Abstract The Indian graphic novel’s investment in the written word makes it a politically and socially ambiguous representational enterprise. The continued prevalence of illiteracy in India, especially among members of disadvantaged social groups, restricts access to the written word. The visual arts, on the other hand, are generally perceived as much more accessible. This asymmetry of access and its social implications, we suggest, are particularly relevant to the work of Orijit Sen (1963-), who is the first Indian graphic novelist to incorporate in his works journalistic reportage, social commentary and a concern for history. Through close readings of two of his works –The River of Stories and “Hair Burns Like Grass” –we explore the ways in which the thematization of speech-based cultures puts significant pressure on the alliance of word and image in the graphic novel form. The River of Stories, which is based on the debates around a government acquisition of ancestral tribal lands, represents an indigenous oral culture in conflict with a hybrid Indian modernity. In “Hair Burns Like Grass,” Sen again accesses a space governed by speech rather than writing, this time through the work of the poet-saint Kabir. Here, as in the earlier text, the graphic novel must renegotiate its investment in the written word: this leads to highly-wrought, if ultimately ironic, fantasies of the image overcoming script.

中文翻译：

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奥里吉特·森插图小说中的文字，图像和疏远文学

摘要印度图画小说对文字的投资使其成为政治和社会上模棱两可的代表企业。在印度，特别是在处境不利的社会群体的成员中，文盲现象继续盛行，这限制了人们获取书面文字的机会。另一方面，通常认为视觉艺术更容易获得。我们认为，这种访问方式的不对称性及其对社会的影响与奥里吉特·森（Orijit Sen，1963-）的作品特别相关，奥里吉特·森（Orijit Sen，1963-）是第一位在其作品中纳入新闻报道，社会评论和对历史的关注的印度平面小说家。通过仔细阅读他的两部作品-《故事河》和《像草一样的头发燃烧》，我们探索了基于语音的文化主题化对图文小说形式中的文字和图像联盟施加巨大压力的方式。故事河（River of Stories）基于围绕政府收购祖先部落土地的辩论而得出，代表了土著口头文化与印度现代性的冲突。在《象草一样的头发燃烧》中，森再次通过诗人圣人卡比尔的作品进入了一个以言语而非写作为主导的空间。在这里，就像在前面的文字中一样，图画小说必须重新谈判其对书面文字的投资：这会导致图像克服剧本的高度幻想甚至最终具有讽刺意味。它基于围绕政府收购祖先部落土地的辩论而建立，代表了土著口头文化与印度现代性的冲突。在《象草一样的头发燃烧》中，森再次通过诗人圣人卡比尔的作品进入了一个以言语而非写作为主导的空间。在这里，就像在前面的文字中一样，图画小说必须重新谈判其对书面文字的投资：这会导致图像克服剧本的高度幻想甚至最终具有讽刺意味。它基于围绕政府收购祖先部落土地的辩论而建立，代表了土著口头文化与印度现代性的冲突。在《象草一样的头发燃烧》中，森再次通过诗人圣人卡比尔的作品进入了一个以言语而非写作为主导的空间。在这里，就像在前面的文字中一样，图画小说必须重新谈判其对书面文字的投资：这会导致图像克服剧本的高度幻想甚至最终具有讽刺意味。