View source for Habibi (graphic novel)

{{Short description|2011 graphic novel}}
{{Infobox comic book title <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
|title               = Habibi
|image               = HabibiCover.jpg
|imagesize           = 230
|caption             = 
|schedule            =
|format              =
|genre               = [[Romance novel|Romance]]<br>[[Drama]]
|publisher           = [[Pantheon Books]]
|date                = September 20, [[2011 in comics|2011]]
|issues              =
|main_char_team      =
|writers             = [[Craig Thompson]]
|artists             = Craig Thompson
|pencillers          =
|inkers              =
|letterers           =
|colorists           =
|editors             =
|creative_team_month =
|creative_team_year  =
|creators            =
|TPB                 = 'Paperback'
|ISBN                = 0-375-42414-8
|subcat              = 
|sort                = Habibi
}}
'''''Habibi''''' is a black-and-white [[graphic novel]] by [[Craig Thompson]] published by [[Pantheon Books|Pantheon]] in September 2011. The 672-page book is set in a fictional Islamic landscape with "fairy-tale imagery", and depicts the relationship between Dodola and Zam, two escaped child slaves, who are torn apart and undergo many transformations as they grow into new names and new bodies, which prove to be obstacles to their love when they later reunite.<ref name=HarvardCrimson>du P.C. Panno, Natalie. [http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/9/20/habibi-one-thompson-new/ "'Habibi' Gracefully Subverts Orientalist Tropes"]. ''[[The Harvard Crimson]]''. September 20, 2011</ref> The book's website describes its concept as a love story and a parable about humanity's relationship to the natural world that explores themes such as the cultural divide between [[first world]] countries and [[third world]] countries, and the commonality between [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]].<ref>Matheson, Whitney. [http://content.usatoday.com/communities/popcandy/post/2011/08/preview-craig-thompsons-new-graphic-novel-habibi/1 "Preview: Craig Thompson's new graphic novel, 'Habibi'"]. ''[[USA Today]]''. August 19, 2011</ref>

While it has been lauded by publications such as ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', ''[[Elle (magazine)|Elle]]'', ''[[Salon.com|Salon]], [[NPR]]'' and reviewers for the beauty of its visual design and epic setting, it has also been criticized for misrepresenting various elements such as sexuality and its depiction of Arabic culture.

==Publication history==
Thompson began working on ''Habibi'' at the end of 2004 due to the widespread attention given towards the Middle East by the American society after the 9/11 attacks.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/habibi-the-illustrated-review-of-craig-thompsons-ornate-new-epic/2011/09/22/gIQAWSxSqK_blog.html|title='HABIBI': The Illustrated Review of Craig Thompson's ornate new epic|date=2011-09-23|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-05}}</ref> Although the book is preceded by his previous work, [[Blankets (graphic novel)|''Blankets'']], which autobiographically explored Thompson's Christian upbringing and beliefs,<ref>Heater, Brian. [http://thedailycrosshatch.com/2007/05/07/431/ "Interview: Craig Thompson Pt. 1 (of 2)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015021039/http://thedailycrosshatch.com/2007/05/07/431/ |date=2017-10-15 }}. The Daily Crosshatch. May 7, 2007</ref> Thompson conceived ''Habibi'' in an effort to better understand and humanize Islam, and focus on the beauty of Arabic and Islamic cultures,<ref name=NYMag>Kois, Dan. [http://nymag.com/guides/fallpreview/2011/books/habibi/ "Arab Fling"]. ''[[New York Magazine]]''. August 21, 2011</ref> in contrast to their vilification after the events of 9/11.<ref>Kross, Karen L. [http://www.bookslut.com/features/2004_02_001502.php Bookslut "An Interview with Craig Thompson"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020073427/http://www.bookslut.com/features/2004_02_001502.php |date=2019-10-20 }}. Book Slut. February 2004</ref> In the course of producing the story, Thompson was inspired by [[Arabic calligraphy]], interpreting that form of writing as cursive shorthand for an idea, which Thompson says, is the "origin of cartooning".<ref name="NYMag" /> After having worked on the piece for nearly 6 years,<ref name=":0" /> Thompson finally published the work in 2011 under Pantheon Books. The graphic novel has been produced in both paperback and hardcover editions since its initial publication. 

==Plot summary==
''Habibi'' takes place in the present day, albeit in a fictional "Orientalist landscape" named Wanatolia. The story begins with Dodola, a nine-year old girl who is sold into marriage by her poverty-stricken parents. Her husband rapes her on their wedding night. He teaches her how to read and write, which allows Dodola to understand and find appreciation for the [[Quran|Qur'an]]. However, one day, their home is broken into by thieves who murder Dodola's husband and kidnap her to be sold as a slave. During this captured period, Dodola witnesses the thieves preparing to kill a young boy - who she saves by claiming him to be her brother despite their evident ethnic differences. 

This child is the character known to be Zam. Prior to being sold into the slave market, Dodola and Zam escape from their captors and find refuge within an abandoned boat in the desert. However, in order to survive and earn money towards food and clothing, Dodola scavenges the desert and prostitutes herself to passing travelers, which eventually earns her the title of “phantom courtesan of the desert”. As Zam grows older, he becomes increasingly reluctant to stay hidden within the boat until one day he decides to follow Dodola. Zam witnesses Dodola being raped by a passing traveler and Zam is beset by guilt. In an attempt to contribute, Zam goes off to search for water at a reservoir. 

Dodola, however, is found alone in the boat by a group of men who kidnap her for the Sultan of Wanatolia's harem. The Sultan, aware of her reputation and allure, makes a deal with Dodola claiming that he would grant her one wish if she is able to please him for seventy nights - otherwise, he would execute her. Dodola takes upon the conditions of the agreement and is bound to sexual servitude for seventy nights. However, on the very last night, the Sultan claims that he is not pleased by her and imprisons Dodola.

Throughout this episode, Zam is stuck in desert and is confronted with starvation and thirst. In an attempt to retrieve some water, Zam journeys back to the reservoir where he is assaulted by the tradesmen. Zam befriends a eunuch in the nearby village and begins to undertake random tasks and jobs in order to survive. He eventually becomes a eunuch for the Sultan's court where he is finally reunited with Dodola. They escape from the Sultan's palace and attempt to find another place for refuge.

Zam and Dodola come across their abandoned boat in a garbage dump. Rather than live in the garbage dump, they decide to move to another place upon seeing the impoverished conditions of the individuals scavenging the garbage dump for survival. They sneak onto a garbage truck, which takes them into the  city of Wanatolia - an area that is extremely developed and filled with high-rise buildings. They feign being a married couple and Zam finds work within the city as a factory worker. Despite their ameliorated condition, Zam's conscience is disturbed by Dodola's previous treatment and his status as a eunuch to the point where he contemplates suicide. The novel concludes with Dodola and Zam saving and adopting a slave girl to protect her from the same fate Dodola suffered, and making plans to move out of the city.

== Genre ==
Habibi is considered by scholars and other literary experts as a graphic novel, which falls under the greater umbrella of the [[comics]] form.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Beineke|first=Colin|s2cid=208687939|date=2019|title=The Expanding Art of Comics: Ten Modern Masterpieces by Thierry Groensteen|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/735659|journal=[[Inks: The Journal of the Comics Studies Society]]|language=en|volume=3|issue=2|pages=213–216|doi=10.1353/ink.2019.0018|issn=2473-5205}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite journal|last=Groensteen|first=Thierry|date=2016-01-01|title=The Art of Braiding: A Clarification|journal=European Comic Art|volume=9|issue=1|doi=10.3167/eca.2016.090105|issn=1754-3797}}</ref> A key differentiating factor for this particular type of literature is the employment of braiding - essentially the function of making connections across the multiframe.<ref name=":02" /> It is primarily focused on the relationship of the visual composition within a panel to others on a page and other panels scattered throughout the broader work, such as thematic elements and their significance in reference to their positioning within the graphic novel.<ref name=":02" /> Habibi has also been considered as a satire due its emphasis of Islamic influence that is countered by the advent of castration as a means of expressing the "impossibility and undesirability of living as a heterosexual, reproductive male".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hoving|first=Isabel|date=2018|title=Desire at Risk: Queer Reconfigurations of Sexuality and Race in Contemporary Flood Narratives|journal=Revista Canaria de Estudios Ingleses|issue=77|pages=91–104|doi=10.25145/j.recaesin.2018.77.07|issn=0211-5913|doi-access=free}}</ref> Yet, Habibi is most typified by the dramatic elements within its panels that lead many scholars to characterize this graphic novel as being part of a Drama-Romance genre.<ref>{{Citation|chapter=I. Container and contents|date=1985-12-31|title=Child Language|pages=11–14|publisher=De Gruyter|doi=10.1515/9783110882292-003|isbn=978-3-11-088229-2}}</ref>

==Reception==
{{undue weight section|date=December 2021}}

[[File:9.20.11CraigThompsonByLuigiNovi21.jpg|thumb|left|[[Craig Thompson]] sketches Dodola in a copy of the book during an appearance at [[Midtown Comics]] in Manhattan, on September 20, 2011, its release date.]]

Douglas Wolk of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine called the book "as grand and sustained a performance as any cartoonist has published... and that every mark on the page can be a prayer".<ref>Wolk, Douglas. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110922125851/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2094372,00.html "The Line of Beauty: Habibi a graphic novel worthy of Scheherazade"]. ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine. October 3, 2011</ref> Lisa Shea of ''[[Elle (magazine)|Elle]]'' magazine wrote, "Thompson is the Charles Dickens of the genre... [and] ''Habibi'' is a masterpiece that surely is one of a kind".<ref>Shea, Lisa. [http://www.elle.com/Pop-Culture/Movies-TV-Music-Books/Habibi-Review "A Magic Carpet Ride"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924015345/http://www.elle.com/Pop-Culture/Movies-TV-Music-Books/Habibi-Review |date=2011-09-24 }}. ''[[Elle (magazine)|Elle]]''. September 19, 2011</ref> Neel Mukherjee of ''[[Financial Times]]'' observed that the book was "executed with enormous empathy and something that in earlier times would have been called divine inspiration."<ref>Mukherjee, Neel. [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/a9d9033a-def1-11e0-9af3-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1YocqckGS "Habibi"]. ''[[The Financial Times]]''. September 23, 2011</ref> Laura Miller of [[Salon.com|Salon]] stated, "a big, rousing, unabashedly tear-jerking Dumas novel, with fascinatingly intricate designs and fabulous tales on almost every page."<ref>Miller, Laura. [https://archive.today/20120912013544/http://www.salon.com/books/laura_miller/2011/09/25/graphic_novels/slideshow.html "The Best New Graphic Novels"]. ''[[Salon.com|Salon]]''. September 26, 2011</ref> Inbali Iserles of ''[[The Independent]]'' predicted that "The book is destined to become an instant classic, confirming the author's position among not only the most masterful of graphic novelists but our finest contemporary writers, regardless of medium."<ref>Iserles, Inbali. [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/habibi-by-craig-thompson-2360384.html "Habibi, By Craig Thompson: An enchanting epic of love and survival emerges from the desert sands"]. ''[[The Independent]]''. September 25, 2011</ref> [[Glen Weldon]] of [[NPR]] commented, "Of all the books I've read this year, the mysterious, marvelous Habibi is the one I most look forward to meeting again."<ref>Weldon, Glen. [https://www.npr.org/2011/09/19/140498981/mysterious-habibi-cuts-to-the-core-of-humanity "Mysterious 'Habibi' Cuts To The Core Of Humanity"]. ''[[NPR]]''. September 18, 2011</ref> Jacob Lambert of ''[[The Millions]]'' called the book "The Greatest Story Ever Drawn."<ref>Lambert, Jacob. [http://www.themillions.com/2011/09/the-greatest-story-ever-drawn.html "The Greatest Story Ever Drawn"]. ''[[The Millions]]''. September 22, 2011</ref> John Hogan of the ''Graphic Novel Reporter'' commented, "I don’t usually look at books in-depth here in the introduction to the newsletter, but I have to make an exception in the case of ''Habibi''", and proceeded to call ''Habibi'' "easily the best graphic novel of the year, and probably the decade...This is a work that truly changes the game and sets a new standard for all the graphic novels that follow it."<ref>Hogan, John. [http://graphicnovelreporter.com/content/august-25-2011 "Game Changers"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008053415/http://graphicnovelreporter.com/content/august-25-2011 |date=2011-10-08 }}. ''Graphic Novel Reporter''. August 25, 2011</ref>

[[Michel Faber]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' praised ''Habibi'' as "an orgy of art for its own sake", and called Thompson an "obsessive sketcher" whose artwork he categorized with that of [[Joe Sacco]] and [[Will Eisner]]. Although Faber lauded the book's visuals and its message, he found its length wearisome and its treatment of sex to be problematic, in particular the repeated sexual cruelty visited upon Dodola, which Faber felt caused the story to fold in on itself.<ref>Faber, Michel. [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/sep/16/habibi-craig-thompson-review "Habibi by Craig Thompson – review"]. ''[[The Guardian]]''. September 16, 2011</ref>

Natalie du P.C. Panno, writing for ''[[The Harvard Crimson]]'', called ''Habibi'' "exquisite", seeing Thompson's use of Arabic calligraphy and geometric designs as a third dimension that, when added to the familiar graphic novel languages of image and text, broadened the possibilities for expression, perhaps more so for readers who do not know what it means, and must be guided in its interpretation. du P.C. Panno also praised the sensitivity with which Thompson executed his portrayal of Orientalist tropes, particular by the end of the book.<ref name=HarvardCrimson/>

Charles Hatfield of ''[[The Comics Journal]]'' conducted a round table discussion of the book featuring himself, Hayley Campbell, Chris Mautner, [[Tom Hart (comics)|Tom Hart]], Katie Haegele, and Joe McCulloch. Most of the panelists applauded Thompson's visual storytelling, calling it "gorgeous", "mind-altering", "lavish", and singling out elements such as Thompson's use of false light, and the "poignant" image of the wooden ship in the desert. More than one panelist compared Thompson's artwork positively to that of [[Will Eisner]], in particular the fisherman from the story's final act. Also praised was the use of Arabic calligraphy and numerology, the intertwining of Biblical and Koranic vignettes as subplots with the main story, the scripting of Dodola's challenge to "turn water into gold", and the parallels between motifs such as chapter numbers and their content, and between the river and blood. Hatfield thought the book's range of themes, from environmentalism to anti-[[Islamophobia]], to thinly-veiled allegories about water rights, racism, pollution, slavery and rape made the book "way too big for elegance". By contrast, Mautner in particular thought ''Habibi'' was a smoother read than ''Blankets'', which he felt featured too many subplots. Hart and McCullough agreed that Thompson's tendency to delineate every little detail with such obviousness left little to the reader's imagination or interpretation.

The most recurrent complaint was with the book's bleak outlook on life and humanity, and the sexual cruelties inflicted upon the characters, which some of the reviewers thought was excessive, in particular Hatfield and Haegele, who felt that Thompson was condemning such atrocities while simultaneously luxuriating in them. Haegele did not care for the depiction of black characters in the book, finding them comparable to [[Stereotypes of African Americans|racial caricatures]], and calling them "inappropriate" and "disgusting", and pointed to the "cornball" humor in these scenes in particular, and throughout the book in general. Both Hart and Haegele also pointed to Hyacinth's use of [[black American]] vernacular as implausible. Campbell partially disagreed, saying that much of the humor was carefully used to defuse scenes of tension, singling out the flatulent palace dwarf and the fisherman, which others mentioned they enjoyed as well.<ref>Hatfield, Charles. [http://www.tcj.com/a-habibi-roundtable/ "A ''Habibi'' Roundtable"]. ''[[The Comics Journal]]''. October 27, 2011</ref>

Robyn Creswell of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called the book "a mess", and "a work of fantasy about being ashamed of one's fantasies", an anxiety that he attributed to American comics produced by white males in general, pointing to elements in ''Habibi'' that recall the work of [[Robert Crumb|R. Crumb]] in particular. Echoing some of the ''Comics Journal'' round table's complaints, Creswell found fault with the book's depictions of racism and sexism, and its apparent exoticization of the Muslim world without differentiating between fact and fantasy, saying, "It’s often hard to tell whether Thompson is making fun of [[Orientalism]] or indulging in it...Thompson the illustrator is...apparently unable to think of Dodola without disrobing her...it is a conventional sort of virtuosity, in the service of a conventional exoticism."<ref name="NewYorkTimes">Creswell, Robyn. [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/books/review/habibi-written-and-illustrated-by-craig-thompson-book-review.html?scp=1&sq=habibi%20craig%20thompson&st=cse "The Graphic Novel as Orientalist Mash-Up"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. October 14, 2011</ref>

Nadim Damluji of The Hooded Utilitarian called the book "an imperfect attempt to humanize Arabs for an American audience", taking issue with Thompson's ignorance of the Arabic language, his depiction of Arab culture as "[[cultural appropriation]]", and the revelation in the later chapters of a modern, Westernized city in proximity to a primitive harem palace typified by sexual slavery. Though Damluji expressed awe of Thompson's technical skill, found his artwork "stunning", and the ideas derived from his research "fascinating", Damluji observed that Dodola and Zam are given depth by contrasting them against "a cast of extremely dehumanized Arabs" and summarized the work thus: "Habibi is a success on many levels, but it also contains elements that are strikingly problematic...The artistic playground [Thompson] chose of barbaric Arabs devoid of history but not savagery is a well-trod environment in Western literature....The problem in making something knowingly racist is that the final product can still be read as racist."<ref>Damluji, Nadim. [http://hoodedutilitarian.com/2011/10/can-the-subaltern-draw-the-spectre-of-orientalism-in-craig-thompsons-habibi "Can the Subaltern Draw?: The Spectre of Orientalism in Craig Thompson’s Habibi"]. The Hooded Utilitarian. October 4, 2011.</ref>

On November 5, 2019, the ''[[BBC News]]'' included ''Habibi'' on its [[BBC list of 100 'most inspiring' novels|100 most influential novels]].<ref name=Bbc2019-11-05/>

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=Bbc2019-11-05>
{{cite news     
| url         = https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-50302788
| title       = 100 'most inspiring' novels revealed by BBC Arts
| work        = [[BBC News]]
| date        = 2019-11-05
| accessdate  = 2019-11-10
| quote       = The reveal kickstarts the BBC's year-long celebration of literature.
}}
</ref>
}}

==External links==
* [https://www.guernicamag.com/habibi_craig_thompson_9_15_11/ "From ''Habibi'', a graphic novel"]. Guernica. September 2011

{{Pantheon Comics}}

[[Category:2011 graphic novels]]
[[Category:Comics by Craig Thompson]]
[[Category:Pantheon Books graphic novels]]
[[Category:Comics set in fictional countries]]
[[Category:Comics set in the Middle East]]
[[Category:Romance comics]]
[[Category:Drama comics]]
[[Category:Orientalism]]