From History to Comics: I, René Tardi, prisoner of war at Stalag II B

Abstract

Jacques Tardi has frequently used history as a point of reference for his stories. In his last work, the French author incorporates his own father’s personal memories, and, from the written testimonials he left behind, Tardi, painstakingly, documents the experiences of hundreds of thousands of French soldiers and officers who were held captive in Nazi prisoner of war camps between 1940 and 1945. Furthermore, in Tardi’s detailed representation of this period, which has received little coverage in official French history, he demonstrates an extraordinary mastery of the language of comics, and uses many of the narrative techniques specific to this medium. In addition, the way in which the author writes about the conflictive and problematic relationship he has with his father gives a special dimension to Tardi’s final work.