Overview

Alan Turing, subject of the Oscar-winning 2014 film The Imitation Game, was the brilliant mathematician solicited by the British government to help decipher messages sent by Germany's Enigma machines during World War II. The work of Turing and his colleagues at Hut 8 created what became known as the ""bombe"" which descrambled the German navy's messages and saved countless lives and millions in British goods and merchandise. Despite his heroics, however, Turing led a secret life as a homosexual; haunted by the accidental death of a young love, he got briefly engaged to Joan Clarke, a fellow cryptanalyst, until he told her the truth. After a young man with whom he was involved stole money from him, he went to the police, where he confessed his homosexuality; he was charged with gross indecency, and only avoided prison after agreeing to undergo chemical castration. Tragically, he committed suicide two years later, by ingesting cyanide through a poisoned apple. The particulars of Turing's achievements were only made known in 2012, following the release of once-classified papers. Authors Liberge and Delalande used this information to create a biography that is scientifically rigorous yet understandable for the lay reader. It's also a meticulous depiction of World War II, and an intimate portrayal of a gay man living in an intolerant world. Delving deeper into Turing's life than The Imitation Game, this graphic novel is a fascinating portrait of this brilliant, complicated, and troubled man.

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9781551526508

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Reviews

As so often happens when a historical figure becomes a pop icon, something gets left out in the process, and forcing Turing s life into the familiar mold of the tortured genius is reductive and misleading. This new graphic novel offers a fuller portrait of Turing as a human being while also honoring his many intellectual accomplishments. <i>Popmatters.com</i>

As so often happens when a historical figure becomes a pop icon, something gets left out in the process, and forcing Turing's life into the familiar mold of the tortured genius is reductive and misleading. This new graphic novel offers a fuller portrait of Turing as a human being while also honoring his many intellectual accomplishments. --Popmatters.com

As so often happens when a historical figure becomes a pop icon, something gets left out in the process, and forcing Turing's life into the familiar mold of the tortured genius is reductive and misleading. This new graphic novel offers a fuller portrait of Turing as a human being while also honoring his many intellectual accomplishments. --Popmatters.com

Author Information

Eric Libertge: Eric Liberge has authored or co-authored over thirty graphic novels in his native France, including books on Versailles and World War II, as well as numerous books in the fantasy genre. Arnaud Delalande: Arnaud Delalande is the author of nine novels as well as numerous graphic novels in France, including Le Piege de Dante (Dante's Trap), translated into twenty languages. His prizes include le Prix du Roman d'Evasion and le Prix Jean d'Heurs du Roman. David Homel: David Homel was born and raised in Chicago in 1952. He has been a journalist, editor, literary translator, and teacher, and has won numerous awards for translation, including the Governor General's Award for Literature, Canada's highest literary honor.

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