The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye

Winner of the Singapore Literature Prize 2016 for English Fiction
A New York Times bestseller
An Economist Book of the Year 2016
An NPR Graphic Novel Pick for 2016
A Washington Post Best Graphic Novel of 2016
A New York Post Best Books of 2016
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2016
A South China Morning Post Top 10 Asian books of 2016
An A.V. Club Best Comics of 2016
A Comic Books Resources Top 100 Comics of 2016
A Mental Floss Most Interesting Graphic Novel of 2016
Winner of the Singapore Book Awards 2016 for Book of the Year and Best Book Cover Design

The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye is a biography showcasing the life and work of Chan Hock Chye, a pioneering but largely forgotten comics artist in Singapore. With a career spanning more than five decades, from pre-independent Singapore through its three Prime Ministers, Chan’s work reflects the changing political and economic environment in Singapore.

Containing Chan’s original illustrations, paintings and sketches, this is a groundbreaking work and labour of love aimed at recapturing the portrait of an artist, whose deep passion for comics and country is given a fitting tribute by award-winning comics artist Sonny Liew.

Advance Praise:

“A joy to read. Sonny Liew masterfully weaves the history of Singapore with the history of comics into something you've never experienced before.”
—Gene Luen Yang, creator of American Born Chinese and Boxers & Saints

“Unique and unprecedented... a masterpiece... This book is a joyous, beautiful, million-faceted thing – a celebration of the comic book medium, a technical masterclass, a thrill ride, a Bildungsroman and an unflinching retrospective of the post-war-into-modern era. I love it, and I'm in awe of it.”
—Mike Carey, author of Lucifer, The Unwritten and The Girl with All the Gifts

“Prepare to be swept away by a history of Singapore as you’ve never seen before. Sonny Liew delivers a brilliant and fiercely perceptive appraisal of this remarkable island-state.”
—Paul Gravett, author of Comics Art and 1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die

“Equally uncompromising in its political critique and its artistic vision…leaving you with the sense of having been in the company of an exceptional talent.”
—Cherian George, author of The Air-Conditioned Nation and Freedom from the Press

“A brilliant, innovative work that should be read and savoured by everyone who’s interested in Singapore. [A] beautiful, moving elegy… an introspection – tender, arresting, witty in equal measure – on the very meaning of life, progress and happiness… In a year when Singaporeans will be treated to a relentless barrage of triumphalism, this may well be the most delightful, thought-provoking meditation on the country.”
—Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh, author of Floating On A Malayan Breeze and co-author of Hard Choices: Challenging the Singapore Consensus

Praise:

“Part graphic novel, part art book, part narrative essay, The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye by Malaysian-born, Eisner Award nominated comic artist and illustrator Sonny Liew is a look at Singapore unlike any other before. By reflecting on the life and work of a comic creator whose career spanned half a century, The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye comments wryly on Singapore’s past and present while honouring comics as a storytelling medium.”
— Kenny Mah, The Malay Mail

“Challenges us to understand comics in a whole new way...its unique approach to graphic biography showcases the very impact of sequential narrative and the ways that visuals construct our sense of history.”
— Comics Alternative