Benjamin Dix & Lindsay Pollock 
Vanni 
A Family’s Struggle Through the Sri Lankan Conflict

In the tradition of
Maus,
Persepolis,
Palestine and
The Breadwinner,
Vanni is a graphic novel focusing on the conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the ‘Tamil Tigers’, told from the perspective of a single family. This moving, exceptional graphic novel portrays the personal experiences of modern warfare, the processes of forced migration and the struggles of seeking asylum in Europe. Inspired by Dix’s experience of working in Sri Lanka for the United Nations during the war,
Vanni draws upon over four years of meticulous research, includes first-hand interviews, references from official reports and cross-referencing with experts in the field. Elegantly drawn by Lindsay Pollock, and with a real sense of immediacy,
Vanni takes readers through the otherwise unimaginable struggles, horrors and life-changing decisions families and individuals are forced to make when caught in conflict.

About the author

Lindsay Pollock is a Senior Artist at Positive Negatives, where he has illustrated a number of testimonial comics. His work has appeared on the BBC, on Channel 4 and in multiple languages across Europe, Asia and Africa. His short story Little Sister was runner-up in the Observer / Jonathan Cape Comics prize. Vanni is his debut graphic novel.