Petar & Liza

by Miroslav Sekulic-Struja

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Pub Date Jun 18 2024 | Archive Date Apr 15 2024

Fantagraphics Books | Fantagraphics

Comics, Graphic Novels, Manga | Literary Fiction | Multicultural Interest

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Description

When Petar returns home to civilian life after his two-year conscription in the ex-Yugoslavian army, he finds himself adrift. Even amidst the most raucous, late-night parties, he feels detached from it all, like a ghost haunting the living. But a serendipitous encounter with Liza, a dancer with a joie de vivre about her, brings a flood of vibrant color into his gray life. Their lyrical romance forms an oasis in a bleak world, until his inner demons start to reveal themselves.

A heartfelt character study, this graphic novel paints the portrait of a complex protagonist often at odds with himself. At times, Petar writes soulful, life-affirming poetry, while at others he falls into spells of depression and self-destruction. Petar & Liza is a work of meticulous expressionism that reflects Miroslav Sekulic-Struja’s vivid artistic vision. In dazzling gouache, Sekulic-Struja conjures an earthy, street-level view of humanity, bringing to life bohemian environs of dive bars, back rooms, and crowded cityscapes. He paints a world in darkness and turmoil, in which rays of sunshine occasionally peek through.

Advance Praise

"Unpredictable and as strange as life itself, every single picture in Miroslav Sekulic-Struja’s Petar & Liza is an exquisite, beautiful painting—all of which, amazingly, add up to an exquisite, beautiful, emotionally moving and poetically written portrait of an artist, a love story and, finally, a whole generation. I was stunned by it. His work, and this book, feel like a miracle to me." — Chris Ware (Building Stories)