Parallel

By Matthias Lehmann, Translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger. Published by Oni Press. 

Softcover, 464 pages, B&W, 2023 (originally published in French in 2022)

"In Parallel, Matthias Lehmann masterfully portrays a man who is caught between the quest to belong and to live out his desires and feelings so vividly and impressively that one understands his protagonist in all of his contradictions." - Reinhard Kleist, author of The Boxer

"Lehmann’s gorgeous black-and-white artwork establishes the melancholy tone with its depiction of bombed-out cities and gray East German streetscapes. A somber, compassionate remembrance of life in the closet." - Kirkus Reviews

Writer and artist: Matthias Lehmann

Karl Kling's story is one of revelations, and these he has addressed in a letter to his daughter, Hella, who had disowned Karl many years ago. Karl's letter is a cri de coeur from a father to a daughter he never really got to know, and he comes clean to her about his failed marriages, his fractured family relations--and his love for men.

Taking place between the end of World War II and the 1980s, Parallel chronicles Karl's efforts to comply with social norms in order to keep his sexuality a secret. It also paints a picture of a life torn between conformity and rebellion, and the cruel realities of twentieth-century German society, where homosexuality was proscribed and punishable until 1994.

Matthias Lehmann poignantly depicts the story of a decades-long yearning to live an open and free life, and the price Karl and those he loves must pay for it. It is also a story of finding the courage to finally tell the truth no matter the obstacles...or the cost.