“Bella Ciao” is a miracle in more ways than one. First of all, because the French comic master Baru will prove how fresh (and funny) stories can be written even after 70 years of age. Then because it is almost unbelievable that common themes and topoi of his work can be used and presented in a surprising way again. Finally, also because such an important work (more than 350 pages long in three parts) has now been completely translated into German, although its author never received the attention he deserved in this country. I’ve been writing about him and his work for 26 years and still feel like I’m revealing insider tips.
With Carlsen and Edition Moderne, two well-known German publishers have tried their hand at Baru’s masterpieces (above all “Autoroute du Soleil”, but also “The Champion”, “Again on the Road” and ” The Sputnik Years”). and that they failed. But Eagrán 52, based in Wuppertal, has been faithful to the Frenchman’s work for almost 20 years now, and their tenth Baru volume has been translated superbly again (with thanks to Uwe Löhmann) and, considering the quality and features of the print, it is extremely cheap. . Where else can you get a nice hardcover volume with 132 pages for 20 euros?
In France, the comic book publisher Futuropolis published this last volume two years ago, but the amount of text to handle and the care to be taken in production delayed the German edition. But the wait was well worth it, because what you now have in your hands is nothing less than the (intermediate) summary of a great career that started late, that is in 1984, when Baru was 37 already a year old and the first volume of it. “Quéquette Blues”, a drawn, but somewhat fictional reminder of the artist’s childhood in the heavy industrial area of Lorraine. “Quéquette Blues” also became a trilogy, it caused a sensation and gave Baru, who had previously worked as a sports teacher, the opportunity to draw comics full time. He has long been a living legend in his native France. And one who also caused a stir among connoisseurs and experts in Germany, as shown by the recently published great volume “The Upside Down Heaven” by Mikaël Ross, which is definitively based on “Autoroute du Soleil”.
About growing up in a hostile environment
The theme of Baru’s life is the difficult integration of Italian immigrants in France, and when you know that his stage name is an abbreviation of the Barulea family name, then you understand why. The first name Baru Hervé shows that he was born in France, in a small town in Lorraine, and the author shares this biography with his main character Teo Martini from “Bella Ciao”, which he made a little younger: born in 1949 instead of 1947. . But Teo’s experience is similar to that of Hervé Barulea: growing up in a society of industrial workers with a strong Italian influence, in which many of the structures of the country of origin still exist. yes. And growing up in France where the population of their ancestors looked down on the foreigners who moved there, even the members of their second or third generation who were born in their new homeland a long time ago. How similar are the countries, the people and the prejudices…
Cover of the third volume of Baru’s comic “Bella Ciao”New/Issue 52No one has depicted the blast furnace world of heavy industry, long since extinct in France and Germany, in such fascinating and pathetic detail as Baru. In the first pages of the third volume of “Bella Ciao”, Teo is on his way to the steel works to give lunch to his father, and the little boy in front of the red glowing scenes of steel production is an irresistible image. But this narrative thread from the late fifties soon ends and we jump to another time, to the adult Teo, who has returned home and meets his father’s colleagues again. Their memories are no longer fresh, they contradict what Teo knows about the past, and this uncertainty about what is truth and what is myth creates the “Bella Ciao” project. Anyone expecting a straight story will be disappointed.
Family division through politics
But because of the many ways in which Baru’s story of hundreds of pages breaks into repeated storylines, sometimes only two or three pages long, sometimes the entire length of the entire album, it is clear that clear which path the main characters in the Martini family had to take. since two brothers went to France from Italy shortly before the First World War to escape the misery at home. They encountered a world that needed workers but did not value the people behind it, so the Italians in France remain alone, and this is the world that “Bella Ciao” tells its story. Also about how politics divided the family – some of the Martinis in France are enthusiastic about Mussolini, others consistently left-wing. And the episode from the third volume is incredible, in which it is described how even the Italians who fought on the side of France as soon as the First World War broke out were separated from their troops and forcibly transferred to Italy as soon as country of origin. on the side of the Entente Germany entered the war to strengthen the army there.
Baru draws current information about himself in black and white, and here the characters from his first successful comic “Quéquette Blues” appear in memory in color.New/Issue 52Meanwhile, Baru himself is seen in black-and-white sequences that talk about how he researched this comic. This usually happened through stories from friends of Italian-French families eating together, and the dishes served are also an important part of “Bella Ciao”, which has three volumes each offering the corresponding recipes, this time for example risotto with porcini mushrooms. Baru makes no secret of his enthusiasm (personal, culinary, historical) on the subject, but his heart does not have a murderous tooth either: Above all, “Bella Ciao” is a political comedy that denies racism and nationalism. Its title comes from the famous partisan song, and its story is an important part of the plot; However, in the follow-up volume now published, he no longer plays a role.
The return to basics
At the end, Baru returns to the beginning of his trilogy, which began with a massacre in which ten Italian workers were killed by the French in 1893 when there was a riot among the local people in view of the Italians, who were seen as labor rivals. Today, as the narrator points out in one of the not-so-rare image-free passages in the comic, in the town of Aigues-Mortes in the south of France (nomen est omen, you’d think) the Rassemblement National is the party is regularly stronger, and Baru ends his story with a succinct “etc.?”. He is concerned with the question mark, history must be changed, that drives all his anti-colonial comics that promote international understanding. And this is regularly seen in the exuberance of children or young people who are simply not adapted to the concrete conditions in the way adults expect them to be.
The great joy of life in the precarious social circumstances of the child: page 110 of volume three of “Bella Ciao”New/Issue 52After the “etc.?” there are two short features that cannot be recommended enough. First, a family tree for the Martini family, which finally allows us to resolve the personal confusion of the extended family. A very important part of the action in the three volumes takes place during a family martini party, and as a reader you feel like a guest who got into it by chance, taking into account the experience of the characters, who give each other the balls. while chatting, without taking the visitor’s ignorance into account. The sense of loss while reading is similar to that of the Italian immigrants in France – a wonderful story by Baru. However, one would like to finally see some things cleaned up in volume three that the first two volumes intentionally left open.
The second to last major element takes us back to the beginning of the third. An accident in the steel works was then described, but what happened could not be clarified due to conflicting memories. Baru has drawn himself into conversation with one of his father’s former colleagues, who is able to offer a plausible version – even if it takes the whole thing back to a different time than expected . But so it is with competing personal memories, and the fact that Baru reflects this fundamental uncertainty in his stories, which are more than just based on autobiography, makes him a special case. Now seventy-seven years old, he continues to reinvent jokes. “Bella Ciao” is simple Beautiful.
Oh yes, a year ago a volume was published in France in which Baru continued his curiosity about the period of European integration documented in “Bella Ciao”: “Rodina” tells about a resistance fighter in a place where the Germans lived during the Second World War. Soviet place war. As we know from the “Sputnik years” at the latest, socialist nostalgia is part of Baru’s illustrator DNA, and “Bella Ciao” has clearly proven that he can tell stories as well going back to to his own life. It is Theo, as an adult, who draws the explosion that reduces the now defunct steel works to rubble and ash – a scene that was at the beginning of “Autoroute du Soleil” in 1994 – already mentioned by one Storyteller who has knowing that not all beliefs can stop the course of history. But it might be sent one way or another.
The fishing village sets off a chain of events that highlights the struggles and resilience of the Italian immigrant community. Through the lens of Baru’s storytelling, readers are taken on a journey that intricately weaves personal narratives with broader socio-political themes. The recurring motifs of food, family, and cultural identity in “Bella Ciao” serve not just as a backdrop but as active participants in the characters’ lives, illustrating how deeply intertwined culture and tradition are, even amidst adversity.
Baru’s ability to blend humor with poignant social commentary allows him to address complex issues like racism and nationalism in a way that feels accessible and engaging. The joy exhibited by the children in the narrative, set against the backdrop of precarious circumstances, serves as a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit. In a world where adults often succumb to the weight of past grievances and societal expectations, the children in Baru’s work symbolize hope and the potential for change.
The comic not only entertains but also invites reflection on the historical contexts that shaped the lives of so many. By incorporating elements like recipes and personal anecdotes, Baru enriches the reader’s experience, offering a glimpse into the cultural fabric that binds individuals and communities together. His illustrative style, contrasting the black-and-white present with the vibrant colors of past memories, serves as a visual metaphor for the enduring impact of history on contemporary identities.
As “Bella Ciao” progresses, the sense of interconnectedness among its characters becomes increasingly apparent, illustrating how shared experiences can form a bridge between generations. The narrative challenges readers to confront their own preconceptions and to consider the implications of belonging and identity in a multicultural world. Ultimately, Baru’s work resonates on multiple levels, making “Bella Ciao” a significant contribution to the discourse on immigration and cultural heritage.