Cravan: Mystery Man of the Twentieth Century [Hardcover]

Mike Richardson (Author), Rick Geary (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 29, 2005

This is the true story about the most interesting person you've never heard of: Arthur Cravan, major figure in pre-WWI cutting-edge art circles, was among the greatest mysterious figures of the twentieth century. A self-confessed thief, forger, and con-artist, he used a roster of assumed names and false identities. He was known, at various times, as a novelist, poet, painter, art critic, lecturer, publisher, and the lightweight boxing champion of France. Always a rebellious, restless spirit, this dedicated rule-breaker was a political radical whose friendship with Leon Trotsky earned him the surveillance of the U.S. government - even through his immigration to Mexico with his wife, the poet Mina Loy. In 1918, at the age of thirty-one, the fascinating physical giant vanished without a trace, and - despite several supposed sightings over the years - was never seen again. Is it possible that he became the mysterious, reclusive novelist B. Traven, who wrote The Treasure of the Sierra Madre?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's not known what became of Arthur Cravan—boxer, poet, adventurer, hoaxer and Oscar Wilde's nephew—after he disappeared while sailing to Mexico in 1918. This graphic novel biography presents the larger-than-life incidents from his life, including various daring escapes, schemes and a scam involving boxing matches with Jack Johnson. Along the way, Cravan runs into such figures as Leon Trotsky and marries poet Mina Loy. Richardson even adds to the mystery by speculating that Cravan was also reclusive B. Traven, author of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Geary, creator of the outstanding Treasury of Victorian Murder series, is an excellent choice to illustrate and co-write this historical overview. His distinctive pen-and-ink style captures the reality of the times, especially when it comes to establishing settings like cluttered sitting rooms or angry groups of men in striped suits. Cravan embarrasses his family but claims it's all for experience to become a writer. Their good advice—"If you want to write, sit down and write"—is ignored in favor of more sensation seeking. The result is a life of violence and dada, a colorful footnote to the history of the era. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Nonfiction graphic novelist Geary, whose Treasury of Victorian Murder stands at seven volumes and counting, teams with Dark Horse publisher Richardson for the story of a short-lived--perhaps--figure of great fascination. Arthur Cravan (1887-?), ne Fabian Lloyd, claimed to be Oscar Wilde's nephew; labored and scammed around the world; was a charter Dadaist in Paris; met Jack Johnson in New York and sparred with him in Europe; married avant-garde poet Mina Loy; and disappeared in 1918 trying to get away from it all, or at least from government agents interested that he was pals with Trotsky. Colorful should have been his middle name--but between which first and last ones? He had more than a dozen, and one may have been B. Traven, which means Cravan may have been the reclusive author of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, whose self-described "agent" famously visited the on-location filming of John Huston's movie version in Mexico in 1947. All those escapades and more Geary renders in his characteristically droll, historically observant manner. Neat. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 72 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (November 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593072910
• ISBN-13: 978-1593072919
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,527,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Rightfully unheard of?, May 17, 2010

By 

Sam Quixote - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cravan: Mystery Man of the Twentieth Century (Hardcover)

The brilliant Rick Geary, author of the fantastic Victorian Crime series, teams up with founder of Dark Horse comics Mike Richardson to produce a slim volume on "one of the most interesting men you've never heard of". So I was compelled.

Unfortunately it turns out "Cravan" is not such an interesting subject after all. He was the nephew of Oscar Wilde, worked as a fireman aboard a steam ship, founded and wrote a controversial art magazine called "Maintenant", became boxing champion of France (through default though this isn't explained further) and boxed Jack Johnson, and met Leon Trotsky which led to his being followed by American agents thinking he was a revolutionary. Then one day he disappeared.

Besides meeting some famous people there isn't much else to say about "Cravan". There is some speculation that he faked his own death and that he wrote a pulpy adventure novel called "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre", but besides that Arthur Cravan wasn't that interesting a soul. Jack London led a more interesting life and wrote better books. The book is engaging but doesn't come near to living up to the tagline of "one of the most interesting men you've never heard of".

5.0 out of 5 stars An engrossing revelation, October 21, 2009

By 

Dr. Ronald L. Lanyi "the doctor" (altadena, ca. United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cravan: Mystery Man of the Twentieth Century (Hardcover)

Thought I knew a fair amount about the long-time mystery man this fine graphic novel is about. Geary does a fine and highly entertaining job of giving far, far more of the man.