''Alice in Sunderland: An Entertainment'' is a 2007

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

by comics writer and artist Bryan Talbot. It explores the links between

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

and the

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

area, with wider themes of history, myth and storytelling. It was described in a review by

Michel Faber Michel Faber (born 13 April 1960) is a Dutch-born writer of English-language fiction, including his 2002 novel ''The Crimson Petal and the White'', and '' Under the Skin'' (2000) which was adapted for film by Jonathan Glazer, starring Scarlett ...

as a "gloriously ambitious mix of myth, history and autobiography", and by

Rachel Cooke Rachel Cooke (born 1969) is a British journalist and writer. Early life Cooke was born in Sheffield, England, and is the daughter of a university lecturer in botany and a biology teacher. She went to school in Jaffa, Israel, until she was 11 ...

as "one the most exhilarating books (she had) read in years" and "a minor masterpiece".

Overview

The artwork for the main cover was drawn and made by graphic artist Jordan Smith. His daughter, Kaya Anna Lawson (Smith) is the model for Alice. She is featured on the front cover as Tenniel's Alice, as well as inside the book as her normal self. The work relates

local history Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural history, cultural and social history, social aspects of history. Local history is not mer ...

. It focuses upon the eponymous city, but also covers other towns and cities in

North East England North East England, commonly referred to simply as the North East within England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of County DurhamNorthumberland, , Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and part of northern North Yorkshire. ...

, such as

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

, Durham and

Hartlepool Hartlepool ( ) is a seaside resort, seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is governed by a unitary authority borough Borough of Hartlepool, named after the town. The borough is part of the devolved Tees Valley area with an estimat ...

. Local legends and tales are documented, including the

Lambton Worm The Lambton Worm is a legend from County Durham in North East England, North-East England in the United Kingdom. The story takes place around the River Wear, and is one of the area's most famous pieces of folklore, having been adapted from writ ...

and the monkey hanged in Hartlepool. It is published in the UK by

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a British publishing firm headquartered in London and founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard (1893–1968) set up the publishing house in ...

, and in the US by

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person, team or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, that is unlikely to succeed but has a fighting chance, unlike the underdog who is exp ...

Exhibition

"Alice in Sunderland: The Exhibition" displayed work from the graphic novel, as well as exploring the various influences. It ran from April 5 to July 1, 2007, at

The Cartoon Museum The Cartoon Museum is a London museum for British cartoons, caricatures and comic strips, owned and operated by the Cartoon Art Trust (Registered Charity 327 978). It has a library of over 5,000 books and 4,000 comics. The museum issues catalog ...

. In advance of publication, pages from the book were on display at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary art in Sunderland's City Library on Fawcett Street.

Awards

* BSFA Award nominee, Best Novel *

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

: Nominated for "Favourite Original Graphic Novel" Eagle Award

References

External links

''Alice in Sunderland'': the official homepage

Interviews

March, 2007
Curioser and curioser – Bryan draws on Alice
''

Sunderland Echo The ''Sunderland Echo'' is a daily newspaper serving the City of Sunderland, Sunderland, South Tyneside and Easington (district), East Durham areas of North East England. The newspaper was founded by Samuel Storey (Liberal politician), Samuel ...

'', March 17, 2008
Review
by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' 2007 graphic novels 2007 comics debuts Comics based on Alice in Wonderland British graphic novels City of Sunderland Comics by Bryan Talbot Dark Horse Comics graphic novels Jonathan Cape books Graphic novels set in England {{2000s-graphic-novel-stub