Burma Chronicles (comics)

Chroniques Birmanes, published in English as Burma Chronicles, is a 2007 Canadian graphic novel written and illustrated by Guy Delisle.

Burma Chronicles is a travelogue about Delisle's time spent in Burma with his young son, Louis, and his wife, Nadège, an administrator for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Originally written in French, the book was translated into English by Helge Dascher. The book recounts Guy Delisle's trip to the southeast Asian country that is officially recognized by the United Nations as Myanmar but that is referred to as Burma by countries that do not recognize the military junta that controls it.

Guy Delisle went with his infant son, Louis, and his wife, Nadège, an administrator for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). At the beginning of the trip, the family must stay in an MSF guest house while they search for more permanent housing. Guy stays home and takes care of Louis while Nadège is frequently absent on MSF business. Guy takes Louis on frequent walks around the neighborhood in his stroller and interacts with local people in Burma.

Guy Delisle had previously documented his traveling to countries under oppressive regimes in the graphic novels Shenzhen and Pyongyang, which focused on his extended trips to China and North Korea, respectively. Burma Chronicles, like Delisle's other graphic travelogues, features a simple drawing style and an acute attention to detail. The book tells mostly slice-of-stories and does not focus on politics.

From the author of Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea and Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China comes Burma Chronicles, an informative look at a country that uses concealment and isolation as social control. It is drawn with Guy Delisle's minimal line, interspersed with wordless vignettes and moments of his distinctive slapstick humor.