The Listener

by David Lester

The Listener reveals one of the world's most tragic acts of spin doctoring while weaving a compelling tale of complacency, art, power, and murder. It is a startling little-known story that changed the course of history.
1933: In a small German state, the last democratic election is about to take place before a failed artist named Hitler seizes power. The election is Hitler's final chance to manipulate events that will lead to the death of millions.


2010: After a man dies during a political act inspired by a work of art, the artist flees to Europe to escape her guilt. Through a chance meeting she discovers the truth of the 1933 election. The past becomes pivotal as she decides her future.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, History, Politics

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2011

About the author

David Lester is a painter, graphic designer, cartoonist, and the guitarist in the rock duo Mecca Normal. His graphic novel The Listener was a finalist for ForeWord Reviews' "2012 Book Of The Year Award" in the graphic novel category and was also selected as one of the best books of 2011, so far, by the School Library Journal (New York). His first book, The Gruesome Acts of Capitalism went into a revised second printing. He has created the poster series "Inspired Agitators," archived at The Center for the Study of Political Graphics in Los Angeles, and designed the popular t-shirt "Actually, I like crap." Lester also does a weekly illustration, with text by Mecca Normal bandmate Jean Smith, for Magnet Magazine. His comics appeared in Drippytown #4, Warburger (Slovinia) and Broken Pencil magazine. As well, his cartoons appeared regularly for a year in the San Diego Reader. Mecca Normal recorded an album in late 2012 with Kramer as producer. David is currently working on a graphic novel about Emma Goldman. He lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Reviews

[Paul Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

My heart sinks a little bit when I see the person who wrote the book I'm now reviewing is a "Goodreads Author". I think - hmm, maybe they will look at this. And maybe they won't like the unnecessarily vicious shredding of their 5-years-in-the-making uber-tome which everyone else loves with bubbling putheringforths of adjectival glomp. So maybe I should tone it down a bit. Just for once, hey? Be a nice guy. It won't hurt me. Relax, be happy. Just a book. Nobody lost an eye.

See?

It's okay.

No sudden movements. Gentle summer breeze. Nice.



But.





Aw, now, there really has to be a but? Really?







Well.





But.





Hmmm.....







Maybe you're right. Just this once? If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all. That right?





Yeah, bout right.




















Okay, then. This once.

[El · Rating 4 out of 5]

I go long periods of time without reading any graphic novels, and then when I do I wonder why I take so long between them.

In my house, literature and art are the two prevalent features. When we travel, we search for bookstores and art museums. We spend more time in art museums in other countries than we do in their shops, and we wouldn't want it any other way. Some people travel to shop; we travel to experience.

This graphic novel brings those two worlds together with the additional bonus of history as well. The illustrations are rough around the edges which I rather enjoyed - visually this is an impressive book as the reader has to look closely to see the images within the images. Both the story and the artwork played well off each other. While I appreciated the historical aspect (Hitler's rise to power), I was more drawn to the present-day character of Louise and wanted even more of her. But that's just how I am - never quite happy with what is there, always gotta want something more.

I've read some complaints of this being pretentious, but it didn't bug me. Art, history, politics - all important aspects of our world, and calling it pretentious doesn't make it go away. Deal with it. Take a stand.

So thanks to David Lester (yes, the same guitarist for Mecca Normal) for bringing me back to the world of graphic novels without disappointing me.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book. I loved both the pictures and the text, but was most impressed with how the stories were interwoven.

The book tells two stories in one. Hitler's rise to power is described to the main character - a sculptor named Louise - by a couple she meets while touring Europe. Louise is in Europe dealing with guilt she feels after a protester fell to his death outside her apartment. The spin doctoring which Hitler performed in the early 1930's on his way to becoming Germany's chancellor is an important reminder for those looking to learn from history - especially given the current political environment.

I loved the ending of this book! Louise's next sculpture based upon her own feelings and the history she learned is wonderful. This book has as much to say about the role of art for individuals and for society as a whole, as it does about the historical past.

I think this would make a very interesting book for discussion groups.

[David Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

"David Lester depicts the shadowy relationship between words and actions in The Listener. The black guilt that weighs heavily within Louise and the German couple seeps across each page like a Rorschach blot." -- Nicole Gluckstern, SF Bay Guardian (San Francisco, CA)

"A beautifully and powerfully presented story which reveals how each moment in time can have a huge impact upon the future." -- Dun and Red, a readers’ advisory resource blog (Pima County Public Library, Tucson, Arizona)

"I found it quite a compelling, honest, and provocative read, with highly cinematic illustrations done in a combination of pen and ink, watercolour, and acrylics." --Allan MacInnis, Alienated In Vancouver

"In this striking mixture of fiction and history, Lester makes a compelling argument for the need to continue to speak to others through your political artwork. Along the way, of course, Lester also gives us a lot of great artwork, strong characterizations and a fascinating look into the way Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933. Recommended." -- Brian Cronin, Comic Book Resouces (Los Angeles)

"... there’s a thematic depth and sense of ambition to The Listener that’s admirable. As Lester’s heroine tours museums and contemplates how art often fails to capture real atrocity, The Listener’s intellectual approach begins to reflect what it’s about."--A.V. Club, The Onion

"Louise is an extraordinary original. Speaking as a reviewer of comic art since 1970 and historian of comic art, in some way, for the last thirty years, I can say that no one has captured better this dilemma of the politically-inspired artist. An achievement all the more remarkable because the author-artist of this book has managed to place himself within a female protagonist, with perhaps as much skill as the scriptwriters (one of them, later blacklist victim and my own late friend, Ring Lardner, Jr.) was to manage for his friend, that great actress of spunky women, Katharine Hepburn." -- Paul Buhle, ZEEK: A Jewish Journal of Thought & Culture (San Francisco, CA)

"These stories are all compelling, especially the depiction of the propaganda engine of the Nazi Party in the early 1930s, which relies heavily on actual quotes from the principal players and the press of the day. I knew a little about how Hitler had manipulated the political system in Germany to achieve power, but I hadn't been aware of exactly how it was done before reading this book." -- James Fulton, Things I Like (Toronto)

"This is an amazing book. I loved both the pictures and the text, but was most impressed with how the stories were interwoven. I think this would make a very interesting book for discussion groups." -- Sarah Batchelder, Masters in Library Science, Goodreads (Tuscon, Arizona)

"Lester's novel feels like clippings from a travel diary, from snippets of conversation overheard through a hostel window to the sounds of lovemaking coming through the ceiling at night." -- Laura Janecka, This Magazine (Canada)

"Lester’s monochrome panels are lovely, bringing an emotional payload to all that heavy subject matter." -- Adrian Mack, Georgia Straight (Vancouver, BC)

"...this affecting and thoughtful debut belongs on any grown-up comic bookshelf that also includes, say, Art Spiegelman’s Maus, and Alan Moore and Joyce Brabner’s Iran-Contra history, Brought to Light." -- Adrian Mack, Georgia Straight (Vancouver, BC)

"Lester’s drawing is wonderfully expressive and the book is an intense and well-structured look at a forgotten pivotal moment in history..." -- BK Munn, Sequential (Canada)

"... an epic graphic novel that blends historical fiction, art, and politics... Combining a punk attitude with a refined vision and clear idea of the past..." -- Indie Street (Anacortes, WA)

"Lots of depth, lots of great imagery." -- Comic Attack (Los Angeles, CA)

"Just as Art Spiegelman juxtaposes his contemporary life and his father’s struggles during the Holocaust, Lester similarly contrasts the past and present." -- The Daily Californian (Berkeley, CA)

"The Listener is a good book for anyone who would be classified as either a history buff, an art buff, or a basic comic/graphic novel fan." -- Bernard C. Cormier (Nova Scotia)

"... a perfect theme for a melancholy and mature black and white graphic novel." -- ComicList (San Francisco, CA)

"As for Lester’s art, it sweeps across the pages, changing as if it is alive with his thoughts." -- Kristin Bomba, Comic Attack (Los Angeles, CA)

"The best thing about The Listener is its art." -- Joshua Malbin (Brooklyn, NY book blog)

Available from AK Press: http://www.akpress.org/2011/items/the...

[Lee Foust · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interesting and original work--I never thought that I'd read a graphic novel about so-called pretentious topics such as art, political responsibility, and the rise of Hitler's Nazi party! And yet, here it is, an engaging, thoughtful, informative, and artsy parallel narrative regarding a female Canadian sculptor and the rise of Hitler as seen by a German couple who worked for a local newspaper in Lippe--a city famous for catapulting Hitler to the forefront of German politics in a key local election. The stories are engaging, the historical information fascinating, and the approach (hard for me, a novelist, to define due to a lack of experience with graphic novels) the best part. That is, I really enjoyed the way in which the images, dialogue and notes combined to produce meaning here. At times there were plot elements and historical information I thought would not have worked in a novel, which were more palatable, even perhaps necessary, in the graphic novel format. My appreciation to David Lester for such an original conception!

I'm definitely going to try to get my high-school age son to read this as I think he will enjoy it both for the story and the format, but also for the European political history presented in such an entertaining way--dare I say it, a great Christmas present idea for curious and particularly for artistic younger people. As a university prof., I can attest to the fact that WWII has faded to a near black in the popular imagination of the upcoming generation and perhaps the art and politics are the best topics to preserve from the lessons of that historical moment.

[Mark Robison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graphic novel by the guitarist for Mecca Normal about an artist who wanders aimlessly around Europe after a man is inspired by one of her sculptures to kill himself. She runs into an elderly couple who tell her the story of Hitler’s election triumph in the Lippe region of Germany. Emotional, resonating images done in watercolors and ink make this story of distant, intellectual characters feel like a classic.

[Tina Siegel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What an amazing read! I had a bit of difficulty following the chronology at first, because reading a graphic novel is very different than reading a novel, but once I got into the groove the story just got me. It's heart-breaking and compelling and very human. I like that there's so much empathy for idealists and ideals and artists. Really great stuff.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some might find this a tad pedantic, pretentious or polemic in parts but author, David Lester's heart is in the right place and the story is really well-conceived. One star off for some so-so art but overall this still worth reading.

[Josh Livingroom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another comic about the holocaust. Weird dialog, but amazing unique illustration and a layered story. Pretty great.

[Andrea]

http://citypaper.com/arts/books/em-th...

[Tessyohnka · Rating 3 out of 5]

My step-son-in-law (how many degrees of separation is that?) mentioned that this was the book he was reading, the last time he and my step-daughter were in town. I say that to explain this unusual choice for me -- I think it's my third official graphic novel, not counting all the Dog Man I've read with my grandson. I can't help but feel that just as my grandson uses some intuitive sense to move around his video games, the graphic novel requires some additional mental exercise to find your way -- or at least this one did. I couldn't determine how the artist was connected to the political activist with whom she is paired in the first images of the book. From the outset, I felt as though I was missing something.
I appreciated what the graphic novel has to say about art and protest and was particularly intrigued to learn that at least some of the artists of the Nazi party were put on trial and sentenced to prison for their contribution to anti-Semitic crimes.

[Joseph Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do not like the art nor the choice of fonts. The use of computer fonts over this style of art created an unnecessary dissonance, further exacerbated by the story. The type takes you out of the story.

A historical background of Hitler's rise loosely used to justify protest in the modern world. The parallels just aren't there, or even attempted, and this makes both stories weaker.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps something was lost in translation, but the book never quite seems to connect its disparate threads of art history and the rise of Adolf Hitler (also there's a lot of Orson Welles for some reason), despite the forgettable art, I give it two stars and the benefit of the doubt that it made more sense in French.

[Shawn Conner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hitler's rise to power is one aspect of the Holocaust that I was pretty ignorant of. The Listener illuminates this part of the story while still putting characters - a present-day sculptor from Vancouver, a couple who lived in Germany during the '30s - first. Although I found the theme of the role of the artist to be a bit unnecessary - and to get in the way at times - overall The Listener is a fascinating read. I liked Lester's art, too - though his angled figures and the ink washes take some getting used to, he finds very creative ways to tell his story.

[Chris Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first graphic novel I've read. I have nothing against the genre. But this is a bit thin, and in particular suffered I think from an adolescent tone. I'm sure we've all encountered the type: oh so knowing, oh so superior, oh so intellectual. The depth isn't there, in my opinion. It has its moments, and I think the artwork is great and supports the story well. But I wanted more: depth, maturity, and even history.

[Jennie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.
Sorry fellow Canuck, this disappointed me. The art felt amateur. It felt like a lot of name dropping and quote insertions. It got better as it wore on but feel like it should have been told in a less linear way. It could have been a great story if done another way. Glad it was a library book, not one for my collection.