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jentidders's review against another edition
4.0
At the start of WWII, Francisco Boix (a Spanish press photographer and communist) fled to France but was handed over to the Nazis, who sent him to the notorious Mauthausen concentration camp, where thousands would lose their lives.
Due to his ability to speak several languages and through his links with other Spaniards, Boix was asked to use his photography skills to help the Nazis develop propaganda photos taken at the camp. He then caught the eye of an SS officer creating photographic 'art' from prisoner deaths at the camp.
Boix realizes that although it will risk his life and the lives of others, by stealing the negatives of these perverse photos there is a chance of proving Nazi war crimes.
This graphic biography is sometimes upsetting but documents an important (and unfortunately not well-known) story from the Second World War, showing the immense bravery and sacrifice of holocaust victims who despite their dire circumstances refused to give up fighting fascism.
Due to his ability to speak several languages and through his links with other Spaniards, Boix was asked to use his photography skills to help the Nazis develop propaganda photos taken at the camp. He then caught the eye of an SS officer creating photographic 'art' from prisoner deaths at the camp.
Boix realizes that although it will risk his life and the lives of others, by stealing the negatives of these perverse photos there is a chance of proving Nazi war crimes.
This graphic biography is sometimes upsetting but documents an important (and unfortunately not well-known) story from the Second World War, showing the immense bravery and sacrifice of holocaust victims who despite their dire circumstances refused to give up fighting fascism.
therightprofile's review
4.0
Graphic novels can be used to incredible effect, especially with laying out stories that may have otherwise go unheard. Moreover, its the type of medium where you can take in a panel for an infinite amount of time, as a way to stop it.
I had never heard of the Spanish photographer Francisco Boix or the Mauthausen concentration camp before, until now. This is a semi-factual account about the life and death in the camp as well as the incredible feat, he partook in, of stealing negatives of photos taken by the Nazis that were later used as evidence to expose the atrocities there.
The artists never shy away from displaying the horror and hardships lived there. The art is very intricate with deep, stark lines and dark, pale colours. The narrator's POV helps with immersion into that world and yet, as it is said later, I won't know what it was really like as I didn't live through the atrocities. There are many questions raised here, about doing the right thing and persistence to fight for a greater good with high risk when your life can be numbered at any time, and what happens when something you have fought for so hard is negligible in someone else's eyes. Worst of all, your mere survival suggests to them that you were a collaborator.
I would have appreciated a note regarding what parts of the novel were embellished. As the author mentions in the foreword and I could see for myself, even those freed may not have lived to tell us their story.
I had never heard of the Spanish photographer Francisco Boix or the Mauthausen concentration camp before, until now. This is a semi-factual account about the life and death in the camp as well as the incredible feat, he partook in, of stealing negatives of photos taken by the Nazis that were later used as evidence to expose the atrocities there.
The artists never shy away from displaying the horror and hardships lived there. The art is very intricate with deep, stark lines and dark, pale colours. The narrator's POV helps with immersion into that world and yet, as it is said later, I won't know what it was really like as I didn't live through the atrocities. There are many questions raised here, about doing the right thing and persistence to fight for a greater good with high risk when your life can be numbered at any time, and what happens when something you have fought for so hard is negligible in someone else's eyes. Worst of all, your mere survival suggests to them that you were a collaborator.
I would have appreciated a note regarding what parts of the novel were embellished. As the author mentions in the foreword and I could see for myself, even those freed may not have lived to tell us their story.
ljrinaldi's review
4.0
For the most part, I would say that most of the world is very familiar with the concentration camps that held the Jews. But, there were others that were held as well, and this story tells of one such camp which held Spanish communists, that Franco didn't care about, and let the Nazis have. They were tortured just as much as the Jews, killed, beaten, starved, and experimented on.
François Boix, was a photographer, who fled from Spain, during the Spanish Civil War, to France, just in time to be captured by the Nazis, and put in Mauthausen. There, he manages to survive, and gets a job shooting photos of the deaths of his fellow inmates, because the Nazis, for some reason, want to document it. Perhaps it is art, as they tell him, perhaps it is something else.
And the overwhelming feeling Boix has, through all this, is that these pictures must be preserved at all costs, that the pictures have to get out into the world. That when this is all over, that there will be punishment for those who have done this horrid deeds.
Most of the book is him trying to figure out a) how to survive and b) how to get these photos out into the world.
The sad thing is, he manages to do both. This is not giving away anything, of the story, since the story opens with him being free, but the part where he goes to the Nuremberg trails, and tries to get his story heard is so sad. They only want revenge, they do not want to hear his story.
A little slow in bits, where he is trying to figure things out, but well done, and based on the life of a real person, written from information of those who lived with him, at the camps, and stories passed down.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
François Boix, was a photographer, who fled from Spain, during the Spanish Civil War, to France, just in time to be captured by the Nazis, and put in Mauthausen. There, he manages to survive, and gets a job shooting photos of the deaths of his fellow inmates, because the Nazis, for some reason, want to document it. Perhaps it is art, as they tell him, perhaps it is something else.
And the overwhelming feeling Boix has, through all this, is that these pictures must be preserved at all costs, that the pictures have to get out into the world. That when this is all over, that there will be punishment for those who have done this horrid deeds.
Most of the book is him trying to figure out a) how to survive and b) how to get these photos out into the world.
The sad thing is, he manages to do both. This is not giving away anything, of the story, since the story opens with him being free, but the part where he goes to the Nuremberg trails, and tries to get his story heard is so sad. They only want revenge, they do not want to hear his story.
A little slow in bits, where he is trying to figure things out, but well done, and based on the life of a real person, written from information of those who lived with him, at the camps, and stories passed down.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
sarahscupofcoffee's review
5.0
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In The Photographer of Mauthausen by Salvia Rubio, we’re off to the notorious Mauthausen concentration camp in this historical graphic novel.
Before we get started, I’d like to thank NetGalley, Dead Reckoning, as well as Salvia Rubio, Pedro J. Colombo, and Aintzane Landa for the ability to review this ARC before it officially releases. The Photographer of Mauthausen is set to release on November 11, 2020.
One Paragraph Summary
The Photographer of Mauthausen is a graphic novel that sheds light on the Mauthausen concentration camp through the lens of Francisco Boix, a Spanish photographer who was sent to the concentration camp to live throughout the war. He soon rubbed elbows with the right prisoners and earned himself a spot with the privileged prisoners. Francisco was able to start working with photography again, but the images he was forced to develop, were the not of the nature that he was used to.
Going In Expectations
The Photographer of Mauthausen is available in the Read Now section of NetGalley, if you’re interested. The cover hooked me. I saw that the illustration was gorgeous and I knew the story would be at least decent. From the first page, I was in awe with both the illustrations and the story.
Raves & Critiques
Usually, historical graphic novels don’t satisfy the itch that I have for literature because they’re just spewing facts with pictures. The Photographer of Mauthausen is not one of these novels. Salvia Rubio does an amazing job with the storytelling, layering in historical details, while captivating you with a dynamic plot line.
I read this novel in one sitting, and I usually can’t do that with novels, graphic or otherwise, of this nature. I ate this up because I wanted to know what happens to Francisco and the other characters involved. I genuinely cared about the characters and cried for them throughout the novel.
Also, I am appreciative of the way the illustrations tell the story, rather than caption it. Both elements work well together as they deliver the message of the story. Most graphic novels do alright with this—it is the nature of graphic novels, of course. However, I’m usually not impressed with the cohesion between story and image. The Photographer of Mauthausen blew my socks off because there were definitely scenes that didn’t need words.
Reason for Rating ~ Should You Read It?
This graphic novel gave me Fountains of Silence by Ruta Septys vibes. If you liked Fountains of Silence, you’ll love this graphic novel. It has some talk about Franco and how these two historical instances overlap. In general, if you like historical fiction, you’ll love this book. It has everything: stunning illustrations, a deep plot line, historical significance... everything you could want.
In The Photographer of Mauthausen by Salvia Rubio, we’re off to the notorious Mauthausen concentration camp in this historical graphic novel.
Before we get started, I’d like to thank NetGalley, Dead Reckoning, as well as Salvia Rubio, Pedro J. Colombo, and Aintzane Landa for the ability to review this ARC before it officially releases. The Photographer of Mauthausen is set to release on November 11, 2020.
One Paragraph Summary
The Photographer of Mauthausen is a graphic novel that sheds light on the Mauthausen concentration camp through the lens of Francisco Boix, a Spanish photographer who was sent to the concentration camp to live throughout the war. He soon rubbed elbows with the right prisoners and earned himself a spot with the privileged prisoners. Francisco was able to start working with photography again, but the images he was forced to develop, were the not of the nature that he was used to.
Going In Expectations
The Photographer of Mauthausen is available in the Read Now section of NetGalley, if you’re interested. The cover hooked me. I saw that the illustration was gorgeous and I knew the story would be at least decent. From the first page, I was in awe with both the illustrations and the story.
Raves & Critiques
Usually, historical graphic novels don’t satisfy the itch that I have for literature because they’re just spewing facts with pictures. The Photographer of Mauthausen is not one of these novels. Salvia Rubio does an amazing job with the storytelling, layering in historical details, while captivating you with a dynamic plot line.
I read this novel in one sitting, and I usually can’t do that with novels, graphic or otherwise, of this nature. I ate this up because I wanted to know what happens to Francisco and the other characters involved. I genuinely cared about the characters and cried for them throughout the novel.
Also, I am appreciative of the way the illustrations tell the story, rather than caption it. Both elements work well together as they deliver the message of the story. Most graphic novels do alright with this—it is the nature of graphic novels, of course. However, I’m usually not impressed with the cohesion between story and image. The Photographer of Mauthausen blew my socks off because there were definitely scenes that didn’t need words.
Reason for Rating ~ Should You Read It?
This graphic novel gave me Fountains of Silence by Ruta Septys vibes. If you liked Fountains of Silence, you’ll love this graphic novel. It has some talk about Franco and how these two historical instances overlap. In general, if you like historical fiction, you’ll love this book. It has everything: stunning illustrations, a deep plot line, historical significance... everything you could want.
briface's review
4.0
Graphic novel about the Spanish photographer, Francisco Boix, who was a prisoner of war in the Nazi concentration camp Mauthausen. Boix is given the job of documenting death in photographs and works to secret the film from the camp to show the atrocities at the risk of the lives of all the prisoners.
ocampom06's review
5.0
Narrated by a Spanish photographer, Francisco Boix, The Photographer of Mauthausen, is a gripping look at the atrocities the Spanish experienced during WWII in the concentration camp of Mauthausen, Francisco volunteered for the French army and was arrested when the Nazis invaded and immediately ended up in a level 3 work camp- no one is meant to get out alive.
The focus of this graphic novel is of Francisco working with other Spanish prisoners to get film negatives out of the camp to expose the Nazis. The artwork, drawn by Pedro Colombo, is so realistic and somber that you could almost envision what it may have looked like in these concentration camps. I highly recommend this graphic novel to anyone interested in WWII history as it is a story many would not be too familiar with.
The focus of this graphic novel is of Francisco working with other Spanish prisoners to get film negatives out of the camp to expose the Nazis. The artwork, drawn by Pedro Colombo, is so realistic and somber that you could almost envision what it may have looked like in these concentration camps. I highly recommend this graphic novel to anyone interested in WWII history as it is a story many would not be too familiar with.