Nick Drnaso’s graphic novel Sabrina’s nomination to this year’s Man Booker Prize long-list, raised many eyebrows. ‘Does a comic book deserve this honour?’ was a question that literature lovers raised. Drnaso himself sounded apologetic:
I worry that including a comic book is just detracting from the other authors on the list, not to mention frustrating the people who feel it doesn’t qualify. They’re pretty different forms of art, so I totally understand.
It’s a different matter altogether that Sabrina didn’t eventually make it – even into the shortlist for Man Booker. Finding a place in the long-list was a defining moment for the literary genre that has increasingly come to occupy a distinctive space in bookshelves in recent decades.
What distinguishes a graphic novel from a comic book? Opinions vary, and perceptions differ. Millennia ago, people made cave paintings to tell stories; centuries later, they used copper plates for that purpose. Guttenberg’s press brought in printing, and over time drawing stories and printing them became the practice, apart from regular book publishing. Mythology and folklore provided ample inspiration to creative minds to weave stories, embellished with illustrations.
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