Remember the gnawing feeling when you were unable to turn the pages of a book your friends were raving about and left it midway. Well, perhaps this news may be of interest to you.
A comic-book version of a biography documenting the life of Holocaust victim Anne Frank was recently launched. The officials who released the book say this is the “new way of telling the story and attracting new audiences”. We caught up with avid readers to find out, which book they would like to read in this form and if this will encourage new readers.
“I used to be wary of reading Charles Dickens novels. Maybe if the books were in a comic form, I would give it a shot. I’d also like to read Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice in this form. It’d be fun. The format would certainly evoke interest among readers who don’t have the patience to read through lengthy, often boring, classics. This would be a new approach towards classics and could certainly revive the interest of readers. It might just convert a few non-book readers into book lovers,” avers Sakshi Arora, a media professional.
Moving over from biographies, would classics in the comic form lure young readers? “No please don’t touch classics,” says Class 10 student Vasundhara Singh Bhati. “I don’t want to read Shakespeare or Emily Bronte in the comic form. The feel of the novel goes away. Comics cannot do justice to these classics. However, I’d love to read a comic version of the Twilight series, the book will become much more interesting with pictures,” she says nonchalantly.
Not everyone is against the idea of reading a classic in the comic form. Says, Vibha Kundra, assistant manager, Signature Staff, “I wish there was a comic version of Jane Eyre, when I was in school. At least, it would have spared me the torture. Comic versions of any book will be a success. Also, not to forget it may be much thinner than a biography.”