Rebetiko

Greece, 1936 


Under the heel of military dictatorship, and pursued by the state censor (and worse), the backstreet musicians known as the “rebetis” are driven further into the shadowy margins of this new regime, to nurture the spirit of their gritty urban blues – and the freedom it represents. 


David Prudhomme’s award-winning graphic novel celebrates a day in the life of the rebellious Stavros, and his jailbird friends, as they play, dance, smoke, drink, and dodge their way through the slums and squares of Athens, living and singing the soundtrack of a changing world. 


Rebetiko illuminates the joys and sorrows of this lesser-known “jazz age” in an unflinching and timeless portrait of the archetypal outsider.


Praise for Rebetiko:


“Prudhomme re-creates the music deftly, using small panels that echo the darkness, the closeness, of the cafés while also filling them with movement” – LA Times


“A convincing portrayal of the pressures and pleasures faced by artistic and political outsiders.” – Booklist