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Rebetiko (Original Fiction - SelfMadeHero) Kindle & comiXology

by David Prudhomme (Author, Artist) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 34 ratings
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Greece, 1936. Under the heel of military dictatorship and pursued by the state censor (and worse), the backstreet musicians known as the 'rebetis' are driven further into the shadowy margins of this new regime, to nurture the spirit of their gritty urban blues – and the freedom it represents.  David Prudhomme's award-winning graphic novel celebrates a day in the life of the rebellious Stavros and his jailbird friends, as they play, dance, smoke, drink and dodge their way through the slums and squares of Athens, living and singing the soundtrack of a changing world.   Rebetiko illuminates the joys and sorrows of this lesser-known 'jazz age' in an unflinching and timeless portrait of the archetypal outsider.
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  1. Print length
    110 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    SelfMadeHero
  4. Publication date
    June 14, 2012
  5. File size
    309.1 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Not Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In the mid-1930s, the Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas’ censorship measures included a crackdown on rebetiko, a style of music that incorporated supposedly degenerate Turkish elements. This graphic novel by French cartoonist Prudhomme recounts a day and a night in the life of a group of rebetiko musicians as they stumble across Athens, gabbing in cafés, performing in clubs, and dodging the police. The hashish-fueled ramblings of the band members—based loosely on actual musicians—evoke the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle of a later generation. Prudhomme’s naturalistic drawings enhance the authenticity of the tale. However, his low-key visual style—along with a muted, almost monochromatic color scheme—fails to convey the excitement of the musical performances that lie at the crux of the story; a more expressive approach might have better served the material. Shortcomings aside, Rebetiko, the recipient of several prestigious awards at European graphic-novel festivals, is a convincing portrayal of the pressures and pleasures faced by artistic and political outsiders. --Gordon Flagg

About the Author

David Prudhomme is a graduate of the Arts School of Angoulême and an award-winning graphic novelist. He lives in Bordeaux, France.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01069N3FI
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ SelfMadeHero; Illustrated edition (June 14, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 14, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 309.1 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 110 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 34 ratings

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    David Prudhomme

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    Nora Mahony

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
34 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Diogenes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good.
    Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    WOW. I really really like this. I was very impressed. As someone who loves and plays rebetika I do not bestow that praise lightly. I bought this for my mom because I had flipped through it in a bookstore and it had seemed cool. I started reading it when it arrived and couldn't tear myself away. My moms going to love it but I might have to get myself a copy as well. Really, I can't recommend it enough. It's beautifully done and while slightly fanciful, it captures the mood of the era in a surprisingly touching way. Get this graphic novel. It's worth it.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Stregatta
    5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended
    Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Superb art. An excellent intro to rebetiko and its history (as well as a piece of the history of Greece). Good notes for further reading/listening. Too bad the book doesn't come with a CD, as it should.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome. SIMPLY AWESOME.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    No comments. The book delivers the atmosphere of that time. Also it stops at the crucial point where rebetiko music, started to spread globally and started being recorded. I adore the graphics.
    One person found this helpful
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  • trackhorse
    5.0 out of 5 stars Opa!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Good storytelling and beautiful drawing.
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  • GraphicNovelReporter.com
    4.0 out of 5 stars Get lost for a while in the world of REBETIKO
    Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2013
    Self Made Hero, a publisher that continues to push the boundaries of what graphic novels can be, releases another winner with a evocative, beautifully rich book. REBETIKO, named after a style of music in Greece ("the Greek blues"), is immediately captivating with its sun-kissed yellow hues and sparse black lines delineating a time and a place almost forgotten in the modern world.

    In Greece in the mid-1930s, a young and rather mischievous rebate --- a musician who plays rebetiko --- named Stavros is forced to evade the authorities who have come to crack down on this style of music and the lifestyle that accompanies it. Seen as scoundrels, dregs, or worse, the rebetes are on the run as they try to make a living playing their music, a blend of music reminiscent of folk and blues and jazz that elicits a powerful response in the listener, who is often moved to dance in a trancelike state.

    Writer and illustrator David Prudhomme was awarded the "best graphic of 2010" by Lire in his home country of France, and here the book is nicely translated into English by Nora Mahony, who has also translated graphic works by David B., among others.

    Get lost for a while in the world of REBETIKO. The reading experience is made even more enjoyable by tracking down some examples of the music and creating your own soundtrack.

    Reviewed by John Hogan
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Amazon カスタマー
    5.0 out of 5 stars 絵が最高に素敵です！！
    Reviewed in Japan on January 9, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    とにかく絵が良くて一目惚れでした！内容を確認する前に購入を決定してしまった。
    届いた本を開いて間違いなく自分の好きなタッチの絵が続くページに感激してます！！
    日本語訳を出版して欲しい一冊。音楽好きの人にはオススメであります！！
    Customer image
    Amazon カスタマー
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    絵が最高に素敵です！！

    Reviewed in Japan on January 9, 2019
    とにかく絵が良くて一目惚れでした！内容を確認する前に購入を決定してしまった。
    届いた本を開いて間違いなく自分の好きなタッチの絵が続くページに感激してます！！
    日本語訳を出版して欲しい一冊。音楽好きの人にはオススメであります！！
    Images in this review
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  • ken smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars No wonder it's an award winner!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 17, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    A comic book style presentation that really works, Prudhomme has a deep knowledge of rembetika and captures graphically the feel of the tekes and clubs of Piraeus in the thirties and forties. Rebetika fans will recognise their heroes with ease in this tough little story. Actually it reads like a storyboard for a movie. Fascinating material - no wonder it's an award winner. Here's something that may interest buyers of this book. In his Froots magazine review of the Vintage Balkan Beats CD on JSP 5401 (available easily at Amazon) John Pheby mentions this book describing it as "that rare beast, a work of fiction that successfully evokes music and which details these magical and indeterminate hours on the edge" and suggest that in Vintage Balkan Beats it "now has a soundtrack in this compilation of haunting fevered, belligerent and confusingly poetic music".
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  • Travelling Meg
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fiction but very authentic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 23, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    A wonderful graphic novel - many of the images are based on photos of 'rebetes'. I love it, and am sending a copy to a friend in Greece who plays rebetika. If anyone reading this reviews knows Modern Greek, the autobiography called 'Mangas apo Mikraki' by Yenitsaris has an account of being exiled on a small island for playing the bouzouki.... What an extraordinary time in Greece that was....
    Customer image
    Travelling Meg
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Fiction but very authentic

    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 23, 2020
    A wonderful graphic novel - many of the images are based on photos of 'rebetes'. I love it, and am sending a copy to a friend in Greece who plays rebetika. If anyone reading this reviews knows Modern Greek, the autobiography called 'Mangas apo Mikraki' by Yenitsaris has an account of being exiled on a small island for playing the bouzouki.... What an extraordinary time in Greece that was....
    Images in this review
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good book - explains the culture - slightly strange format
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Good quality hardbound book describing a day in the life of a rebetiko musician & manges
    I bought this as I am interested in Greek music and although slightly harsh due to recordings on old 78rpm records, I have come to appreciate the music of the Rebetes in the underworld culture of pre war & early post WW2 Greece.
    Having read other volumes this fairly recent publication caught my eye due to its slightly strange format.
    The book looks at how a member of the sub culture spends a day with his friends and his enemies , all of which is encapsulated within a musical background and portrayed in a coloured " adult" cartoon strip" format. Some of the written word is somewhat ripe but that is the language of the street. Overall a good read with interesting insights
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  • Jon A. Crowcroft
    5.0 out of 5 stars sound and vision from the "greek blues"
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 28, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I spent a couple of holidays in crete talking to people about rebetiko music and listening to a lot of it, so when this graphic history about the music came out, it was a must buy - it is rather curiously written by someone who doesn't appear to be greek or a musician, but is very knowledgeable and gives a very nice depth to the background of why this strange mix of sound combined in such a beautiful and characteristic way....

    love it
    Report

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