Drawn in his signature scratchy, obsessively crosshatched drawing style, Crumb avoided doing a satirical or psychedelic take on the work, as would have been expected. Reviewers have called the style "humanizing", with a "human-looking deity" with "enormous, hairy, veiny hands"; unlike much later Christian art, which Europeanized the characters from the Old and New Testaments, the characters in Crumb's book are "plac[ed The clothing and sets in the book were based on stills from classic Hollywood movies, as "there's not a lot of documentation about how people dressed and lived in ancient Mesopotamia.
It seemed to me that the original text was so strange in its own way that there was no need to do any sendup or satire of it. My trial efforts to do that seemed lame, it wasn't working out. Chester Brown wrote "Robert Crumb is probably the world's greatest living cartoonist, and his The Book of Genesis might be his masterpiece. It's certainly the best comics adaptation of biblical material that I know of. Welcome To Arthur About Donate. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem?
Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Anonymous ,. Robert Alter Translator. Envisioning the first book of the bible like no one before him, R. Crumb, the legendary illustrator, reveals here the story of Genesis in a profoundly honest and deeply moving way. They were the foundation, the source, in writing of religious and political power, handed down by God himself. Get A Copy. Hardcover , pages. Published October 19th by W. More Details Original Title.
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Nov 06, Kalliope rated it it was amazing Shelves: , biblical , cartoon-illustrated. I remember writing it down in my pocket notebook his name and the reference.
Well, not true. I knew them but Crumb was not in my mind as their creator. With his Genesis he certainly now comes across of the creator of The Creator. Crumb has done an excellent job with his cartoons even if it took him longer than seve I first encountered Crumb and his The Book of Genesis at the Venice Biennale of Crumb has done an excellent job with his cartoons even if it took him longer than seven days.
The genesis of his project was a joke, but then he became fascinated with it and ended up devoting five years to his Genesis. I have to admit that it took me a while to get adjusted to his style. So, apart from the drama of the vignettes it was a pleasure to read. I was also transfixed by his ability to select the stills that would unfold the narrative and portray the character of the people or of the significance of the event.
Marvelous to look at were his more panoramic views of Egyptian settings, with Joseph speaking in hyerogliphs.. And even if he has remained faithful to the text he has taken some liberties that he explains in his notes.
My favorite is his serpent that has arms and legs until God punishes it and condemns it to crawl on its belly and eat dirt forever after. At least thirteen chapters of the total of fifty deal with Joseph and his Brothers.
View all 35 comments. Feb 26, Bill Kerwin rated it it was amazing Shelves: religion , graphic-novels , jazz , mythology. The second strangest thing is the it contains every word of the original text. This in itself makes the book look somewhat strange to those accustomed to seeing it in other formats, whether it be leather-bound, gilt edged volumes or in the cheap Gideon versions placed in motels. This treatment of sexuality not prurient, but unabashed and unblinking makes the book seem even stranger and richer.
In addition, R. Instead, he honors almost every generation with at least one picture of its patriarch and sometimes the depiction of his family too , and each illustration is detailed and individualized. The result is a deepening of the biblical texture, an emphasis on the countless individual lives from which this ancient book arose. The pictures also helped me to see certain themes I had never noted before, for example, that Jacob raises memorial stones wherever he goes and that Joseph is continually weeping.
For some reason, though, my favorite of all is the open, guileless face of Esau welcoming younger brother Jacob home from exile.
It made me think of R. Crumb and his older brother Charles, another complicated relationship. Enough of my impressions. This is the kind of a book that will leave you with powerful impressions all your own, probably much different from mine. Give it a chance, letting Crumbs faithful yet subversive art work its way with you, and it is likely that your opinion of Genesis—and of the power of cartoon art itself—we be transformed in a variety of ways. View 2 comments.
Mar 28, Leonard Gaya rated it it was amazing. Illustrating the stories of the book of Genesis or any other book in the Bible for that matter is not anything new. It is a foundation of the Christian culture, which has always had a more liberal approach to visual representation than Judaism or Islam.
And so, since the Roman Antiquity and the Western Middle-Ages, scholars and artists have been producing illuminations, stained glass, sculptures, engravings and paintings illustrating episodes of the lives of the patriarchs of the people of Isr Illustrating the stories of the book of Genesis or any other book in the Bible for that matter is not anything new. And so, since the Roman Antiquity and the Western Middle-Ages, scholars and artists have been producing illuminations, stained glass, sculptures, engravings and paintings illustrating episodes of the lives of the patriarchs of the people of Israel.
Robert Crumb falls in with this ancient and noble tradition with this massive graphic novel. A bit surprising, considering that Crumb has made himself known with satirical and underground cartoons and comic books, like Fritz the cat , and even some porn stuff see Snatch Comics. Yet, his Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb is hugely respectful of the biblical material.
Nothing, not even the most shocking or crazy parts, are sugarcoated, ridiculed or left out from the 50 chapters of Genesis. Every word is hand-lettered and each drawing is a meticulous, earnest and lively work, crosshatched with Indian ink. Although Crumb is faithful to the traditional imagery, he does it with a personal touch.
He is exceptionally skillful at depicting detailed and typical faces — the patriarchs look like not too palatable Middle-Eastern camel drivers and hillbillies —, as well as well-endowed, large-rumped women.
The god of Israel appears — mostly in dreams, promising the dreamer a plentiful seed — as a bearded, ill-tempered older man, something of a Gandalf or Dumbledore. The serpent seems to be directly borrowed from an episode of V. To me, one of the major feats of this work is that it makes reading the book of Genesis a lot clearer and more entertaining than merely reading it from a hotel room Gideons.
Because this hotchpotch of primitive myths was compiled some four thousand years ago, in an early civilisation hugely different from our own. And chances are these tales were merely designed, at first, by some priests to provide cultural and political consistency to the nomadic-pastoral tribes living in the Levant. Since that time, generations upon generations have gotten quite riled up about these stories and layers upon layers of tradition and interpretation have fossilised the text under a thick layer of hermeneutical amber.
This unpretentious graphic novel helps reveal the book of Genesis almost as it is. Just to name a few of these weird things — often sexually loaded — in Genesis: the multiple versions of the creation of the world ch.
View all 3 comments. Sep 16, Eddie Watkins rated it it was amazing Shelves: manga-comics. This is the R. This is not Crumb trying to shock or Judeo-Christian bash. This is Crumb directly confronting one of the most powerful texts on the planet and bringing it down to earth; no mysticism, no This is the R. This is Crumb directly confronting one of the most powerful texts on the planet and bringing it down to earth; no mysticism, no symbols, just a hunched-over focus on narrative.
In all its dark crowded flesh and sympathy it's like something Rembrandt would've done. In my estimation an instant masterpiece. View all 18 comments. Jan 10, Michael Finocchiaro rated it really liked it Shelves: graphic-novels , americanth-c , religion.
For those familiar with Crumb's work, it may come as a shock to see that he wrote a massive graphic novel for the biblical book of Genesis. It is beautifully illustrated if you are a Crumb fan anyway and faithful to the text. It is probably not a coincidence that he chose Genesis as his biblical reference because that particular book is full of sex and violence - subjects which Crumb always treated with irony and humour. Due to the violence, it may not be appropriate for young children so don't use it for bedtime stories Aug 20, Kevin rated it it was amazing Shelves: fiction , religion , humor , reviewed , graphic-novel , own.
His underground comics and graphic novels are the stuff of legend. If you have experienced his biography of Franz Kafka then you already know the perverse Nirvana of Crumbdom that fuels my nerdgasms. I ask you, who better to illustrate the book of Genesis, with its disjointed mythologies, incestuous couplings, and holy hypocrisies, than an iconoclastic maverick? He has broken my covenant! View all 7 comments.
Jul 21, Brad rated it liked it Shelves: graphic-novel , religion , sick-and-twisted , madness , shite. Mos Eisley Space Port. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. Actually, Obi-Wan, I found a more wretched hive of scum and villainy some time ago, and it's called the Book of Genesis. Before I detail the scum and villainy that abounds in Western Religion's founding document, let me just add that Genesis isn't even a good story.
It contradicts itself repeatedly, its characterization is unappealing, and if it weren't for its historical importance it could Mos Eisley Space Port. It contradicts itself repeatedly, its characterization is unappealing, and if it weren't for its historical importance it could not be considered a great work of literature. Still, it is hugely important to our world today, and due its great influence, it is a great book. Now that that's out of my system, here's the scum and villainy : God -- The biggest douche of them all is God.
He shows no mercy to Adam and Eve, casting them out of Eden for their disobedience, even though they were tricked by the serpent, which one would assume was also one of God's creations. Then he admits that he botched the creation of man, expressing his "regret" for having made them, so his answer is to slay almost everyone and everything -- except Noah and his family and all those animals I suppose it wouldn't just have been easier to recreate man and get it right the second time.
Next, his pride gets wounded, so he babels our languages. Then he wipes out Sodom and Gomorrah because those folks are evil, don't you know? Then he calls for male genital mutilation as a proof that the followers of Abraham love him -- not to mention God's demand for the total submission of Abraham be asking the man to sacrifice his son, Isaac pretty nice of God to let that one slide, though.
Abe's intent was enough. Then he punishes Pharaoh and Abimelech, King of the Philistines because his own followers lied to them. He eventually rewards Jacob, Abraham's grandson, with the title "Israel" after his sons slay an entire village because his daughter, Dinah their sister , fell in love with Hamor and was "defiled" in some garden variety love making.
Did I mention that God loves slavery? If this cat is up there in the heavens, and I come before him for judgement, I'm going to have to challenge him to "cast the first stone" if any of my crimes, including disbelief, can even approach the crimes he's committed. Cain -- Murderous clod!
Though God bears some responsibility here too. Man -- Before the flood there was human sacrifice how terrible! I wonder if God remembered that before he had his future chat with Abraham , "divine beings" entering human women to make "heroes" and a whole bunch of "perpetual evil. Noah -- Gets pissed to the gills and stumbles around his tent in the nude one night, and poor Ham comes and and sees the spectactle. He tells his brothers, who cover old Noah up, and for his slight, Ham and his son Canaan are cast out, but not before Noah declares that Canaan, his grandson, shall be "the lowliest of slaves" to Shem and Japheth.
Abraham, nee Abram -- Hmmm Not much positive. He practices poligamy with Sarah nee Sarai and Hagar, he casts out his second wife and first son, Ishmael, at the behest of his first wife.
He is willing to slaughter his other son, Isaac, for God. He whores out Sarah to the Pharaoh, starting with a big lie, and leaves Egypt with all the riches of his pimping, and it worked so well the first time he did it again to Abimelech, scoring more land, livestock and slaves for his crimes.
And he is the father of all God's kingdoms. I wish I could be rewarded for shit like that. Lot -- Abraham's brother is a lovely guy too. Some of Gods' messengers pop into Sodom and Gomorrah just before God rains fire on the cities, and Lot takes them into his house to protect them, but all the big, bad homosexuals show up and want to "know" the messengers, so to protect those men, Lot offers up his virgin daughters to the mob instead.
Later, after Lot's wife is turned into a pillar of salt for looking back, Lot hooks up with his daughters and impregnates them, but he was drunk and seduced, so it's all good. Isaac -- What's good for the son must be good for the father, right? So Isaac goes to Abimelech and pulls the same shit Abraham pulled, telling the King of the Philistines that Rebekah is his sister and opening her up to all kinds of suitors.
But it pays off and he gets a ton of goodies from the King, just like his Papa. Then Isaac is fooled by Jacob and Rebekah into giving Esau's blessing to the younger son and he isn't able to fix things before he dies.
Poor Esau who might very well be the only good person in the entire sordid book. Jacob -- This guy's one of the worst, so of course he becomes the most beloved of God and attains the name Israel. He cheats Esau. A single dog-eared page smoothed out, else Fine in a Near Fine, unclipped dustjacket, with some trivial wear to extremities and a price sticker to lower rear panel.
Attractive copy of Crumb's masterfully-illustrated Book of Genesis. Used - Hardcover. Gilt decorated hard cover. First edition, second printing. Illustrated by R. Very scarce in this condition. Fine copy in fine dust jacket in mylar. Published by Jonathan Cape , From Italy to U. Hard Cover in Dj. A rewriting and reinterpretation of the Book of Genesis, from the perspective of one of the world's most famous comic artists.
Used Condition: Good. Gebundene Ausgabe. Norton, New York, Hardcover in dust jacket. First printing of first edition. Book is As New, crisp and clean, with tight binding and sharp corners. Unclipped dust jacket is also As New, fresh and bright. In protective Mylar. Heavy--may require additional postage if shipped outside the U.
Stated first edition. Published by La Cupula Ediciones, Spain, New - Hardcover Condition: New. Condition: New. Language: Spanish. Brand new Book. Miguel Angel, Durero, Rembrandt, Chagall. Also find Hardcover. Crumb, R illustrator. First American Edition. Very good , like new. Norton and Company Inc, New York, A Very Fine copy in shiny faux-leather over boards, in glossy Very Fine illustrated dustwrapper, not price-clipped.
With Introduction and Commentary by Crumb. Black and white cartoon illustrations taken from the Bible stories. First Edition Signed. Jacket is wrapped in a removable Mylar cover. Additional images available upon request. Signed by Author s. Used Condition: As New. Crumb illustrator. Signed by Crumb and his wife and collaborator, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, to title and dedication page respectively. Black cloth fashioned to appear like leather with gilt particulars to boards and spine; back board has a gilt illustration of The Serpent.
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