The Photographer, by Dider Lefevre and Emmanuel Guibert

The Photographer is an exploration of Afghanistan in the 1980s, in the midst of the Russian war on Afghanistan and on the trail of Medecins Sans Frontieres, or as we Americans know them, Doctors Without Borders. A young French photographer, Didier Lefevre, documented his trip with MSF, the humanitarian outfit that brings medical care to the farthest reaches and the bloodiest conflicts, offering help to civilians caught in the middle of brutal war.

Together with Lefevre’s photos and his narrative (translated by Alexis Segal) and accompanied by the drawings of Emmanuel Guibert (assisted by Frederic Lemercier) this photo/graphic novel is a deeply moving homage to the low-key but bone-deep bravery of the doctors and staff of MSF/Doctors Without Borders. It is also an entrancing portrait of Afghanistan, a country of beauty, suffering, and endurance. The Photographer brings to life the doctors, the people they treat, and the many Afghans who offer assistance, kindness, and diversion from the often grim and hopeless task of helping civilians injured in war. Lefevre’s photos range from minute to majestic, from mundane to exquisite, but are always perfect in-the-moment illustrations of where he, the photographer, found himself, both physically and soulfully, in Afghanistan. We are brought along through the photos and through his simple accompanying text to the many encounters, feasts, and examinations, and deep into his moments of peace, hilarity, and sadness.

As yet another example of the power of the graphic novel, The Photographer is astounding; as a treatise on the potential reach of human goodness and bravery, it is inspiring.