Thésée, Ariane et le Minotaure, livre-disque

Here is an unexpected way to discover the legendary hero from Greek mythology, Theseus, and the great romantic composer, Beethoven, whose 250th anniversary is celebrated in 2020.

The young Theseus leaves his hometown to prove himself as a hero. Once in Athens, he learns about the burden that weighs heavily on the city and its inhabitants: every year, young men and women are sacrificed to the Minotaur by King Mino. Theseus joins the condemned expecting to free Athens from this misfortune. He falls in love with Minos’ eldest daughter, Ariadne, who accepts to run away with him from the hardship. But Gods want her back. And Gods’ will cannot be disobeyed.

Ancient Greece is magnified and brought up to date by the illustrations with stencils of Donatien Mary, preselected for the prestigious Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Best Album. His silhouettes in Chinese shadows, echoing the figures of Greek vases, and his images, sometimes mysterious and deep, sometimes graphic and vivid, revisit the popular myth with great symbolic richness.