Alexandr Poltorak (right) and Dmitry Chukhrai (left) present the most ambitious graphic novel literary adaptation yet—War and Peace: The Graphic Novel (Andrews McMeel Publishing). This faithful adaptation celebrates Leo Tolstoy’s beloved and timeless classic novel. The project was started in 2018, has recently been published and is accompanied by an introduction from the Tolstoy Library in Moscow. War and Peace remains Leo Tolstoy’s epic masterpiece and it is widely regarded as one of the world’s finest literary achievements. Tolstory’s novel chronicles the French invasion of Russia and the impact of the Napoleonic era on Tsarist society through the stories of five Russian aristocratic families. The illustrations are made in the style of ancient painting of that century. But this is a combination of two drawings—ink drawing, which allows you to achieve the necessary and accurate detail, and watercolor, which gives the volume, shadows and tones characteristic of Russian classical painting of the nineteenth century. Russian newspapers have already celebrated and attended the presentation of this project pre-publication in December of 2019.

What do you enjoy about the graphic novel medium and what do you feel that it affords writers and illustrators that the novel form cannot accomplish?

A graphic novel is a self-containing work of fiction, and if it’s based on literature it will inevitably differ from the original book. It is a specific form, based primarily on visual art rather than on words. Here is a most basic example: in order to create an image of a villain, a writer might have to provide a complex description of the character, his attitude and behavior. While an artist can simply draw this character as evil, and this single picture will be enough for the reader to recognize who is in front of them.

We tend to have those pointless discussions: which one is better, a book or its screen adaptation; the same goes for graphic novels, versus works of literature they are based upon. A graphic novel is an artist’s or a group of artists interpretation of a literary work—their vision, thoughts and impressions.

“Literature comes first, without question.”

Literature comes first, without question. Those who have read the book will enjoy how images come to life; they may argue or agree with the artist’s vision, compare it to their own interpretation. Those who haven't will enjoy the graphic novel in itself and, possibly, will want to read the original book after.

Why is War and Peace a classic work of literature and why is it important to continue to read this novel, to this very day?

War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy’s great saga became one of the first large-scale works of literary realism and holds its rightful place among other world classics. The book describes, not just the way people are caught up in the storm of a great war, but also how their destinies intertwine. It’s also about changes in consciousness and perception; about the human soul in an era of a rolling upheaval. About how the strong change to adapt, while the weak just imitate it. Look at Pierre: sweet and naive at first, he admires Napoleon who changed the whole European order; later he believes that his higher purpose is to kill his former idol, who is tormenting his country, but in the end he discovers his true, totally different purpose. The world we live in now is so fast-changing, and War and Peace makes us consider whether we are ready for the change and if we can change ourselves; what our purpose is and how to get there. Besides, it’s a truly captivating book, and it often does not provide the reader with unequivocal answers, leaving it up to them.

“The world we live in now is so fast-changing, and War and Peace makes us consider whether we are ready for the change and if we can change ourselves…”

What has it been like for you in working with Allison Adler and the team at Andrews McMeel in publishing War and Peace: The Graphic Novel?

Just fantastic! They maintain a sincere respect for the authors in every way. It’s a pity we haven't met in person yet, and I am very much looking forward to it. Moreover, we have a deep mutual understanding with the entire Andrews McMeel team. For example, there was a need to technically redesign the layout to meet printing requirements. I wanted to explain why it was originally done this way and not that way, but the Art Director wrote something like, "it's easier for the author to do this, but I like the expressiveness of the original version better..." I was happy that she got my concept, and we found a way to preserve it to the fullest extent possible.

“Cigarette smugglers invested the money they earned into the publishing business.”

Besides, you should know that my brother and co-author Dmitry and I are from Russia. Publishing houses in Russia have their own specifics. In the USSR, all publishing houses were subject to strict censorship. It was the author's engagement among the communist elite that mattered more than talent or ability. Then came perestroika and the era of random people. Cigarette smugglers invested the money they earned into the publishing business. Their policy was: "the author is of a trifling to nobody," and it often remains the case to this day. Can you imagine, one of Russia's largest publishing house’s websites, declaring something along these lines: "We are frequently asked: how much will I get paid for my book? The answer is—almost nothing" ...who then will create anything? When a person destroys their own foundation, we say in Russian that they chop off the branch they are sitting on. Russian publishers with their attitude to authors and literature have cut down the whole tree and covered the ground with salt. These people came into one of the largest book markets in the world and practically destroyed it in just a few years. As a result, contemporary Russian literature is in terrible decline. But I am an optimist and I believe that things are gradually coming back to normal, sometimes the hard way, but it’s happening. Unfortunately, though, more than one generation of publishers will have to change before we have publishers like the Andrews McMeel's team in Russia.

How did you get your start in writing graphic novels? I have heard that comics and graphic novels are scarcely-known in Russia.

That's not entirely true. Comics were very popular but hard to come by. When I was a kid (in Soviet times) I used to go to the French embassy, where once a month, after standing in a huge line, I could buy an issue of a Pif comic book. My brother, Dmitry went even further. When he was a kid, he traded the family's 18th-century ring for a pack of comic books. When our parents found out it was already too late, and they never got the ring back...

“When he was a kid, he traded the family's 18th-century ring for a pack of comic books.”

Graphic novels are very popular in today's Russia, but, as I explained earlier, Russian publishers are not ready to pay fair royalties to authors; the creation of graphic novels is a very long and laborious process, so we mostly get foreign editions translated into Russian.

My brother and I always wanted to create our own graphic novel. For starters, we made our first small graphic novel based on our own storyline; it went well, and we realized that we are ready for a big-scale project. For War and Peace we had a foreign publisher in mind from the beginning. We hoped that an adaptation of a major classic by Russian artists—with their own unique style in the spirit of classical Russian painting of the 19th century—will be of interest to American readers.

Can you tell us what your creative process is like? Any special rituals or practices that help you write?

How are we different from machines? People are irrational, and creative people are twice as irrational. You can't rationally create a work of art—you just get a technical handbook. Any creative person has their own superstitions and signs. It's mostly very personal, but I can share one curious secret. Faced with creative irrationality, the symbol of the rational world—the computer—can malfunction unpredictably because of the intrusion of the irrational into the rational. If you want for the technology to run smoothly, you need a guide between these two worlds. Who else but cats can be incredibly rational and completely unpredictable at the same time? If you don’t own a cat, invite one for a visit. All my computers, scanners, and other equipment were blessed by Cookie the Cat and it helped avoid program freezes and unexpected crashes. Would everything have worked without him? Probably, but I’m not going to check. And, of course, until the project is finished, don't install any updates, or else even a cat won't help...

“Who else but cats can be incredibly rational and completely unpredictable at the same time? If you don’t own a cat, invite one for a visit.”

What do you think Leo Tolstoy would think about your graphic novel adaptation of War and Peace, if he were alive today? 

I am sure that Leo Tolstoy would have regarded it with great interest and certainly would not have condemned the idea as such. Let us remember what kind of person he was. The image of the count in peasant clothing is only one side of him. Leo Tolstoy was a very modern man, always striving for all things new. He was a regular at the first movie theater; he learned to ride a bicycle at the age of sixty-seven; he listened to music on the gramophone, an innovation at the time. I'm just sure he would have approved of the idea of a graphic novel based on his work. I’d be very curious to get his opinion on the images we created, on our vision of his characters. There is good reason why at the beginning we spent so much time studying portraits and photographs of real people who were prototypes for the characters in the novel.

Do you see War and Peace: The Graphic Novel as an important teaching aid in classrooms—as a teaching companion to the original novel War and Peace?

Definitely. And there are two important points here:

Firstly, we tried to make the graphic rendering correspond to the original era. The costumes, the mansions, the interior elements—we tried to make it look as authentic as possible. We highlighted the main storyline of the novel, but did not change it. War and Peace is a very serious and important work and it's worth returning to as an adult; but it's important to get an idea of it while still at school.

Secondly, children and young people now read significantly less. Reading is no longer a popular pastime. More often than not, a kid needs an additional incentive to pick up a book. A graphic novel can be just that incentive. I am sure that many kids after reading our graphic novel will want to compare it to the original work. And those who never read Tolstoy's novel will get an idea of it and see it through our eyes.

I believe that a lot of high school students could benefit from our work; and for some it will help discover the world of classical Russian literature.

Can you tell us what you thinking of writing next?

We are currently working on a graphic novel based on a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Our immediate plans include graphic novels based on other Dostoevsky’s novels and on the works of Nikolai Gogol. In addition, we want to create a graphic novel based on William Faulkner's The Undefeated.

The Undefeated is a wonderfully interesting and graphic work. I think a Russian take on the American classic will be of interest to American readers. The plot of The Undefeated is something we in Russia can really relate to. Russia also went through a civil war, and there were more tremendous changes in our country than is possible.

Besides, we are thinking of eventually making a graphic novel based on our own original storytelling. It dwells upon the Jacques Jamais’ Traveling Circus (jamais means never in French) and takes place in France during the French Revolution. The protagonist is a dwarf named Jacques Jamais, a very controversial character. It will be all about the inhumane world of revolution, with the following quote as an epigraph: “…any revolution is invented by romantics, carried out by fanatics, and used by scum. A cruel world where souls are exposed and changed.”

“…when your project is almost ready, you will need a guardian angel, namely a literary agent.”

Do you have any advice you could share for hopeful writers eager to become published authors?

There can only be one piece of advice: write, draw, create. It's better to be an author of a boring and not-so-successful novel than someone who thinks they can create a bestseller someday. Don't ruminate about your chances of breaking through and what you might need and what might hinder you. Conditions will never be perfect. But the amazing thing is that once you really get going, things start to work out. When we set out to create War and Peace, the graphic novel, there were all kinds of odds and considerations. No one believed it possible. But as we were approaching the project’s final stage, everything began to take shape, contrary to "reasonable" calculations and forecasts, and the unbelievable became a fait accompli.

One more thing: when your project is almost ready, you will need a guardian angel, namely a literary agent.

Can you finish this sentence? I love reading because...

I love reading because...it shapes me. Reading molds us and makes us who we are. In the beginning, reading is our education and expertise. Then it becomes a catalyst for our thoughts, shaping our own view of the world. Reading makes us think about all kinds of things. And the most important thing for me is that a book creates a different reality. When I’m reading, amazing images and worlds emerge in my head, the most amazing stories come to life, and there is nothing anymore, just this world and me.