{"id":31384,"date":"2025-01-22T09:00:10","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T09:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=31384"},"modified":"2025-01-21T17:12:56","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T17:12:56","slug":"django-hand-on-fire-the-great-django-reinhardt-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/01\/22\/django-hand-on-fire-the-great-django-reinhardt-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Django, Hand on Fire: The Great Django Reinhardt"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Salva Rubio & Efa<\/strong>, translated by Matt Madden<\/strong> (NBM)
\nISBN: 978-1-68112-287-8 (HB) eISBN: 978-1-68112-288-5<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> included for dramatic effect.<\/em><\/p>\n

The world has now formally and officially gone to hell in a handcart, so how about some soothing, jolly music – or at least some comics about that music?<\/em><\/p>\n

Publisher NBM\u2019s line of European-originated biographies never fails to delight, with this oversized luxury hardcover (also available in digital formats) one of the most engaging thus far: skilfully deconstructing – when not actually aiding and adding to – the myths and legends surrounding a top contender for the title of greatest guitar player of all time…<\/p>\n

Django, Hand on Fire<\/strong> rewardingly reunites award-winning screenwriter, historian and novelist Salva Rubio (Max<\/strong>; The Photographer of Mauthausen<\/strong>) with animator\/illustrator Ricard Fenandez (AKA Efa of Les Icariades<\/em><\/strong>; Rodriguez<\/em><\/strong>; L\u2019\u00c2me du Vin<\/em><\/strong>; Le Soldat<\/em><\/strong>). Their other collaborations are also beautiful biographies – Monet: Itinerant of Light<\/a> <\/strong>and Degas & Cassatt: A Solitary Dance<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Originally released in France, the translated story of Django, main de feu<\/em><\/strong> is preceded here by an introductory prose appraisal from Thomas Dutronc before a stunning confection of painterly images traces the life of the troubled and unfortunate Roma musician from his fraught birth in a frozen field in Belgium to his second birth and reunion with the true love he threw away and found again. That natal moment was in 1910 as his father and the other itinerant performers of their tribe were eking out a wage entertaining outworlders.
\n\"\"
\nBy 1922, the troupe were resident in Paris\u2019 \u201cZone\u201d: an enclave for \u201chis sort\u201d where social outcasts like gypsies could reside until posh folks found a use for them. The lad was cocky and troublesome, an arrogant illiterate born for mischief but blessed with astounding musical skill. His life turned around when his mama acquired a six-string banjo for him and all his energies suddenly refocussed on mastering music. Soon Django was making money – and losing it gambling – even before he was considered a man…<\/p>\n

Still an emotional child, he became the star of a professional (adult) band but his actions and attitude lost him many friends and family and ultimately the girl who adored him: Irma<\/em> AKA Naguine<\/em>. She faithfully trailed in his wake as producers and record publishers tracked the young man and watched in resignation as he succumbed to the shining blonde glory of faux flower artisan Florine\/Bella<\/em>. Naguine left the Zone entirely when Django and the flower girl wed, but swore to return…<\/p>\n

The musician\u2019s meteoric rise stalled only as he awaited his first child\u2019s birth. As they slept in their wagon, it caught fire and although Bella got out, Django was badly burned on his legs and left hand. How – driven by his formidable mother – he battled back to overcome his life-changing injuries and, by changing his style, mastered another instrument, found undying fame and finally realized where his true love lay is a fabulous (if not strictly accurate) tale to warm the heart and gladden the eyes…<\/p>\n

The pictorial paean to persistence and testament to passion is supported by a Bibliography and Creator Biographies plus \u2018Django Reinhardt, from mystery to legend… In the light of History\u2019<\/em>: a fulsome, copiously-illustrated essay detailing the author\u2019s factual choices and path to this particular truth, categorised and examined in \u2018A mythical birth\u2019<\/em>; \u2018The Zone\u2019<\/em>; \u2018An interloper in the world of bal-musette\u2019<\/em>, \u2018J\u2019ai deux amours:<\/em><\/strong> Naguine and …le jass…\u2019<\/em>, \u2018The Cross of Blood…\u2019<\/em>; \u2018…and the fiery flowers\u2019<\/em>; \u2018Hospital for the Poor\u2019<\/em> and \u2018Hand on fire\u2019…<\/em><\/p>\n

Sparkling and inspirational, this is treat for every music historian and intrigued dilettante: a beguiling magic window into another world and one you should seek out tout de suite<\/em>…
\n\u00a9 DUPUIS 2020 by Rubio, Efa. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Salva Rubio & Efa, translated by Matt Madden (NBM) ISBN: 978-1-68112-287-8 (HB) eISBN: 978-1-68112-288-5 This book includes Discriminatory Content included for dramatic effect. The world has now formally and officially gone to hell in a handcart, so how about some soothing, jolly music – or at least some comics about that music? Publisher NBM\u2019s … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Django, Hand on Fire: The Great Django Reinhardt”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[115,214,122,105,328],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biography","category-european","category-historical","category-mature-reading","category-music"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-8ac","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31384"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31388,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31384\/revisions\/31388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}