modern day, when Yang, an aspiring artist,[1] who had recently graduated from university, goes to her parents' residence in Carmel, California,[2] to escape a former boyfriend and stalker she names "Rotten Egg".[3] Her father, Zu-Wu Joseph Yang,[1] tells her about the life of her grandfather in mainland China and how the family was affected by the Second Sino-Japanese War/World War II as well as the Chinese Civil War and subsequent establishment of the People's Republic of China.[2] Her grandfather fought in the first conflict while in Manchuria.[1] Ryan Holmberg of Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art stated that the author "is predictably and entirely unsympathetic to the Communists."[4]
The story alternates between the past and the present day.[3] Holmberg described it as "symptomatically a book without a present tense" as Yang only briefly lived in Asia.[4]
Background[edit]
Yang initially wanted to write a narrative with occasional pictures in color. The book was rejected by publishers several times and her agent became no longer willing to promote the book; another agent suggested to her that she should make it a comic book instead. As part of the publication process Yang rewrote the work several times. There was a fourteen-year gap between the conception of the idea and the publication of the final product.[1]
Art style[edit]
Holmberg stated that her art style as "a flat, naïve, semi-folkish mode so common in literary comics memoirs since the success of French artists Satrapi and David B."[4] The artwork has references to King Lear and The Scream.[3]
Reception[edit]
Meredith May of the San Francisco Chronicle stated that "Yang's ancestral story is earning strong praise for its epic yet intimate account of one family's hardships in 20th century China."[1]
Publishers Weekly stated it was "a riveting true-life tale of ancestral jealousies and familial woes from her father's recollections of growing up in China."[2]
Kirkus Reviews stated that the book is "A transformational experience for author and reader alike."[3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e May, Meredith (2010-06-30). "Belle Yang's graphic novel 'Forget Sorrow'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
- ^ a b c "Forget Sorrow: An Ancestral Tale". Publishers Weekly. 2010-03-15. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ a b c d "FORGET SORROW". Kirkus Reviews. 2010-02-15. Retrieved 2018-11-29. - Posted online on December 22, 2010.
- ^ a b c Holmberg, Ryan (2013). "Li Kunwu: A Chinese Life" (PDF). Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art. pp. 95–105 (cited: p. 95). Retrieved 2018-11-29.
External links[edit]
- Forget Sorrow - WW Norton
- Forget Sorrow - Asian American Curriculum Project, Inc. (AACP)
- Burgas, Greg (2010-06-12). "A review a day: Forget Sorrow: An Ancestral Tale". Comic Book Resources.