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The Shriek of Araby
TOMASZ PIERSCIONEK relishes a collection of cartoons that focus on Palestine from the period 1917 to 1948
ALEX HALL is intrigued by a detailed history of Gaza that demonstrates its historic resilience and changing economy
RON JACOBS welcomes the long overdue translation of an epic work that chronicles resistance to fascism during WWII
MAYER WAKEFIELD is chilled by the co-dependency of two lost souls as portrayed by German communist playwright Franz Xaver Kroetz
The Star's critics BRETT GREGORY, JOHN GREEN, MICHAEL BONCZA and ANGUS REID review The Stimming Pool, Misericordia, La Cocina, Irena’s Vow, and The End
CHRIS MOSS welcomes a radical history that brings marginalised stories and overlooked people and agencies to the centre
ANDREW HEDGECOCK relishes visual storytelling with no respect for genres, movements or styles
Drawn to the Promised Land: A cartoon history of Britain, Palestine and the Jews: 1917-1948
Tim Benson, Halban Publishers, £14.99
DRAWN TO THE PROMISED LAND is a compilation of over 200 cartoons focusing on events that shaped the region known as Palestine between the years of 1917 (Signing of the Balfour Declaration) and 1948 (Israel’s establishment as a state).
The political cartoons featured in the book are mostly taken from major British, American, or Australian publications and reflect the zeitgeist of the time as they detail dramatic, pivotal or harrowing events taking place in the three decades prior to 1948. We are also treated to the illustrations of famous Soviet cartoonist Boris Efimov as well as those of the Daily Worker’s very own Jimmy Friell (Gabriel).
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The political drawings depict how Britain wrested the mandate for Palestine away from a declining Ottoman empire in 1917, as well as how its hapless policies in the ensuing years affected the lives of Jews and Arabs alike.
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