Belonging by Nora Krug
As I read The Field Guide to Graphic Literature by Kelcey Ervick and Tom Hart, I stumbled upon Nora Krug’s memoir, Belonging, and the following passage (page XIX):
An example of a graphic narrative that reflects these myriad modes of expression [graphic narratives, poetry comics, and literary collage] is Nora Krug’s 2018 Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home, a graphic memoir that, according to The Boston Globe, “erases boundaries between comics, scrapbooking, and collage.” Krug tells the story of her search to uncover her German family’s potential involvement with the Nazis, combining her hand-lettered narration of her quest with illustrations and collage material sourced from family photos, letters, school assignments, and government archives. Occasionally Krug dramatizes a flashback scene in sequenced comic panels, but that is one of many modes of narration in the book.”
As I read the book, I found myself drawn to the book's unique blend of archival documents and hand-lettering, which made the narrative even more intimate. As someone who loves documenting my life, I was completely sold. The book's format indeed resembles a scrapbook rather than a traditional graphic memoir filled with comic strips. Each spread is visually different and colorful, but it all works well and the pages do not feel cluttered. I was interested in seeing how collage was used in a nonfiction book. My issue with collage is that, while I appreciate the eclectic end result, there are frequently too many elements in a collage that can all be interpreted differently. The collages in Krug's book were stunning in their simplicity. The book has given me ideas for how to present information in another language. Krug sticks a piece of paper to the original document, covering most of it but retaining its distinct feel, which works really well. Her style captivated me so much that I would like to incorporate elements of it into my own graphic memoir. The two sections of the book, From the notebook of a homesick émigré and From the scrapbook of a memory archivist: flea market finds, had me eagerly awaiting the next installments. To my delight, I was pleased to learn that Belonging was well-received by an international audience and critics, winning a number of awards. After reading this masterfully crafted book, I became even more interested in graphic novels that don't follow the traditional comic panel format.
