Guy Delisle Pyongyang A Journey In North Korea 2006 Jonathan Cape 2006

Synopsis

Famously referred to as part of the 'Axis-of-Evil', North Korea remains one of the most secretive and mysterious nations in the world today. A series of manmade and natural catastrophes have also left it one of the poorest. When the fortress-like country recently opened the door a crack to foreign investment, cartoonist Guy Delisle found himself in its capital Pyongyang on a work visa for a French film animation company, becoming one of the few Westerners to witness current conditions in the surreal showcase city.<br> <br> Armed with a smuggled radio and a copy of <i>1984</i>, Delisle could only explore Pyongyang and its countryside while chaperoned by his translator and a guide. But among the statues, portraits and propaganda of leaders Kim Il-Sung and his son Kim Jong-Il - the world's only Communist dynasty - Delisle was able to observe more than was intended of the culture and lives of the few North Koreans he encountered.<br> <br> His astute and wry musings on life in the austere and grim regime form the basis of this remarkable graphic novel. <i>Pyongyang</i> is an informative, personal and accessible look at an enigmatic country.