Utterly original: Bob Dylan Revisited - lyrics interpreted as grown-up graphics

There seems no end to the formats in which Dylan’s artistry is now celebrated.

The latest medium to catch my attention is the new hardback book, Bob Dylan Revisited: 13 Graphic Interpretations of Bob Dylan’s Songs.

It’s a fine addition to the Zim bookshelf, presenting lyrics of a selection of classic songs as graphics for grown-ups.

So, for example, Girl From The North Country is covered in five large-format glossy colour pages, with the lyrics running alongside graphic artist Francois Avril’s telling visual interpretation of the song, in strip cartoon form.

Graphic books for grown-ups are exotic in the Anglo-Saxon world, but they’re an important, massively popular, artform in Francophone countries. Unsurprisingly, this delightful book was originally published in French, last year.

Utterly original: recommended.

Achetez ce livre, mes amis!

(Details: Bob Dylan Revisited: 13 Graphic Interpretations of Bob Dylan’s Songs, WW Norton, New York/London, 98pp, large format hardback, Oct 2009, £15 approx.)




Gerry Smith