Animal Farm: The Graphic Novel

by George Orwell, Odyr (Illustrator)

Overview

A beautiful graphic adaptation of George Orwell’s timeless and timely allegorical novel.

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

In 1945, George Orwell, called “the conscience of his generation,” created an enduring, devastating story of new tyranny replacing old, and power corrupting even the noblest of causes. Today it is all too clear that Orwell’s masterpiece is still fiercely relevant wherever cults of personality thrive, truths are twisted by those in power, and freedom is under attack. In this fully authorized edition, the artist Odyr translates the world and message of Animal Farm into a gorgeously imagined graphic novel.

Old Major, Napoleon, Squealer, Snowball, Boxer, and all the creatures of Animal Farm come to life in this newly envisaged classic. From his individual brushstrokes to the freedom of his page design, Odyr’s adaptation seamlessly moves between satire and fable and will appeal to all ages, just as Orwell intended.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780358410775
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	09/08/2020
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	53,038
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

GEORGE ORWELL (1903–1950) was born in India and served with the Imperial Police in Burma before joining the Republican Army in the Spanish Civil War. Orwell was the author of six novels, including 1984 and Animal Farm, as well as numerous essays and nonfiction works.

ODYR is a Brazilian graphic novelist, cartoonist, and painter. He is the co-author of the graphic novel Guadalupe, written with poet Angélica Freitas and published by Companhia das Letras. He also published Copacabana, co-written with scriptwriter Lobo and published in Portugal and France.
 

Editorial Reviews

Animal Farm has previously appeared accompanied by drawings, by famous illustrators…But Odyr, using a bright palette, has fully adapted what Orwell called "a fairy tale" satirizing Stalin—and the result is elegant and heartbreaking…Instead of a reduction of the original, Odyr's imagined barnyard world adds to the depth of the characters…

The New York Times Book Review - Hillary L. Chute

07/08/2019

In this painterly adaptation of the slim volume read by most Americans in middle school, Odyr’s expressive watercolor palette strikes a visceral note that matches the intensity of Orwell’s original text. An intelligent pig, named Old Major, inspires the other animals on an English farm to revolt against their cruel human masters, sparking a revolution. While all of the animals were considered to be free and equal, pigs Napoleon and Snowball wind up running the farm, earning extra luxuries as a result. An ideological disagreement between the pigs leads to Snowball’s brutal ouster and Napoleon rising up as a dictator harsher than their original human master. The novel was about the failure of the Russian Revolution and the betrayal of its ideals, but it stands as a general example of the desire for power overtaking idealism. This graphic novel version picks up on symbolic visuals, such as the animals’ hoof and horn flag resembling the hammer and sickle. Odyr skillfully plays to these stark elements while evoking the mood of the countryside and the plot’s shocking violence; the atmosphere and emotions are spot-on. But, while an effective illustration of the text, Odyr proves faithful to the original to a fault, not taking the opportunity to create a new, hybrid work of art. Still, the fidelity to Orwell’s vision makes it ideal for younger readers, in particular, and Orwell’s message is sustained. Agent: Bill Hamilton, A.M. Heath (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Brazilian graphic novelist Odyr's 'fully authorized' adaptation (in accordance with The Estate of Sonia Brownell Orwell) of Orwell’s 1945 classic is affecting example...alchemizing Orwell’s period writing into a timeless, immediately terrifying warning about the dangers of abusive power."—Booklist "[Odyr's] rich brushstrokes do much to enhance the experience of Orwell’s brand of satire."—New York Journal of Books —

From the Publisher

10/01/2019

One fateful night, an aged pig named Old Major gathers all of the animals living on Manor Farm and urges them to rise up against their human masters. Inspired by Old Major's words, the animals rebel, and after taking control of their home and renaming it Animal Farm, develop a list of commandments dedicated to ensuring equality and success. The following harvest is a triumph, but before long life on Animal Farm darkens when a malevolent pig named Napoleon seizes power and establishes a cult of personality based on fear, disinformation, and brute force. The thick, textured brushstrokes from Brazilian graphic novelist Odyr (Copacabana) are marvelous, and pages that resemble a synthesis of graphic novel and storybook layout prove brilliant at evoking the allegorical and fantastical layers of the story simultaneously. VERDICT While Orwell's classic 1945 novella is a specific satire of the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union under Stalin, this skillful adaptation highlights the relevance of Orwell's warning to stay vigilant against the gradual erosion of freedom and to resist leaders who preach equality but demand absolute fealty.

Library Journal

09/01/2019

Gr 6 Up—Tired of being enslaved by humans, the animals of Manor Farm overthrow their master, Mr. Jones, and reclaim the farm for themselves, setting out to create an environment in which all creatures are equal. While this plan succeeds initially, the original ideals get blurred as some animals are treated as "more equal than others." This graphic take, first published in Brazil, is a highly faithful adaptation of the classic political satire. There are strategic edits for brevity, but many lines and paragraphs are pulled word for word from Orwell's text. The page count exceeds that of the source material, though the graphic novel reads more quickly and maintains the original's 10 chapter division. The allegory and references to the Russian Revolution and the following Stalinist era of the Soviet Union are no more or less obvious in graphic form, but the message and delivery are neither diminished nor confused by the format. The coarse, visible brushstrokes of Odyr's largely unlined and unrestrained illustrations occasionally rely on a primary color palette that evokes the painted tissue collage style of Eric Carle while never skewing too young in appearance. At other times, the comingling of darker blues and grays adds gravitas to the story of talking animals. The use of white space keeps clumps of text, a digitized form of the illustrator's handwriting, from overwhelming the page. VERDICT Odyr vividly reimagines Orwell's allegory of the Russian Revolution and the Stalinist Soviet Union. Recommended where this title is required reading at school.—Alea Perez, Elmhurst Public Library, IL

School Library Journal