Polina - Tapa dura

"A distinctly continental sort of graphic novel: 200 sepia-tone pages of rambling story about a young ballet dancer’s training and young adulthood, rather like Black Swan without the madness and body horror." (Tim Martin Daily Telegraph)

"An absorbing tale... Both the art and the narrative are compelling and arresting and it isn’t long before the book has you in its gentle grip." (Bookmunch)

"Thrillingly minimalistic... Who knew you could express so much in so few lines?" (Herald)

"I was seduced immediately... This is an exceptionally absorbing and touching book, one that should be required reading for teenage girls everywhere." (Rachel Cooke Observer)

"Vivès conveys emotions with the lightest of touches... a perceptive look at the things in a ballerina’s life that fuel her artistry. But it will also delight readers unfamiliar with ballet. It reminds us that youthful hopes and disappointments may be innocent, but they are not necessarily shallow. They can be turned into great art." (Economist)

As a very young girl, Polina Oulinov is taken on as a special pupil by the famous ballet teacher Professor Bojinsky. He is very demanding and refuses to adapt his standards to the talents of his pupils, and Polina has to work hard and make great sacrifices in order to reach the level Bojinsky senses she has the talent for. When she graduates and is admitted to the official theatre school, she discovers that Bojinsky’s view of ballet is only one of many and that she can’t adapt to new rules, new visions. She flees Russia for Berlin, where she meets a group of drama students. Together they create a new form of theatre – and conquer the world.

Brilliantly drawn, Polina is a moving and intimate story of self-discovery. It confirms Bastien Vivès as one of the most exciting talents at work in the graphic novel field today.