Dear Historian

A big fat tear has just plopped onto the final page of Dear Historian. What a perfect book… A complete masterclass. So well-observed, so clever, so funny, so beautifully made… I think this book observes old age better than any fiction I can think of. Truly special. – Max Porter
A kind, warm, understated book about ageing and bereavement and friendship across the generations – Mark Haddon
The quiet but touching story explores an unexpected friendship between a septuagenarian historian and a younger TV producer. Winterhart’s use of monoprinting — a labour-intensive process of drawing on paper atop an inked sheet of glass — lends texture to the monochrome scenes, imbuing them with a visually layered archaeology that befits his subject. * Financial Times *
Exquisitely observed and utterly brilliant * Sunday Times *
Offbeat and understated, while absolutely radiating pathos, humour and charm. [Winterhart] has a knack for zeroing in on the most unassuming characters and allowing them to shine in all their idiosyncrasy. I found this very funny but also deeply moving, and so skilfully judged — his work moves in a way that feels entirely natural and believable, resisting grand finales in favour of what feels real and true – Lisa Owens
‘A delightful odd-couple story about two women bringing the past to life…I thought it would be hard for Winterhart to top Driving Short Distances, one of my favourite graphic novels of the past 10 years. But somehow, with this rather offbeat premise, he’s managed it…The story Winterhart weaves around this curious clash of personalities is an unmitigated delight’ – Killian Fox * Observer Graphic Novel of the Month *
Brilliant… Offbeat, poignant, incredibly funny. It will win your heart! – Claire Powell, author of ALL IN
Supported by consistently spot-on dialogue and scenes, the development of this friendship between two lonely souls sharing a common grief lends a unique depth to a delicate story * Le Monde *
A masterpiece of graphic literature * Planète BD *
A witty, touching, and sometimes very funny album. […] Dear Historian is above all a remarkably subtle study of manners and the image we have of ourselves and the image we think we project * Livres Hebdo *

Joff Winterhart is an artist, writer, occasional film-maker, ‘drummer’, and dog fan. His graphic novel Days of the Bagnold Summer was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award in 2012 and adapted into a film. His second graphic novel Driving Short Distances came out in 2017. He also made the animated films Two Guys I know and Violet and Turquoise, which won the Cymru BAFTA for best animation in 2003. He lives in Bristol, where he plays drums and writes songs in the long-running band Bucky, and thinks about getting a new dog.

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