Ode to Joy
One Boy’s Journey Across War-torn Europe
Sophie Herxheimer author Sarah Gavron author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Pushkin Press
Publishing:27th Aug '26
£24.95
This title is due to be published on 27th August, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
This is the story of an ordinary little boy, Ib Katznelson, swept up in the cataclysmic tides of fascism, war and propaganda. A generation later, his daughter-in-law, filmmaker Sarah Gavron, inspired by Ib's story, finds artist-poet Sophie Herxheimer to collaborate on telling it in a new, visual form. We follow Ib and his family's attempt to escape Denmark in 1943, and their eventual arrival at Theresienstadt, the 'model' concentration camp. Here the Nazis' horrors were hidden from the world, yet it was also a place where, somehow, art and culture flourished in secret. Satirical cabarets entertained the starving in desolate attics, children made beautiful works of art, huge choirs sang together about death. This epic graphic novel contains all of life, from its darkest moments to its most surprising joys. Inspired by the creativity of the prisoners themselves, Ode to Joy invents a startling and original visual language to tell a story about those who keep hope alive, even in the cruellest of times.
So much more than a graphic novel. It is an extraordinary testament to the complexities and resilience of the human spirit and an insightful exploration of the past... I read it in awe. Masterful in every way, Ode to Joy is a work of art! -- Ariana Neumann, author of New York Times Bestseller 'When Time Stopped'
What a book! It is a wonder, every bit of it. The words. The images. The tone. The characters. And as an object in itself. Warm, humane, painful, beautiful: extraordinary -- Philippe Sands, author of 'East West Street'
How can it be that a single book can bring its reader so much glee, so much delight, alongside a fathomless sadness? A brave, bold and astonishing companion to carry us into atrocity and out the other side. An ode to human resilience and the enduring power of stories, art and love. All who despair, read this book, and find hope -- Emily Haworth-Booth, author of 'Mare'
This beautiful and moving book is a feat of storytelling: every meticulously made cut and composition, every word, brings history to life. The experience was not like reading a book, but like being in the thick of an immersive theatre show full of characters, conversations and emotions. Wow -- BIDISHA, author of 'The Future of Serious Art'
Extraordinary, informative, immersive graphic journey into the darkness of the past -- Ian Hislop
This extraordinary graphic memoir feels less like a book than a song carried across generations. A vital and startlingly original work, both bleak and beautiful in equal measure. Full of humour, tenderness and daring, it transforms the past into something intimate, alive and profoundly human -- Gemma Seltzer, author of 'Ways of Living'
ISBN: 9781805338123
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
224 pages