This graphic novel is the first in a series of five books, all based on reporting by Albert Londres Prize-winning journalists. This is a project that aims to convey these historical stories through contemporary comics.
The first volume recounts the work of Henri de Turenne during the Korean War between July 1950 and March 1951. At the age of 28, Turenne, accompanied by his AFP colleagues Philippe Daudy and Jean-Marie de Prémonville, was confronted with the realities of the war, a defining experience of his career.
“Nothing destined me for journalism. My future seemed clear-cut to me: I was to be a servant of the State but the events of the Second World War changed everything. »
In addition to the comic strip, the creators of the work offer a bonus notebook, designed in collaboration with the AFP archives. Photos from the Korean War, portraits of journalists, exchanges with Maurice Nègre, boss of the Agency, this work allows us to place the drawn work in its historical context.
Created in 1933, the Albert Londres prize is a reference in the world of French-speaking journalism. Run by the Albert Londres Prize Association, it continues to celebrate and promote the work of journalists. To this day, more than 80 years after its creation, the award remains a prized distinction and a symbol of journalistic excellence.
Since then, the prize has gone to AFP journalists several times: Patrick Meney in 1983, Sammy Ketz in 1988, journalists from the Moscow bureau in 1995 (Isabelle Astigarraga, Boris Bachorz, Marielle Eudes, Paola Messana, Catherine Triomphe, Stéphane Orjollet, Sebastian Smith, Bertrand Rosenthal and Jean Raffaelli), Michel Moutot in 1999 and Emmanuel Duparcq in 2011.
The graphic novel “On the Korean Front”, directed by Stéphane Marchetti and Rafael Ortiz, is published on October 18, 2024 by Dupuis.
