When published in 2009, The Art of Flying was hailed as a landmark in the histor
y of the graphic novel in Spain for its deeply touching synthesis of individual
and collective memories. A deeply personal testament, Altarriba's account of wha
t led his father to commit suicide at the age of ninety is a detective novel of
sorts, one that traces his father's life from an impoverished childhood in Arago
n, to service with Franco's army in the Civil war, escape to join the anarchist
FAI, exile in France when the Republicans are defeated, to return to Spain in 19
49 and the stultifying existence to which Republican sympathisers were consigned
under Francoism. The Art of Flying is immensely moving and vivid, beautifully d
rawn by Kim.
It was highly praised in Spain on first publication, where it wa
s compared to Art Spiegelman's Maus. It went on to win six major prizes, includi
ng the 2010 National Comic Prize.
