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Discordia
DISCORDIA is a story of courage and collapse in a country and a culture struggling to map out its future. A short ebook combining a 24,000-word essay with 36 detailed drawings, DISCORDIA is a feminist-art-gonzo-journalism project conceived at Occupy Wall Street and created in the summer of debt and doubt after the euphoric street protests of 2011-2012.
In July 2012, artist Molly Crabapple and journalist Laurie Penny traveled to Greece. There, they drew and interviewed anarchists, autonomists, striking workers and ordinary people caught up in the Euro crisis. DISCORDIA is the result. In an impassioned climate where ‘objective’ journalism is impossible, Penny and Crabapple offer a snapshot of a nation in the grip of a very modern crisis where young and old see little reason to go on, the left is scattered and the far right is assuming greater power and influence. Along the way they drink far too much coffee, become hypnotized by street art, and somehow manage not to get arrested or mugged.
DISCORDIA is an experiment in form, using the illustrated ebook format to its fullest extent to tell a story unique to the word length and digital platform involved. Crabapple's intricate, Victorian-inspired ink drawings lend a timeless quality to what is a conscious foray into a new kind of journalism - inspired by the New Journalism of the 1970s, in particular the art-journalism collaborations of Hunter Thompson and Ralph Steadman, but reworking that tradition for a 21st century world where young women must still fight at every turn to be taken seriously.
DISCORDIA weaves together the personal and political, picking out those elements of the Greek crisis that are recognizable across the West to a generation struggling to articulate its purpose in a world of spiraling unemployment, democratic collapse and civil unrest. The solutions to the failure of modern neo-liberal statecraft are very different to the 'tune in, turn on, drop out' ethos of the sixties: these days the drugs are worse and rock 'n' roll can't save us. The future is a question in search of an answer.
Available only digitally, with a foreword by economic journalist and writer Paul Mason, this beautifully illustrated ebook is part-polemic, part-travelogue and part-paean to the birthplace of civilization brought to its knees. Part of the Brain Shot series, the pre-eminent source of short form digital non-fiction.
In July 2012, artist Molly Crabapple and journalist Laurie Penny traveled to Greece. There, they drew and interviewed anarchists, autonomists, striking workers and ordinary people caught up in the Euro crisis. DISCORDIA is the result. In an impassioned climate where ‘objective’ journalism is impossible, Penny and Crabapple offer a snapshot of a nation in the grip of a very modern crisis where young and old see little reason to go on, the left is scattered and the far right is assuming greater power and influence. Along the way they drink far too much coffee, become hypnotized by street art, and somehow manage not to get arrested or mugged.
DISCORDIA is an experiment in form, using the illustrated ebook format to its fullest extent to tell a story unique to the word length and digital platform involved. Crabapple's intricate, Victorian-inspired ink drawings lend a timeless quality to what is a conscious foray into a new kind of journalism - inspired by the New Journalism of the 1970s, in particular the art-journalism collaborations of Hunter Thompson and Ralph Steadman, but reworking that tradition for a 21st century world where young women must still fight at every turn to be taken seriously.
DISCORDIA weaves together the personal and political, picking out those elements of the Greek crisis that are recognizable across the West to a generation struggling to articulate its purpose in a world of spiraling unemployment, democratic collapse and civil unrest. The solutions to the failure of modern neo-liberal statecraft are very different to the 'tune in, turn on, drop out' ethos of the sixties: these days the drugs are worse and rock 'n' roll can't save us. The future is a question in search of an answer.
Available only digitally, with a foreword by economic journalist and writer Paul Mason, this beautifully illustrated ebook is part-polemic, part-travelogue and part-paean to the birthplace of civilization brought to its knees. Part of the Brain Shot series, the pre-eminent source of short form digital non-fiction.
100 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2012
7 people are currently reading
357 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Penny
31 books609 followersLaurie Penny is a journalist, an author, a feminist and a net denizen. She is Contributing Editor at New Statesman magazine, and writes and speaks on social justice, pop culture, gender issues and digital politics for The Guardian, The Independent, Vice, Salon, The Nation, The New Inquiry and many more. She is the author of Cybersexism, Penny Red and Meat Market: Female Flesh Under Capitalism, as well as Discordia: Six Nights in Crisis Athens, co-authored with Molly Crabapple. Her book, Unspeakable Things, was published by Bloomsbury in 2014. In 2010, at the age of 23, she was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for political writing. She is a frequent guest on national television and radio, has appeared on Question Time, Any Questions and Newsnight for the BBC, as well as Al-Jazeera and Democracy Now, and has given talks at the Oxford Union and the London School of Economics.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
August 16, 2013
The book gives good insight into the Greek financial crisis and the rise of neo-fascism, and how these things affect everyday life for the people of Athens.
I love the gonzo style. A lot. Penny writes in a raw and honest Thomson-esque way. But still, I was a bit disappointed by this book. Penny talks to many people, but simply ignores some of the most interesting ones, like the anarchists. She dismisses the anarchists by saying, basically, that anarchists are "traditionally hostile to reporters in Greece", and that anarchists would never talk to her, based on an incident where she was kicked out of some autonomous anarchist gathering years ago. What? So, instead of talking to the actual left-radicals of Greece, she spends most her time talking to (imho) boring pro-SYRIZA, social democrat, left-coalition people. So, the main political view the book is left with disappoints me, as I can not see how SYRIZA can be Greece's salvation at all.
But! The coverage of demos, the descriptions of violence, depression, poverty and squalor, and her (their) heartfelt meetings with normal Greeks are excellently written. Penny manages to catch both the despair and the dark humor of the crisis, without it becoming poverty-porn. Crabapple's drawings and sketches add to the atmosphere as well, but I suppose my Kindle did not do them justice!
I love the gonzo style. A lot. Penny writes in a raw and honest Thomson-esque way. But still, I was a bit disappointed by this book. Penny talks to many people, but simply ignores some of the most interesting ones, like the anarchists. She dismisses the anarchists by saying, basically, that anarchists are "traditionally hostile to reporters in Greece", and that anarchists would never talk to her, based on an incident where she was kicked out of some autonomous anarchist gathering years ago. What? So, instead of talking to the actual left-radicals of Greece, she spends most her time talking to (imho) boring pro-SYRIZA, social democrat, left-coalition people. So, the main political view the book is left with disappoints me, as I can not see how SYRIZA can be Greece's salvation at all.
But! The coverage of demos, the descriptions of violence, depression, poverty and squalor, and her (their) heartfelt meetings with normal Greeks are excellently written. Penny manages to catch both the despair and the dark humor of the crisis, without it becoming poverty-porn. Crabapple's drawings and sketches add to the atmosphere as well, but I suppose my Kindle did not do them justice!
October 9, 2012
In July 2012, journalist and author Laurie Penny and Molly Crabapple, known for her Victorian inspired art and her role in Occupy Wall Street, went to crisis-ridden Greece, spending six days and nights to gather first hand impressions and see what actual people living there have to say. "Discordia", published only three months later, in digital form only, is the result of this: an essay of about 24,000 words by Penny, enriched with amazing illustrations by Crabapple, often incorporating elements of actual graffiti that is still shaping the Athens cityscape.
"Discordia" is a highly informative and compelling read. Penny's writing is really captivating and the result of getting very close with people, making even initially tight-lipped collocutors open up. To be very clear, "Discordia" is not about merely reporting and informing, but is to a large extent commentary and certainly also a call to action: Penny is just as angry with the status quo she is writing about as the people that are getting a chance to speak in "Discordia". Sometimes, she digresses a little from the core message of the book, but not as much as to risk losing the thread completely.
I did not like much of what I had to read in this book, but that's the whole point, of course. There are a lot of personal stories in here that are really upsetting, even more so knowing that these are no isolated cases. Other parts of the book are plain frightening: The increasing influence of the Nazis in a country suffering from its imposed austerity programme and the utter impotence when faced with a police that is looking away at best sound all too much like Weimar Republic 2.0. Why most of the media say nothing about this development is beyond me.
"Discordia" is a must-read not only for people who like to think they know all about the Greek crisis. The agility enabled by the digital-only publication is one of the crucial quality of this book: This is not a chronicle of what happened back in the days, but a very relevant piece of journalism here and now. At the same time it is much more extensive, better researched and edited than a typical blog article can be. This agility also made it possible to include a coda about the arrestment of Molly Crabapple during the Occupy Wall Street one year anniversary, which happened less than two weeks before the book's release.
"Discordia" is a highly informative and compelling read. Penny's writing is really captivating and the result of getting very close with people, making even initially tight-lipped collocutors open up. To be very clear, "Discordia" is not about merely reporting and informing, but is to a large extent commentary and certainly also a call to action: Penny is just as angry with the status quo she is writing about as the people that are getting a chance to speak in "Discordia". Sometimes, she digresses a little from the core message of the book, but not as much as to risk losing the thread completely.
I did not like much of what I had to read in this book, but that's the whole point, of course. There are a lot of personal stories in here that are really upsetting, even more so knowing that these are no isolated cases. Other parts of the book are plain frightening: The increasing influence of the Nazis in a country suffering from its imposed austerity programme and the utter impotence when faced with a police that is looking away at best sound all too much like Weimar Republic 2.0. Why most of the media say nothing about this development is beyond me.
"Discordia" is a must-read not only for people who like to think they know all about the Greek crisis. The agility enabled by the digital-only publication is one of the crucial quality of this book: This is not a chronicle of what happened back in the days, but a very relevant piece of journalism here and now. At the same time it is much more extensive, better researched and edited than a typical blog article can be. This agility also made it possible to include a coda about the arrestment of Molly Crabapple during the Occupy Wall Street one year anniversary, which happened less than two weeks before the book's release.
November 29, 2012
Five stars are not enough to rate this amazing piece of journalism meets art! A critical look at the state of the world as exemplified by crisis-ridden Greece that doesn't even pretend to try being objective - because there is no such thing. Read! Whatever your political leanings, I dare you not get sad and angry at the capitalist police state that is spreading like a cancer and swallowing our freedom. Beautifully illustrated by geek-icon artist Molly Crabapple.
October 18, 2012
I really like Laurie Penny's journalism and this short book/extended column is a good example of her writing. It's accompanied by Molly Crabapples brilliant illustrations so it is a modern gonzo reportage similar but different to Hunter S Thompson and Ralph Steadman. The story of Greek misery is distressing however and I worry what the future holds for us.
October 7, 2012
Check this out if you're at all curious about exactly how fucked Greece is right now.
October 13, 2012
Brief Kindle eBook...reportage with illustrations from Athens. Best account I've read of a society crumbling under austerity.
August 26, 2016
living a-way over here in Central Canada, I was unaware of just how deliberately fucked Greece is/was.
October 31, 2012
Laurie Penny and Molly Crabapple journey to Greece to cover the state of the nation following financial collapse. Discordia reports on the struggle of normal people who have gone from living comfortably to the other side of the poverty line. They look at the failings of the government and austerity measures that are making things worse and the rise of fascism and violence towards immigrants.
It’s an eye-opening look at a country many of us wouldn’t hesitate to go to on our summer holidays. Perhaps it is a little one-sided but it’s a side we don’t really get to hear about. My heart goes out the people of Greece whose lives have been ruined by economics and the innocent who are blamed in the backlash. It’s also quite critical of traditional press, both in Greece and at home, looking at the natural evolution of reporting in the digital age but Laurie also explains how it’s hard making a living as an independent journalist. Sometimes she is not welcomed on either side of the picket line.
Of course, what sets Discordia apart from other pieces of journalism is Molly’s wonderful illustrations. The ink and pencil drawings are the perfect medium for ebooks, something that the eInk renders well. I will admit to reading it on my iPad for the subtleties of colour but really, they don’t need to be seen in colour to be appreciated. They are a mix of sketches on ruled notebooks, made on the spot, and more considered drawings done from photos and memories. Laurie’s text and Molly’s drawings were done independently of each other but they fit together seamlessly, drawn from the same experiences.
I’m not sure if it was a compatibility issue or a formatting error with the ePUB but there were some duplicate images. This could be on purpose, but the illustrations are placed at relevant points in the text, and where the duplicates appeared they just didn’t seem to correspond. I would be interested to know if anyone noticed this on the Kindle version.
It’s an eye-opening look at a country many of us wouldn’t hesitate to go to on our summer holidays. Perhaps it is a little one-sided but it’s a side we don’t really get to hear about. My heart goes out the people of Greece whose lives have been ruined by economics and the innocent who are blamed in the backlash. It’s also quite critical of traditional press, both in Greece and at home, looking at the natural evolution of reporting in the digital age but Laurie also explains how it’s hard making a living as an independent journalist. Sometimes she is not welcomed on either side of the picket line.
Of course, what sets Discordia apart from other pieces of journalism is Molly’s wonderful illustrations. The ink and pencil drawings are the perfect medium for ebooks, something that the eInk renders well. I will admit to reading it on my iPad for the subtleties of colour but really, they don’t need to be seen in colour to be appreciated. They are a mix of sketches on ruled notebooks, made on the spot, and more considered drawings done from photos and memories. Laurie’s text and Molly’s drawings were done independently of each other but they fit together seamlessly, drawn from the same experiences.
I’m not sure if it was a compatibility issue or a formatting error with the ePUB but there were some duplicate images. This could be on purpose, but the illustrations are placed at relevant points in the text, and where the duplicates appeared they just didn’t seem to correspond. I would be interested to know if anyone noticed this on the Kindle version.
November 26, 2016
Initially I picked this up because I love both Laurie Penny's writing (I think she's the closest thing we have to an actual, factual Spider Jerusalem) and Molly Crabapple's art. And I guess I wanted to know more about Greece's troubles, as one of the things I've been working on this year is being more politically aware.
I certainly didn't expect to read something that was so totally relevant to what we're currently going through in Puerto Rico. Greece is an ocean away, after all, and their politics are so different than ours. How could....
But once again, it turned out to be a case of me underestimating our innate and so so human ability to brilliantly and marvelously fuck things up.
Puerto Rico's going through something of an economic upheaval, and it's left our politics and political discourse in disarray. So much of the subject matter and attitudes discussed here struck so many similar chords that it left me a bit shaken, to say the least. Greece has been journeying through this deep and problematic cavern for a while now, though, and we're just now, foolishly and recklessly stumbling into it. We can just see the dark abyss for now, and that in of itself is scary enough, but if Penny and Crabapple's reportage is anything to go by, there is light shining at the end of it all.
It's a distant light, of course, and you have to struggle to see it. But that is kind of the point.
I certainly didn't expect to read something that was so totally relevant to what we're currently going through in Puerto Rico. Greece is an ocean away, after all, and their politics are so different than ours. How could....
But once again, it turned out to be a case of me underestimating our innate and so so human ability to brilliantly and marvelously fuck things up.
Puerto Rico's going through something of an economic upheaval, and it's left our politics and political discourse in disarray. So much of the subject matter and attitudes discussed here struck so many similar chords that it left me a bit shaken, to say the least. Greece has been journeying through this deep and problematic cavern for a while now, though, and we're just now, foolishly and recklessly stumbling into it. We can just see the dark abyss for now, and that in of itself is scary enough, but if Penny and Crabapple's reportage is anything to go by, there is light shining at the end of it all.
It's a distant light, of course, and you have to struggle to see it. But that is kind of the point.
October 22, 2013
"A year has passed, and it might look like nothing has changed, but nothing's ever going to be quite the same, not for thodse of us who believe that all we get to decide in this world is what sort of tyrouble we want to be in", writes Laurie Penny in this eye-witness account of the turmoil in Greek economy and society during that summer of 2002. Clearly inspired by the kind of reporting introduced by iconic writers Ernest Hemingway and Hunter S Thompson, Laurie Pennie offers rare insight into the unsung heroes of the crisis, the man on the street who thought they had a right to protest and demand change - and into the Greek state's response to that demand. The author together with her fellow traveller artist Molly Crabapple who illustrates the book with drawings inspired by the people and streets of Athens meet, talk, drink and demonstrate with workers, antifascists, leftists, anarchists, journalists and unemployed Greeks. Being a resident in Athens and having taken part in most of the events of that summer described in the book, I can confirm that Laurie Penny's reporting is honest and true. And that the book is such a page turner as only real life can be.
June 30, 2013
A fantastic short piece of immersive radical reportage by one of the most interesting young journalists in the UK. Penny’s writing is sensitive and can shift from introspective and personal to observational and expansive from one page to another. Crabapple’s humorous and detailed illustrations suit the text well.
In such a short work, it would be impossible to get a concise picture of the protest movements in Greece, but Penny does a great job of conveying the mood of common people from different walks of life, their fears, hopes, and dreams. Penny is not impartial: she’s on the side of the protesters, the immigrants, the students, the strikers, the unemployed, and against their enemies. And she makes it clear who those are. This is an exciting and scary time in Greece, and this brief book gets the reader closer to understanding what the Greeks are going through and what’s at stake in their struggle.
In such a short work, it would be impossible to get a concise picture of the protest movements in Greece, but Penny does a great job of conveying the mood of common people from different walks of life, their fears, hopes, and dreams. Penny is not impartial: she’s on the side of the protesters, the immigrants, the students, the strikers, the unemployed, and against their enemies. And she makes it clear who those are. This is an exciting and scary time in Greece, and this brief book gets the reader closer to understanding what the Greeks are going through and what’s at stake in their struggle.
October 26, 2012
They don't know that we are the media.
They don't know that we start the mania.
They don't know that we start the mania.
- Amanda Palmer, Map of Tasmania
I thought this was a good insight into what happened/is happening in Greece. Laurie Penny has a way for words that keeps us, the reader, interested and engaged and Molly Crabapple's artwork is a wonderful addition.
My main problem had nothing to do with the content and everything to do with the text size. I bought and read this on Kindle Cloud through the internet rather than through my actual Kindle in the hopes that the images would be of much better quality. However, I had to oscillate between huge, regular, and mini-note sized text. Really hard to read!!
Otherwise than that I have nothing to complain about.
April 14, 2016
It took me awhile to get through this one, mostly because politics in general (especially those of other countries) goes over my head, so I end up researching things as I read...which doesn't exactly make for a good bedtime story. I love how Laurie Penny writes because she sticks her words right into your jugular. Molly Crabapple (my hero) illustrates the book, which is the main reason I picked it up, but wasn't necessarily the reason I continued reading. I loved reading this...even if it did take me forever.
November 13, 2012
A story of a week spent in a 2012 Athens summer by an artist and a journalist.
Austerity squats, young people flee while nazis march, breaking bones; Greeks die in mind and body by ruthless design and calculated poverty.
Laurie Penny and Molly Crabapple document this tableaux, gonzo journalism without pretense towards freedom from care. To them, our age does not allow such liberty.
Austerity squats, young people flee while nazis march, breaking bones; Greeks die in mind and body by ruthless design and calculated poverty.
Laurie Penny and Molly Crabapple document this tableaux, gonzo journalism without pretense towards freedom from care. To them, our age does not allow such liberty.
August 13, 2014
Molly Crabapple was one of the speakers at The Story 2013. She spoke a lot about her experiences illustrating the time spent in Athens. And I was intrigued as to how the words and illustrations worked together.
It was an interesting read, a good combination of observation and experience.
Worth a read.
It was an interesting read, a good combination of observation and experience.
Worth a read.
October 9, 2012
Spannender und interessanter Blick auf das Leben in Athen während der Demonstrationen zur EU-Krise. Journalistin Penny zieht mit Illustratorin Molly durch die griechische Hauptstadt und beide versuchen als Gonzo-Autoren hinter die Kulissen zu blicken.
October 14, 2012
Great look behind the scenes of crumbling greece - social unrest disected with a sharp mind and brilliant pictures by Molly Crabapple. I can only recommend this read.
March 11, 2015
brief but well written. didn't care about the illustrations.
June 4, 2016
Nice illustrations, but that's about it.
January 8, 2013
Beautifully written, and the illustrations blend with the text in a fascinating way. An extraordinary way of describing my very familiar Athens.
July 4, 2013
Penny's writing is fucking marvelous stuff.
Read
July 26, 2017Fuck the news. Read this instead.
August 8, 2013
Great journalism, illustrations and writing. Presenting an alternative perspective to austerity measures in Greece.
August 24, 2013
Vital and human.
February 24, 2015
I really wished this book were longer. Some of her contemporaries should take note of how you don't have to drone on for 700 pages to write a great political book.
January 14, 2016
What is not to appreciate. Laurie Penny's keen insight coupled with Molly Crabapple's intense drawings. Important read.
October 22, 2012
Amazing book. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews