Antoine is an autobiography, a biography, a documentary, and a historical narrative. Through key moments in the life of the Lebanese actor Antoine Kerbaj, Mazen Kerbaj revisits several periods of the Beirut art scene, from the golden age of the 1960s and 1970s, to the post-civil war, while putting in perspective his own journey, his father’s (Antoine), as well as Lebanon’s.

Antoine will ultimately be published as a graphic novel; meanwhile it is serialised in 26 pages chapters by Lebanese comics publisher Samandal.

In one of his recent comic book series, Antoine, Mazen Kerbaj recounts the events of the day the Lebanese civil war ‘officially’ started. The main characters are his parents, Antoine and Laure, along with a troop of cynical intellectuals that frequented Beirut’s notorious Hamra street cafes. The outbreak causes the play that Antoine was just about to perform to be postponed indefinitely, and for him and his wife to flee to the other side of the city, crossing through what later will be called the green line, and nearly escaping death. The book cuts to scenes from the play, where Antoine’s character is engrossed in a heated existential exchange with The Arab Destiny. It is 1975, the year Mazen was born. The book cannot be more meta.
[Hatem Imam – ifa Galerie Handout]

Mazen Kerbaj décide donc de décrire le parcours paternel avec cette série intitulée Antoine, qui est un peu une biographie de [son] père, un peu une autobiographie, un peu une histoire du Liban. C’est tout ça, passé à la moulinette.
Seul moyen d’aborder cette difficulté : morceler le récit, créer un recueil de petites histoires qui s’articulent entre elles et développent des narrations différentes. Fragmentation narrative et diversité du dessin permettent ainsi à l’auteur d’affronter le carcan d’un récit au long cours. Une constante tout de même : un trait expressif, qui offre un mélange parfait entre un certain schématisme et des détails précis. Antoine Kerbaj, acteur, n’est pas au terme de son parcours, ni le lecteur au bout de ses surprises.
[Le Courrier – Christophe Buisson]

Antoine non si presenta solo come un omaggio alla figurapaterna, come punto di riferimento etico e sociale nella vita dell’autore. Rappresenta ancheuna narrazione sorprendente e raffinata, fatta non solo di parole ma anche di riferimentigrafici, della storia e della cultura libanese dell’epoca. Sul foglio affiorano riferimenti – non sisa quanto casuali – alla musica e alla letteratura, che sembrano concepiti peraccompagnare il lettore verso una immersione totale nel pensiero arabo.
[Fumettologica – Elisa Pierandrei]

Radio Vostock (audio)

Download folder with selected press about Antoine