Mary Talbot's Memoir in Graphic Novel

Mary M. Talbot and Bryan Talbot, her husband had earlier been known for the creation of the immensely famous and readable books: "Luther Arkwright," "Grandville," and "Alice and Sunderland,"Now after a span of many years the writer-illustrator couple have joined hands to bring out one more very interesting book : Dotter of her Father’s Eyes

In Dotter of her Father’s Eyes, Talbot takes on an autobiographical history written by his wife, Mary. Mary’s father was an eminent scholar of James Joyce, who poured his life into his work. Whether tapping away at a typewriter, producing essays and dissertations, or quoting Joycean bons mots, he wasn’t left with much time for his family.

However, he deeply inspired his daughter’s own work, who also went on to become a literary academic. Through her own studies she finds out about Lucia, Joyce’s daughter, and sees parallels between the two daughters’ lives.

Mary’s tale is interesting and engaging, a coming of age story from a female perspective, but where the male artist is as deeply entrenched in the story (literally married to the subject) as the writer. The parallels Mary draws add a rich flavour to the text, and she puts her own knowledge of how stories should fit together to good use here.


Both narratives are elegantly done. Talbot has a keen eye for the revealing detail, an important skill if you are working in comics. She makes connections, but never labours them. Both fathers, for instance, have their prissy side: Atherton disdains chips, while Joyce is convinced that all a girl really needs to know is the right way to carry her umbrella. But she has been helped hugely by her illustrator, a man she did not even have to leave the house to see – for, as you will perhaps have guessed by now, Mary M Talbot is married to the great, Brian Talbott and he has kindly provided for her some of the most beautiful and poignant drawings of his career: black and white for 30s Paris; sepia tones for postwar Britain; full colour for the present day.

He and Mary met and married in 1970 – his drawing of their wedding day, all flares and innocence, will make you cry – and they have been together ever since (this is where the two narratives peel away from one another; unlike Lucia, Mary had a supporter to see her through). And this must be why their exquisite and moving book feels like a celebration, for all that there is so much sadness between its covers. It says: we have survived – and we still like each other so much, we have made this.