Liberated
The Radical Art and Life of Claude Cahun
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
Courageous Surrealist artist Claude Cahun championed freedom at every turn, from rejecting gender norms and finding queer love to risking death to sabotage the Nazis.
At the turn of the twentieth century in Nantes, France, Lucy Schwob met Suzanne Malherbe, and lightning struck. The two became partners both artistically and romantically and transformed themselves into the creative personas Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore. Together, the couple embarked on a radical journey of Surrealist collaboration that would take them from conservative provincial France to the vibrancy of 1920s Paris to the oppression of Nazi-occupied Jersey during World War II, where they used art to undermine the Nazi regime.
Cahun and Moore challenged gender roles and championed freedom at a time when strict societal norms meant that the truth of their relationship had to remain secret. Featuring ten photographs by Cahun and Moore, this graphic biography by cartoonist Kaz Rowe brings Cahun’s inspiring story to life.
Ages thirteen to eighteen
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In striking first-person prose, debut creator Rowe chronicles the life of French and Jewish surrealist Claude Cahun (1894–1954)—specifically the gender-fluid artist's pursuit of autonomy while living in a society where "identity is formed... by a world of men." Evocative b&w illustrations with lavender accents render Cahun's experiences being raised by a mother who "struggled with her mental health and held deep-rooted antisemitism in her heart." Quickly moving graphic novel panels detail Cahun's adolescent years spent with their paternal grandmother, who educated Cahun about their Jewish heritage, an act that Cahun credits with influencing their chosen name. After meeting their partner Marcel Moore (1892–1972) in 1908, the two settled in Paris, where they collaborated on artistic pursuits that challenged gender binaries. Following the outbreak of WWII, the couple relocated to the island of Jersey, where they created pamphlets denouncing Hitler. Via sensitively wrought dialogue—some of which was lifted from the subject's own writings—Rowe presents a fascinating portrayal of a figure who directly opposed external expectations and carved a place for themselves within their restrictive upbringing. Archival photos of and taken by Cahun add a historical flair to this contemporary-feeling work. Ages 13–up.
