| Ethel and Ernest | |
|---|---|
Cover to 1999 Hardcover edition |
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| Author(s) | Raymond Briggs |
| Illustrator | Raymond Briggs |
| Country | England |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Graphic Novel Biography |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Publication date | 7 October 1998 |
| Media type | Hardback |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-224-06039-2 ISBN 0-375-40758-8 |
| OCLC Number | 41620728 |
Ethel and Ernest (subtitled "A True Story") is a graphic novel by English author and illustrator Raymond Briggs. It tells the story of the lives of Briggs' parents from their first meeting in 1928 to their deaths in 1971.
Contents |
The story is simply a progression through the lives of the titular couple, from their courtship in the late 1920's to their deaths in the early 70's. Ethel is a lady's maid with middle-class aspirations and firm notions of respectable English behaviour; she becomes a housewife when she marries. Ernest, five years younger, is an easygoing milkman with socialist ideals and an enthusiastic interest in modern progress and technology. They live with their only child, Raymond, in a London suburb through the Great Depression, World War II, the advent of television and other events. The book richly illustrates London working class life and concerns during some of the most momentous social and political developments of the 20th century.
Ethel and Ernest won the "Best Illustrated Book Of The Year" at the 1999 British Book Awards.[1]
Raymond Briggs' earlier works Gentleman Jim and When the Wind Blows feature a couple named Jim and Hilda, who are strikingly similar in character to Ethel and Ernest.
TVCartoons Ltd, the animation company who made the film of Raymond Briggs' The Snowman, is in negotiations to make a feature length film of Ethel and Ernest. A 90 minute animatic (a filmed storyboard) has already been made, and the project was presented at "Cartoon Movie" in Lyon, France, on the 6th March 2009. Veteran UK animation producer John Coates will be producing the film.