Big Questions Paperback by Anders Nilsen

Product Details

• Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly (2011-08-16)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 658 pages
• ISBN-13: 9781770460478
• Item Weight: 1899.45 grams
• Dimensions: 23.37 x 18.8 x 5.08 cm

A New York Times Notable Book of 2011, included on Amazon.com, Publishers Weekly, and NPR'S Best Comics lists

A haunting postmodern fable, Big Questions is the magnum opus of Anders Nilsen, one of the brightest and most talented young cartoonists working today. This beautiful minimalist story, collected here for the first time, is the culmination of ten years and more than six hundred pages of work that details the metaphysical quandaries of the occupants of an endless plain, existing somewhere between a dream and a Russian steppe. A downed plane is thought to be a bird and the unexploded bomb that came from it is mistaken for a giant egg by the group of birds whose lives the story follows. The indifferent, stranded pilot is of great interest to the birds—some doggedly seek his approval, while others do quite the opposite, leading to tensions in the group. Nilsen seamlessly moves from humor to heartbreak. His distinctive, detailed line work is paired with plentiful white space and large, often frameless panels, conveying an ineffable sense of vulnerability and openness.
Big Questions has roots in classic fables—the birds and snakes have more to say than their human counterparts, and there are hints of the hero's journey, but here the easy moral that closes most fables is left open and ambiguous. Rather than lending its world meaning, Nilsen's parable lets the questions wander where they will.

About the Author

Anders Nilsen is an award-winning cartoonist and visual artist. He is the author of several books, includingDon't Go Where I Can't Follow and the magnum opus Big Questions, for which he was awarded the 2012 Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize by the Pennsylvania Center for the Book and the Ignatz Award, and was nominated for the top prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. Nilsen's works have been translated into a number of languages, and he has exhibited his drawing and painting internationally.