The Belgian Photonovel, 1954–1985

An Introduction

Clarissa Colangelo

€ 45,00 / £42.00

ISBN 978 94 6270 370 4

September 2023

Paperback, 17 × 23 cm

250 pp.

Illustrated, with colour section

English

Open Access ebook available Studies in European Comics and Graphic Novels

The Belgian photonovel is the missing link in the amazing history of the photonovel, a comics-inspired form of visual narrative that combines elements from very different genres and media, ranging from literary melodrama, cinema, and of course comics. This monograph discloses the specific Belgian contribution to the genre, in close connection with the singularities of the Belgian women’s and general magazines where these photonovels appeared. If the photonovel is generally considered a typically French or Italian genre, this study demonstrates the importance of a different tradition, which appropriated the foreign models in a very original way. Belgian photonovels are distinct, not only because they tell other kinds of stories, but also because they interact with other types of magazines in ways that are very different from the mainstream forms of the genre in Italy and France. Finally, this lavishly illustrated study is also the first in scrutinizing the technical aspects of magazine printing techniques in the development of the photonovel.

Clarissa Colangelo holds a PhD in literary and cultural studies and is affiliated with KU Leuven, where she is conducting research on the visual aspects of magazine culture in collaboration with the Belgian National Library (KBR).

Free ebook available at OAPEN Library, JSTOR, Project Muse, and Open Research Library

For more information about the series, visit www.lup.be/comics