Burma Chronicles by Guy Delisle (2008)

Posted on 2024-04-17 by thelittleman

Rating: 4 out of 5.
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It’s probably no secret that Guy Delisle produces my all-time favorite graphic novels—travelogues filled with cultural insights constantly supported by honesty and humor.

Most of Delisle’s books are autobiographical, the Frenchman exploring the cities and nations where his family ends up living for about a year at a time. This time, Nedege is stationed in Burma by the French branch of Doctors Without Borders. Guy and their son, Louis, tag along and explore the world of expats in Burma, and it’s an utterly fascinating read.

Myanmar (Burma) and Me

It may be that I found it more fascinating than most, since Myanmar is now on my list of nations to visit each year. Actually, I know this is true, because when I first got this book several years ago, it sat one my shelf as a “to read someday” book, since I’d never been to Burma and never had plans to visit.

Times and careers have changed. I was in Yangon this past Fall and plan to visit again in a few weeks, and so this week I decided to use this book as an outsider’s take on the nation 16 years ago.

Honestly, despite the intervening years of change, very little in Myanmar differs today from what it was in 2008. The Junta (military government) was in control then, and they’re back in control today. Aung San Suu Kyi was under house arrest then, and she remains so today (despite her years of freedom and leadership in the interim). The Junta still limits the movement of its visitors and citizens, and the citizens can still face harsh treatment, depending on where in the nation they dwell. I’ll not get into politics beyond this, but times really haven’t changed all that much since the coup of 2021, and the nation seems to be back where it was when Guy Delisle lived there.

Guy, the Traveling Artist

Guy’s approach in these books is to share his experiences of culture-shock and adaptation through snippets and scenes, generally with himself as the central focus. Often these scenes run from 1-3 pages long, though some can go a bit longer. He allows for slight narration to set the context of the scenes or to tell the story, but sometimes he communicates only through dialogue and wordless drawings.

I especially love his tourism scenes—highlights shared in smaller, wordless blocks, 15 to a page. His trip to Bangkok, for example, comes in 74 blocks over 5 pages (216-220) and perfectly conveys his trip—all in shaded black and white drawings and without a single word-bubble. Spectacular.

As with his books Shenzhen and Jerusalem, Delisle focuses mostly on his own apprehensions, surprises, and experiences trying to navigate each new location. His honesty shines through, and he doesn’t hide those times when the nationals shock or disgust him. He is, however, also quite fair in explaining why some people do the things they do—at least as best as he can figure. This book won’t teach a newbie what to expect in traveling to Myanmar, but it will help explain a little bit of what they’ve experienced once they’ve been. That’s my case, at least, so I really loved this book.

A Source of Inspiration

Whenever I read Delisle, I can’t help but dream about drawing my own cartoon travelogue someday. I dabble and doodle, but I’m no artist of consistency that can produce a 260+ page book of beautiful scenes that flows as perfectly as his do. It’s worth a shot, though, so maybe someday that dream will become a reality.

Maybe. Someday.

If you’ve never read Guy Delisle before, I highly recommend him. Try this Burma book, Jerusalem, Shenzhen, or Hostage—or any of his other books that I haven’t yet purchased myself. I honestly do think you’ll love him too.

©2024 E.T.

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