Ethel & Ernest

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Nos encontramos ante una especie de biografía en forma de homenaje del autor hacia sus padres. En ella nos relata su vida familiar desde que se conocen hasta que fallecen, donde iremos viendo el paso del tiempo, los progresos, las diferencias entre ambos, etc. Ethel and Ernest' (1998) is an affecting, effectively told and brilliantly illustrated graphic novel, telling the story of Briggs' parents from the 1930's to the 1970's. It is a very lovely, very human story and obviously one very personal to Raymond Briggs. stato un fumetto che ho amato fin dall’inizio. Sono stata catapultata in un’altra vita, un’altra epoca, e percepivo il cambiamento a ogni decennio. Ho provato molte emozioni diverse: mi sono divertita, mi sono affezionata a questa dolce e simpatica coppia, ho avuto paura con loro e per loro, e mi sono sentita terribilmente triste, quasi svuotata, quando tutto è finito. Author-illustrator known for The Snowman and Father Christmas whose books often explored the quiet heroism of ordinary lives Julia MacRae, Briggs' editor, finds it an astounding work. She says: "It's a fearless book. Who would do that? Most people would shy away from revealing so much of themselves. It must have been so hard to do."

This is the way he does it, keeping the world away, pretending to be grumpy, and pouring all of that emotion into the work."I loved the art and colors in this one, and was delighted by the clear affection the author has for his parents. It was fun to read about the couple's dynamics, and this is a wonderful tribute to them. From 1920 to deaths in the 70's...Ethel & Ernest steal your heat!!!! The illustrations are deeply moving of love - War - parenthood - and old age. For author and illustrator Posy Simmonds, there is an immense power to Briggs' storytelling approach. Although they have differing political views and many marital squabbles, they obviously deeply care for each other. Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth

Ethel e Ernest si conoscono per caso. Lei è una governante, lui un lattaio. Si innamorano e si sposano. Costruiscono la loro famiglia in una casa in cui hanno vissuto insieme per tutta una vita. As well as working on a very personal and biographical level, 'Ethel and Ernest' provides a fascinating version of British history through the lens of Briggs' parents lives. Muy recomendable para pasar un rato agradable conociendo a esta gran pareja que seguro que os llega al corazón. Nevertheless, the children of his long-term partner, Liz Benjamin, provided inspiration and source material for other projects, notably The Puddleman (2004), which grew from a remark made by one of the young children on passing a puddle while the family were out walking in the countryside.

The characteristic that the journalist John Walsh described in a 2012 interview as a very English “strenuous curmudgeonliness” had become in later years a stereotype that Briggs embraced, exemplified by his column in the Oldie, Notes from the Sofa, collected in book form in 2015, where he would rail against sundry incomprehensible aspects of modern life. Park says: "They only had a clip ready and they showed it as a treat at the London Film Festival. I remember hearing about it and I was so thrilled to see it. For me it was like a dream come true - I was just so hoping it would reflect his original comic book artwork and it did. It was a real groundbreaker."

As various narrative texts came his way, he realised that not all of them were of the highest quality, and took to writing himself. In 1961 he wrote and illustrated two books, Midnight Adventure and The Strange House, for the publishers Hamish Hamilton, with whom he would have a lasting working relationship. But perhaps the most powerful motivation was a hatred of injustice by authority toward the powerless and naively respectful common man. The latter could be seen most directly in When the Wind Blows (1982), Briggs’s examination of an elderly couple’s attempts to follow government guidelines as nuclear war breaks out; and The Tin-Pot General and the Old Iron Woman (1984), a thinly disguised General Leopoldo Galtieri and Margaret Thatcher. Briggs admits it was a difficult book to write, particularly the parts that depicted the deaths of his parents in hospital. Briggs attended the local Rutlish school and went on to study at Wimbledon School (now College) of Art, the Central School of Arts and Crafts (now Central Saint Martins) and, after a two-year break for national service, the Slade. His father, a milkman, had tried to dissuade his son from studying at art school, fearing that it would not equip him for stable employment. After this devastating period Briggs threw himself into creating a book that was simultaneously dark and joyous, Fungus the Bogeyman. This creature, whose job is to scare humans, lives in a disgusting world full of snot and slime.This story is a memoir of Raymond Briggs' parents living their lives in an extraordinary time. What I enjoyed about this was that it was VERY British (which of course connected with me) and that they felt so 'normal'. This couple isn't famous or wealthy or anything too out of the ordinary, they just have to keep on getting by whilst the wars happen and technology changes and politics shifts all around them. They kind of represent most British people's grandparents I would imagine, or maybe even great-grandparents. They just got on with it, and made it work - they didn't have a choice... There is so much humor and tenderness in this book. The love Ethel and Ernest have for each other is epic and perhaps even more so given that Briggs is focusing on the mundane, every-day stuff of life (even during wartime).

But friends knew another side to Briggs – loyal and playful, an inveterate practical joker. Lord once made the mistake of confessing to a dislike of dogs in the presence of Briggs, thereby immediately committing himself to becoming the recipient of all manner of canine-related gifts on subsequent birthdays and Christmases. Like so many of his characters, Briggs’s grumpiness never quite managed to conceal an underlying warmth and kindness. In 2017 he was appointed CBE.

She says: "I think he makes it real because it's set in domesticity. It's the tiny little details, even when awful things are happening to them. When Jim is bleeding Hilary says, 'Oh no, on your nice shirt'. The mundane details make it very real and very touching. He's wonderful at dialogue."