Vesselin Pramatarov

A personal story from the fateful year of 1968 was the documentary basis for the script and drawings of this graphic novel. The first of its kind in Bulgaria, it has already been translated into several languages. In it, the author and artist Vesselin Pramatarov empathizes with the fate of three Bulgarian students who, after the tragic Prague Spring, dared to express solidarity with the Czechoslovakian people and then faced the brutal repressive system of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria. The point of view is through the eyes of the characters; subtle metaphors and philosophical dialogues transcend political clichés and transform the comic into an exciting and truthful humanistic narrative. The artist has chosen a complex and controlled colour range which, with its palette, takes us beyond the naturalism of the events, while the colour reinforces the dramatic twists throughout. The main characters, the political figures in the parallel “big story,” and other participants in the events of those years are filtered through a masterful stylization maintained throughout the pages of the entire novella. It is supported by skilful storytelling and exceptional drawing.