Klezmer: II. Bon anniversaire Scylla - Joann Sfar

At the end of Book I. Conquête de l'Est the two groups of wandering musicians had come together in Odessa and been immediately engaged by an elderly lady for a birthday party. Despite being initially introduced to the Baron of Backside in Book I, the first person narrative and perspective of Yaacov takes prominence in Book II of Klezmer. The 15-year-old boy is wildly attracted to Hava, and a shared bathing interlude to the all-night party that takes up most of the second volume brings out all the sensuality in Sfar's artwork.

There's less of the adventure story that introduced each of the characters in Book I, but there is still a wonderful variety of moods and tones that is reflected in the artwork in Bon anniversaire Scylla; a warmth and humanity that also seems to be part of the intent of the artist, and it's one that is doubtlessly inspired by love of the Klezmer music. It also adheres to Sfar's way of using the musical theme as a liberating and unifying force pushing past religion and any divides.

The gypsy Tchokola's storytelling is a big contributing factor to that idea, his tales reworked for Jewish audience consumption and in the process up wiping out all division, offending no-one. There is a consistent philosophy behind this, in the power of music to express what otherwise can't be expressed in words alone, something that connects deeply with the past, brings joy to the present, hope and optimism for the future, as well as having an almost spiritual awakening or perhaps just a sensual one. It all culminates in wild carefree and drunken dancing.


Reading notes: I picked up a First Edition Hardcover of Klezmer: II. Bon anniversaire Scylla published by Galliard in 2006. The artist's notes at the back of the second volume talk about his approach to colour and the use of aquarelle. Although you can see tests of colour and balance in the sketches, Sfar finds that true art lies in the imprecision of application of line and colour, never knowing how it will turn out, welcoming happy accidents. Precision is death in art. He recognises however that aquarelle is not suitable for all types of comic work, and that many of his friends and colleagues who he considers better practitioners of aquarelle, only use it in sketchbooks. As a fan of Hugo Pratt, I found it interesting that Sfar aspires to the quality of Pratt's late use of aquarelle colouring.

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