The Story of Elais is a graphic-novel whose characters experience a story set against the backdrop of an extra virgin olive oil farm.

Text and drawings by: https://www.fabriziogargano.it

Elais (*) is an advertising graphic designer who has decided to resign from her company to spend, alone in a camper, a sabbatical year . In the meantime she inherits from her father, with her brother Ernesto, a centuries-old olive grove with an attached farmhouse. The olive grove is located in an unspecified area of southern Italy (The place is an ideal summation of all the olive groves visited over the years).

Ernesto plans to sell the property to a local notary who would like to make it a luxury spa. The project includes the uprooting of several plants and an increase in building cubage. Elais, contrary to his initial decision, objects to the defacement of the plantation and refuses to sign the agreement.

The dispute causes a final rupture in the already precarious relationship between her and her brother.

In agreement with an old childhood friend of hers, Simone, she decides to set up a farm to make quality extra virgin olive oil, setting herself against all the farmers because oil production, in the village, is still anchored in old, erroneous, centuries-old traditions.

In addition to the farmers, Elais and Simone also get in the way of the only oil mill in the village, which practically has a monopoly on oil production in the area.

Despite all the difficulties, our people will produce their first quality oil with which they will enter the most prestigious competition in Italy.

Will they win? Well, all that remains is to read the novel.

One page a month.

Barring unforeseen events.

Happy reading.

(*) According to mythological tradition, Elais (Ελαϊς), daughter of Aniou and Dorippe, was the protector of olive oil. Her sisters were Oino (Οινώ), who protected the vineyard, and Spermó (Σπερμώ), who protected grain.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)