"Under the Yoke" - the graphic novel based on the novel by Ivan Vazov

One of the most easily perceived (especially by the non-specialized audience) forms of graphic novels is the one that translates literary classics into visual language. Graphic novels, in which the literary work is presented literally and correctly, are the most popular. A large part of this type of publications are used as accompanying aids to the learning process in many schools and universities in the USA and Western Europe. In Bulgaria, there is only one literary work from the curriculum adapted to the graphic novel medium, although created by a Frenchman. This is “Under the Yoke” by Jacques Naret, published in our country by Primax Publishing House in 2019.

Graphic novels are characterized by a specific and recognizable way of presenting a given story through sequences of illustrations (sequences) in combination with text. The author's approach to adapting a classic literary work into a graphic novel differs from other visual languages, such as cinema. A particular advantage of graphic novels is that they can reproduce narrative strategies characteristic of literature, such as defamiliarization and cognitive diversity. The principle of defamiliarization is expressed in the desire to avoid specificity in the description of a given character or situation by letting the reader's imagination "complete" the aspects of the world of the work that are intentionally not precisely defined. Comic book panels, which are a basic building block in the structure of graphic novels, actively use the principle of "conclusion", in which the reader completes in his imagination the scenes and actions missing from the illustrations. Unlike cinema, where characters are played by a specific actor with characteristic physical features and perfectly crafted costume details, in graphic novels human images are often built through the principles of iconicity - through a set of symbolic images and conventions with which the reader can more accurately identify or superimpose his own idea of the character on them.

Cognitive diversity, in turn, can be expressed through illustrations that are placed outside the conventional time and space in which the primary narrative is located, adding parallel narrative realities. Another way to achieve cognitive diversity is through the use of multiple points of view – the action is shown not through the eyes of a single protagonist, but of many different characters, which provides the reader with the opportunity to construct in his or her own imagination the important moments in the story as a sum of the various representations offered.

The graphic novel "Under the Yoke" by artist Jacques Naret, based on the classic work of Ivan Vazov, originally appeared in the late 1960s as a periodical comic, published in 135 consecutive issues of the French newspaper "Les Jumanites". Copies of the newspaper are kept in the house-museum of Ivan Vazov in his hometown of Sopot. The emblematic Bulgarian work became a desk reading for many French readers after it was published in the newspaper alongside the cult comic series "Pif". Jacques Naret was fascinated by Vazov's story, so he planned a trip around Bulgaria, where he made a long tour of the places mentioned in "Under the Yoke". During the trip, the artist studied with extreme care the details of Bulgarian architecture, costume and even the physical features and characteristics of the population. This is evident in the nature of the illustrations, which present aspects of Bulgarian life and culture with astonishing accuracy. The images are black and white, and the form is achieved by contrasting graphic spots combined with linear drawing. The text is arranged in large blocks of text directly below the panels and rather documents the content of the novel than takes advantage of the compositional possibilities in terms of typography that the graphic novel genre implies. Since the purpose of the publication is largely documentary, this is in keeping with the overall character of the work.

Fifty years later, the Ruse architect and Francophone Orlin Nedelchev searches for, collects, scans, translates and publishes Nare's work, which has never before been published as a complete book edition. The graphic novel was published in 2019 by Primax Publishing House and, due to its popularity, quickly sold out, necessitating a reprint in 2023. The text of the publication was translated by arch. Nedelchev from French back into Bulgarian, preserving all the archaisms and authentic linguistic constructions used by Ivan Vazov in the original published in Bulgarian version of "Under the Yoke".

The graphic novel is successfully distributed not only among connoisseurs of the genre, but also among adolescents as an additional aid to the curriculum, where Vazov's work is studied in several different classes.

Text and photos: Dr. Vessela Kucheva-Petrova