About this item
Painting a vivid, personal portrait of social and political upheaval in Oaxaca, Mexico, this unique memoir employs comics, bilingual essays, photos, and sketches to chronicle the events that unfolded around a teachers' strike and led to a seven-month siege. When award-winning cartoonist Peter Kuper and his family moved to the 16th-century colonial town of Oaxaca in 2006, they planned to spend a quiet year or two enjoying a different culture and taking a break from the U.S. political climate under the Bush administration. What they hadn't counted on was landing in the epicenter of Mexico's biggest political struggle in recent years. Timely and compelling, this extraordinary firsthand account presents a distinct artistic vision of Oaxacan life, from explorations of the beauty of the environment to graphic portrayals of the fight between strikers and government troops that left more than 20 people dead, including American journalist Brad Will.
About the Author
Peter Kuper's illustrations and comics have appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Nation and MAD magazine where he has written and illustrated SPY vs. SPY every issue since 1997. He is the co-founder and editor of World War 3 Illustrated a political graphics magazine that has given a forum to political artists for 40 years. He is also co-art director of Opp-Art a political arts website sponsored by The Nation Magazine that posts daily commentary on current events by artists from around the world. He has produced over two dozen books including Sticks and Stones (winner of The Society of Illustrators gold medal) , The System, Diario de Oaxaca, Ruins (winner of the 2016 Eisner Award) and adaptations of many of Franz Kafka's works into comics including The Metamorphosis and Kafkaesque, (winner of the 2018 National Cartoonists Society Award for best graphic novel.) His latest book is an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.He has lectured around the world and has been teaching comics courses at The School of Visual Arts in NYC and Harvard University. More of his work can be seen at peterkuper.com
