Derborence - by Fabian Menor (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The first graphic novel adaptation of Charles Ferdinand Ramuz's modernist classic

"Our smallness in the face of nature is at the heart of Derborence. Ramuz's words meet their match with Fabian Menon's paintbrush." - Le Temps

Called "the sensation of the Left Bank" by the New York Times, Charles Ferdinand Ramuz was compared to writers as great as Faulkner and Homer. Though he worked in Paris for a decade, he is remembered as one of the great novelists of the Alps.

Derborence is the story of a devastating alpine landslide, of the grief-stricken villagers who are haunted by what they believe is the ghost of a man who should not have survived the unsurvivable, and of a woman who refuses to give up hope. A tragic tale full of endearing characters and harsh mountain landscapes, Charles Ferdinand Ramuz's famous novel lends itself perfectly to graphic novel form.

Review Quotes

"Evoking a strong sense of place are the illustrations, finely drawn with plenty of texture, particularly in the double-page spreads of the mountains. Color is used cleverly with muted brown tones for the village and slate blue and green for the mountains. Hand this to readers who enjoy graphic adaptations of translated works, as well as romance readers." - Suzanne Temple, Booklist

"Our smallness in the face of nature is at the heart of Derborence. Ramuz's words meet their match with Fabian Menon's paintbrush."-Le Temps

"This story of life and death is beautifully staged." - dBD Art and Culture Magazine

"Menor renders the tenderness that binds people together when faced with the harshness of the mountains and with tragedy" - Swiss Public Broadcasting

"Fabian Menbor's brush exudes a raw power that channels the spirit of the original. - Geneva Tribune

About the Author

Born in 1997, Fabian Menor is an illustrator, graphic novel author, and designer. He received a degree from Geneva's École supérieure de bande-dessinée et d'illustration (Graphic Arts and Illustration Institute). His comic Elise (2020) received significant critical success. He lives in Geneva, Switzerland.

Michelle Bailat-Jones is a translator and novelist living in Switzerland. She has translated several short stories as well as two novels by C. F. Ramuz, Beauty on Earth and What if the Sun...? Her other translations include work by Clarisse Francillon, Claude Cahun, Julia Allard Daudet, Laure Mi-Hyun Croset, and Céline Cerny.