The Highwayman

Written in 1906 and set in the XVIIIth century, The Highwayman is a narrative poem which tells the tragic and haunting story of a love affair between a highwayman and a woman named Bess. Betrayed to the royal guards by a jealous, love-sick stableman, she sacrifices her life to save her beloved from an ambush yet his desire for revenge still costs him his life. As you wander the countryside, you may still hear the Highwayman ride through the pastoral landscape to meet her ghost...

I originally illustrated this book during my last year of Master degree in graphic design, as part of my thesis on narrative and narration through and by images in which I conceptualized and explored new poetics of visual storytelling based on literary theories written by Wolfgang Iser regarding indeterminacy and textual blanks. The Highwayman is imbued with this desire to go beyond conventional structures and to delve into a notion I've named "narrative vagrancy".

This book was reworked and finalized after I graduated. Thanks to a crowdfunding campaign, and the support of 155 backers I could publish and distribute it. My thanks go to all of them!