Jérémie Dres continues his quest for memory and history. After his
graphic novel, We Won't Go to Auschwitz, which traces Jewish life inPoland before World War II, he offers a new investigation into his
family history, focusing on his relatives who lived in Warsaw. To be
honest, the narrative, while brisk, often drags and could have been more
concise and impactful. The classical drawing style combines rounded
forms, partially breaking with the clear line style, and simplified
character designs, supplemented by numerous archival documents. After
his grandmother's death, he finds a letter from his great-aunt, written
from the Warsaw Ghetto in 1941, which marks the beginning of his
investigation. He begins his investigation in Warsaw, where the graves
of his great-grandparents, who died before the war, are located in the
Jewish cemetery. He extends his research to all members of his family.
Some left Europe for the United States, like his uncle, who, according
to legend, participated in the Revolution before going into exile there.
He finds traces of him and then his descendants. Others, like his
grandmother, came to France and were able to escape extermination by
going into hiding. The author travels extensively and explores various
locations. He visits Warsaw several times, the Holocaust Memorial in
Paris and Drancy, and Yad Vashem in New York. This search for memory
also provides an opportunity to weave in episodes from Jewish history.
Thus, the second visit to Warsaw allowed for the creation of a few
illustrations depicting life in the ghetto and for the 1943 uprising to
be discussed. Similarly, the meeting with those in charge of the
Holocaust Memorial provided an opportunity to recall how the roundups
were organized and the role of the police. The evidence remains tenuous,
and the investigation cannot be fully concluded. The author is left with
his ghosts.
The account of the investigation is moving. A parallel with Bastien
François's book, *Retrouver Estelle Moufflarge*, is worth drawing. The
authors embark on a search without knowing if it will be successful and
ultimately conclude that all the elements could not be gathered. They
publish without concluding, a kind of ongoing search, focusing on
individual destinies, traces of memory that, however moving, respond
more to personal concerns in which the authors place themselves, like a
testimony that raises questions about our time rather than about the
reconstruction of the past.
* Jérémie Dres
The Ghosts of Freita Street
Bayard Graphic 2025 382 p. EUR29.95
https://monde-libertaire.net/?articlen=8701
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