COMUNICACIÓN

The European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation presented the comic, El relato de Hernando de Bustamante. La odisea de la primera vuelta al mundo, by the illustrator from Extremadura, Roberto Massó, which is the 8th volume of the book collection, “Extremeños en Iberoamérica y Europa-Historieta”.

The comic narrates the story of the first circumnavigation of the world in first person by one of its main characters: Hernando de Bustamante, who was a barber and surgeon in the mission.

In this graphic work, Hernando de Bustamante is a guide to us in a trip marked by horror and courage, desperation and wonders. A trip with ships and men, who in their endeavour to arrive to the Island of Spices travelled around the world proving that it was round. It was an epic adventure full of complications.

The author pointed out that he had never written or drawn a historical comic before; he had to look for graphical references and real images to narrate the story of de Bustamante.

Massó went into detail regarding the production of this work, where he infused a tone of adventure. He thus focused on the voyage; “the history of everyday life”; on what happened during the maritime navigation in those ships; on “narrating what isn’t usually narrated to deal with subjects that are nor commonly dealt with” –i.e. with the adventure of having to face the unknown: illnesses and starvation.

This publication is included in the Foundation’s editorial line which encompasses different collections already consolidated, such as “Pensamiento Iberoamericano”, “Entre dos mundos: Europa y América desde Extremadura”; “Pliegos de Yuste” or this one: “Extremeños en Iberoamérica y Europa- Historieta”.

The presentation of this comic has taken place during the session “American Memory. Recovering Leading Figures from Extremadura in the New World”, held in Trujillo (Cáceres) this morning in order to enhance the visibility of leading figures from Extremadura who hold some relation with Ibero-America and whose actions has been significant as far as history is concerned, although their service may not be so well known.

THE AUTHOR

The author, Roberto Massó (Cáceres, 1987), narrates and draws. His last publications are: Cadencia (Fosfatina) and El ruido secreto (Spiderland/snake). He has exhibited at national level. He received a grant in 2017 for the programme, “Creación Joven”, of the Youth Institute (Injuve) and another one from the Regional Government of Extremadura in 2018 addressed to Visual Artists.

EXTREMEÑOS EN IBEROAMÉRICA Y EUROPA-HISTORIETA

The collection “Extremeños en Iberoamérica y Europa- Historieta”, published by the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation, intends to recover essential characters in the history that Extremadura shares with America. The comic becomes an enjoyable and entertaining means of expression in order to convey these snippets of our history to all types of public. The rigour in the construction of history and its most adventurous aspect is added to this, because the attempt is also to make the reader want to know more about the character and our history through this reading.

At present, eight volumes make up this collection. Apart from the one recently presented the following are included: Navío de tuertos. Francisco de Orellana y el descubrimiento del Amazonas, by Fermín Solís; Hombre perdido. Ñuflo de Chaves en el Iguazú, by Enrique Flores and José Luis Forte; Huida hacia la Gloria. Vasco Núñez de Balboa y el descubrimiento del Océano Pacífico, by Gol; Martín Álvarez: el camino de un héroe, by Pedro Camello; Inés Suárez. La conquista de Chile, by Borja González; La Araucana. Alonso de Ercilla sobre Pedro de Valdivia, by María Ramos and Descalzos. Los doce apóstoles de México, by the illustrator from Extremadura, Mayte Alvarado.