Testimonial processes and memorials: contradictions and reconstructions of the witness in the graphic novel Los surcos del azar by Paco Roca

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53971/2718.658x.v13.n22.39627

Keywords:

Spanish Civil War, underground collective memory, testimony, contradictory identity, comic

Abstract

In the graphic novel Los surcos del azar (2013) by the Spaniard Paco Roca, the (historical) events lived after the Spanish Civil War are recovered through a fictional interview with its protagonist. More precisely, life in exile and the Spanish participation in the liberation of France with the company called La Nueve. Although the testimonial instance is fictionalized, the witness is based on a real character and the search for a reliable representation of the events marks the development of the comic. In this paper we will delve into the expression of the underground collective memory that takes place on this graphic novel, since the silence and oblivion about these events are restored through the testimonial instance. Also, we will reflect on the choice of this artistic medium through the importance of orality and the constant passage from the past time (remembered) to present time (testimony). It is of our interest to observe the relation between these elements and the inherent attributes of the comic. Finally, we will seek to analyze the forbidden and contradictory identity of the figure of the defeated/interviewee and the importance of witnessing for the reconstruction of oneself.

Author Biography

  • Malen Biedma Amado, Universidad de Buenos Aires

    Licenciada en Letras, adscripta a la cátedra de Literatura Española III, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

     

References

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Gómez Salamanca, D. (2017). La influencia de la novela gráfica en la industria del cómic española. En K. Darici, A. Scarsella, A. Favaro (Ed.), Historieta o Cómic. Biografía de la narración gráfica en España (pp. 161-171). Venezia: Edizioni Ca´Foscari.

La liberación de París vista desde Valencia: un mural recuerda a Amado Granell en el Metro (16 de mayo de 2022). El confidencial. Recuperado de https://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/comunidad-valenciana/2022-05-16/la-historia-viaja-en-metro_3425164/

McCloud, S. (1995). Cómo se hace un cómic. El arte invisible. Barcelona: Ediciones B.

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Roca, P. (2007). Arrugas. Bilbao: Atisberri.

Roca, P. (2013/2020). Los surcos del azar. Bilbao: Atisberri.

Published

2022-12-08

How to Cite

Testimonial processes and memorials: contradictions and reconstructions of the witness in the graphic novel Los surcos del azar by Paco Roca. (2022). Recial, 13(22), 323-337. https://doi.org/10.53971/2718.658x.v13.n22.39627

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