For Mimi Pond, the desire to make a book about the Mitford sisters was the sized British eccentric (and a brother) that brought both the British and American culture on the way.
“You have defined the entire 20th century with the people that she knew my alone from Adolf Hitler to the Black Panthers,” she says, referring to the unusual, sometimes terrible, real escapades of this unusual sextet. “It only occupies the scope of the entire 20th century.”
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In your entertaining new graphics story “Adope! The Mitford Sisters and Me”, the cartoonist and author based in Los Angeles, also offers the only thing that is missing in the incredible history of this unconventional siblings of the upper crust: stories from Teich's childhood in San Diego, in which they dreamed of a more sophisticated life, which they imagined, had the co -fords.
Pond weaves elements of personal memoirs with the life of the sisters who were (in the birth of the birth): Nancy, the successful writer who spent a large part of her adult life in France; Pamela, the calm lover of animals and country life (and sometimes smugglers of chicken eggs); Diana, the beauty that left her husband of Guinness Beer-Heir for the leader of the British Union of Fascist and organized Adolf Hitler at her wedding. Unity, the obsessed Emigre, who became a confidante of Hitler and tried to commit suicide when England and Germany went to war; Jessica, the communist who left the USA at home, where she became civil rights cross drivers and best-selling muckraking author of “The American Way of Death” and other books; And Deborah, the real Duchess and close friend of President John F. Kennedy.
This overcrowded heel does not come close to that all their wild heroicisms are collected-it is also not an attempt to explain the stunning number of nicknames that they have given each other, although pond is helpful, so that they know their “horn” from their “bobo”, their “woo” from their “Soo”.
Pond, who wrote the first episode of “The Simpsons” that was broadcast on TV, tells the enthusiastic history of the Mitfords in a funny, visually fascinating style with Prussian blue ink, dramatic side layouts and clever, often funny text.
She spoke by phone about the book, the sisters and her own life story. This conversation was processed for length and clarity.
Question: What did you attract you about the history of the Mitfords?
It was a world that was more or less the opposite of mine, do you know? England, the aristocracy. It was something like everything my life wasn't.
Question: What does the title of the book “do!” mean?
They always said that. It's like: “Come on, agree that I am right.” They always fought together.
It thinks for me because I have two brothers who would never admit that I was right with anything. I always wanted, wanted to desperate, sisters, and I never had any. And when I finished this thing, I said: “Well, maybe sisters are not the biggest.”
Q. Diana, a fascist who was weak with Hitler, was convicted by her sister Nancy and was locked up for a while during the war, and although she was detested by many, she did not seem to have serious consequences because she agreed with Great Britain and the enemies of the allies so closely during the war.
Oh my god, she is just amazing. In an interview from 1989 [the British radio program] Desert Island Discs, she says she couldn't help but admire Hitler. And you are like 'what?!' [mimicking the glamorous Diana’s admirers] “She is so nice that you couldn't help but worship her!” “She is so charming.” Saint crap. I just have the feeling that they let people get away with so much more than now.
Q. Diana presented Hitler her younger sister unit and the two became close friends. After Great Britain declared the war, a disturbed unit shot, but survived. It is a kind of Cypher.
Yes, if she hadn't shot herself if she had continued her way and somehow lived through her, she would probably be as disparaged as Diana, who was a die -hard fascist. But with unity I have the feeling that there is a kind of mental illness or a problem with her that gives her a little more passport. I mean, she is a tragic figure; It is pathetic and it is a chaos. And she was Jessica's favorite sister despite all of that.
Question: When you speak of Jessica, say in the book that she was her favorite sister.
She really had the courage of her beliefs, while the rest of them pretty much said: “Well, I'm an aristocrat; that's how the world works and I will just agree.”
She turned her back to her life as an aristocrat and became completely American. She hugged America, she hugged the democratic system, she fought for justice. She had to see the foresight that things would change.
She is a woman in the 1950s who had friends of other races and did not invite one, but numerous black families to live under her roof. And she also went out and she exhibited black families to buy houses in white districts in Oakland at a time when this was a serious risk. And her daughter Dinky told me that someone came to her at her 50th high school again from Oakland Tech High School and said: “Her mother changed my life. She dealt with my family so that we could buy a house in a good neighborhood, and it changed everything for us.” She did that over and over again.
She went to Mississippi and went from door to door to try to do justice to a black man who was wrongly accused of rape, and she took the time in a way that most people would not even consider.
Question: Let me ask me about the TV show inspired with the Mitford (with which you were not involved), “outrageous”. They had a piece in the New Yorker.
I mean, I can understand that you take artistic license … But what I really couldn't forgive was the fact that there is no humor in it. It's all about sibling rivality and drama and this evil, sexy [leader of the British Union of Fascists Oswald] Mosley, do you know? I mean, the two [Diana and Mosley] Are just as terrible and they are like bargain fascists.
It did not show them the attractiveness of you and your charm and wit – even Diana and Unity could be really funny and funny. And the rest of them was just screaming funny.
F. There were six sisters, each with a amazing number of nicknames. Was it difficult to say them apart?
The challenge for me was to find out how to draw them so that they were individual because they have similarities. Like every family, there are distinctions and they only have to get involved in it. But no, I didn't take long to distinguish who was who was because they are so clearly defined.
Question: You wrote the first episode of “The Simpsons” that was broadcast. Can you talk about it?
Well, it's not a happy story because I was friends with Matt Groening. It always paints me as the fool in the Punch Bowl because everyone wants to believe that it is exactly the same as this big, happy family.
I was not asked to be an employee. For years I thought it was: “Oh, I think I was just not good enough”, just to find out that Sam Simon did not want women in the staff because he was divorced, and he also only wanted Harvard authors. If I had known that – and that's something that Matt finally confirmed to me – I would not have beaten myself so much. If I had been in the staff, I would be a millionaire. I still get remaining tests for the one episode, but if I had been staff and wrote more than two or three of them, I would do it well.
Question: Let me ask about the appearance of the book that this rich blue is used and is really dynamic.
The challenge was not to speak, because most autobiographical comics and non -fiction comics have only talking heads, panel for panel and boring. I just wanted to find new opportunities to convey the information.
Pinterest became my best friend. I had reference photos of where they lived, and reference photos of each of them. I had perfume ads from the 30s and 40s. I had circus posters, film posters, pictures of Oakland, aircraft ads, perfume ads, vintage office supplies, medieval manuscripts, characters, photos of lightning, British propaganda posters, German and Nazis and Soviet propaganda, English illustration, American illustration, just like on and on.
So if I ever lost a loss of ideas, I could go to Pinterest. It's really a fantastic tool.
Question: How long did you work on this book?
Oh, only six years.
Question: Is there something you wanted to discuss about that we didn't touch?
What is important to me is that the life of women is considered as important as the life of men.
I was interested in the story, mainly because of the Mitford sisters, and I have learned everything there is about the history of the 20th century by studying it. If it is framed in the perspective of people and personalities, it is so much more appealing than if you only talk about troop movements.
To find out [French general and post-WWII president of France] Charles de Gaulles nickname in the high school was “the asparagus”, and that behind his back [British Prime Minister] Winston Churchill said that he looked like “a Lama -Lama, which is surprising in her bathroom” – this is golden.
I just think that the story could be taught so often.
Mimi Pond in conversation about “Do DOUR!” With Kristen SchaalWhen: 7 p.m., September 10, where: Skylight Books, 1818 N Vermont Ave, Los Angelesinformation: https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-mimi-pond-presents-do–Admi-sister-sisters- and-me-kristen-schaal
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