Robert Capa: A Graphic Biography

Gr 9 Up—The man who gained fame as photographer Robert Capa was born Endre Friedmann in Budapest, Hungary, in 1913. Though he was selling frontline photos from the Spanish Civil War at the age of 23, it wasn't until his companion Gerda Taro rechristened him as roguish American "Robert Capa" that editors worldwide began to take notice. Taro (who was born Gerta Pohorylle and took a new name of her own) and Capa were daring photographers, and Taro's photos were at times published under Capa's byline. Silloray's drawings, in shades of black, brown, tan, and chalky white, echo Capa's most famous shots, interspersed with frames of Capa and Taro's frantically paced lifestyle. Capa is rarely drawn without a cigarette, and after Taro's death at 27, he continued drinking, gambling, and romancing until his own death at 41, in a field near Thai Binh in Vietnam. The book contains some nudity and sexual situations. Silloray makes excellent use of the graphic novel format, with Capa narrating his own story through detailed, emotionally rich illustrations.