Little Russia

“Everyone should read it.”
–Mike Donachie, The Toronto Star

A small village in the north of Quebec, Guyenne is run as a cooperative, with 50% of the inhabitants’ paychecks going into a communal pot to develop the colony–hence the village’s nickname of “Little Russia.” Based on the memories of author Francis Desharnais’ grandparents, who lived in Guyenne from 1948 to 1968, this moving graphic novel delves into family history to explore Canada’s rural heritage through the lens of both grassroots socialism and early feminism. An intimate story of epic scale, and the winner of multiple “Best Book” awards, Little Russia is a fascinating foray into an unusual and largely forgotten social experiment.

AUTHOR

Francis Desharnais

Francis Desharnais is one of the most prolific authors in Quebec’s growing comics scene, with titles including Art Wars, the Motel Galactic trilogy, and Burquette, which was adapted as an animated series by the National Film Board of Canada. Little Russia, his most recent release, has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Prix des libraires du Québec and the Grand prix de la ville de Québec for best graphic novel. He is also a member of Groupe Kiwistiti, an animation collective which he co-founded in 1999.

Reviews

“It’s full of intriguing ideas and presents hardships and injustices alongside the successes, and it’s a story of settlers and aspirational, imperfect humanity. Everyone should read it.”–Mike Donachie, The Toronto Star