Flowers Growing from Manure

I have been reading "Nothing Like the Sun: A Story of Shakespeare's Love-Life" by Anthony Burgess for the last two days. I am not sure if I am enjoying it, but I cannot put it down. 

It is not easy to read, not because of the language, but rather because of the empathy I have for the protagonist, and the heavy atmosphere. Fears, hopes, self-consciousness, love, jealousy, regrets; old age and diseases approaching; more fears... And I feel stinking of the great city, full of unbathed people and plague during the hot summer months. I know this is how it had to be, but it is not easy to struggle through this huge cloud of stench. 

Yes, it is a hard read for me. I have read reviews by others saying it was an easy read, and they enjoyed it greatly, but I feel like I am contemplating a beautiful flower growing on the pile of manure (and it is human manure, let me clarify, for it is the stinkiest one). It is neither strange or unnatural, though. Pasternak, the great Russian poet, wrote: "If only you could know from what dirt the poems are growing without any shame...". He was right, of course (and he made the most beautiful translations of Shakespeare into Russian), but it is sometimes easier and more pleasant not to know how the flowers grow.  

A miniature by Nicholas Hilliard, Elizabethan portraitist. Could be a portrait of Shakespeare.

I wonder what are the impressions of my friends; please tell me what you think of this book, if you have read it. I will also give it to my mother for her expert opinion. I still have about half of the book to read. If I liked it more, it would go faster.  

Winter Landscape with a Fox by John Burningham

I am in love with this illustration. It has the impressionist spirit which I love, the instant glimpse, the momentary feeling of beauty of the world. I readily recognise the heavy sun of late winter afternoon and dry grasses covered in frost; they give a crackling sound as you walk. The coy looking fox is as familiar and casual as your neighbours' dog. The dear world of childhood where every animal is your friend, and every walk is an adventure.

It is by English illustrator John Burningham and comes from his book "Seasons" published in 1971, I found it here. 

Another Book on My List of Favorites - The Mask of the Sorcerer

 Reflection by Piroska Pádár

This photo reminded me of Darrell Schweitzer's novel, The Mask of the Sorcerer. I have just re-read if for the third time (actually, I read it for the second time two days ago and immediately started again, which I have never done before). I am not good at sharing my feelings about books - always groping for words and feeling awkward - hopeless. In order to be able to express my feelings about this amazing novel, I would have to be able to write as well as Schweitzer, and that is not going to happen. I can only say this is one of the best books I have ever read. It is beautiful, sad, touching, unpredictable, scary, kind... it makes me shiver, twitch, cry (yes, I am a nervous person, although not overly sentimental, so not every book makes me react like that). Sometimes it makes me smile. 

It is a very big book, in the sense that it has a lot of space inside it, like growing into itself; it is non-linear and unfolds in the ways I would not have guessed. It speaks of big things and of small things in the language that can be understood and related to oneself. I can relate to the pain, uncertainty, hope, fear... to the feeling of loss. I cannot say I fully understand it, but then, the main character does not understand what is going on, for a good part of the book, so I guess I am not that bad. 

I am very glad that I have discovered Darrell Schweitzer for myself. Now I need to find out where to buy all of his books, because I want them all. ...The photo, of course, is not an accurate depiction of the Great River, and it could not be. But it reminds me a bit about the book - this huge body of dark water, mist and reflections - so I decided to put it here. In order to make really good illustrations to Darrell Schweitzer's books, you would have to be in his head, think and see like he does, and also to be able to draw, and who on Earth can do that?

Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, Illustrated by Kalinovsky

Now I have the privilege of owning this amazing book - Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There with illustrations by Gennady Kalinovsky, an eminent Soviet (Russian) artist. I collect books with his works, and this one is a pearl of my collection. No, not even a pearl. A Cullinan diamond!

I am sure no one needs extended comments and explanations, as everyone has read the book. If you have not, or if you have forgotten - read it! It is a true masterpiece. I have read a good review of the illustrations today and it said that probably the book was so fascinating and outstanding not because it was clever, full of chess and mathematics and absurdities and curiosities, but because it was full of love for the girl, and these illustrations do reflect that love and desire to take care. I think this might be true. And although Alice is not as pretty here as in some other books, she is very touching, vulnerable and alive. And all the creatures are of course immensely cute! The White Queen is so helpless and silly, and the Black Queen is condensed fury and determination. My favourite one, however, is Alice in the boat, floating among flowers and lights. It is pure magic and I love it.

Yes, some people still need and want paper books. Just look at this magic of lines and shades. And imagine a child reading this, and his or her imagination working, transforming this into a different reality, playing with the words and images - instead of just watching a bright movie, as simple as fast food.

These are the illustrations which are clickable - enjoy! I have not scanned them, but found them here.

 

Our Vintage Rikki Tikki Tavi

I have recently bought a lovely vintage book which I have been wanting for a while. It is a book of stories from The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, published in 1980 in Russia, with the most endearing illustrations. It is not the complete Jungle Book; it only contains several stories, my favorite ones. And I think that the most beloved one is about Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the fearless young mongoose.

I am sure everyone has read the story as a child. It has been a great pleasure for me to read the story with my own daughter and look at the wonderful pictures by Valentine Kurdov. In every story, there is at least one watercolor and several black and white pictures.

Here you can see Rikki talking to the birds and exploring the garden. You can feel alertness and energy of the little strong animal who enjoys life and movement.

Mongoose and cobra are exotic creatures for a Russian artist, and I think Kurdov had to consult biology books, photos, and maybe went to the zoo. He did an excellent job; the animals look very recognizable and alive. Of course Kurdov was an excellent artist - look at the single cobra at the picture on the right, it is like a hieroglyph. A sign which means danger. And the mongoose is so touching and human like, standing in front of the snake, talking to her in the picture on the left. Rikki  looks somewhat vulnerable, he is still a very young mongoose, and the snake is adult and strong. But the mongoose has lots of dignity. Look at the rhythm of the picture - it is flowing clockwise, moving endlessly, full of inner energy. It reminds me of Oriental miniatures. 

Here you can see Rikki killing a tiny but deadly Karait amidst lavish exotic plants, and then Rikki is talking to Chuchundra, the musk-rat, who is afraid of everything and everyone. My mother said: "Poor Chuchundra! She is weeping! And look at Rikki, he is strong and agile! With his strong jaws full of sharp teeth, he is just like our Belgian Shepherd Dog!" Indeed, Rikki looks a bit like my Malinois.

The story tells a lot about what courage is. Courage is not to be afraid of anything; it is about being able to fight despite your fear and clear understanding of the greatness of the danger. Kipling tells several times of Rikki being frightened or concerned. The little beast, with all his fierceness, wants to live and recognizes the risks, but fights nonetheless because this is what mongooses are for. Once he is set on the target, he does not go back. He actually cannot let go of the snake for he then would be killed by the large and strong enemy.

A very dramatic moment - Rikki destroying snake eggs, while the bird is distracting the mother snake, Nagaina. And in the next picture he is telling her that all her eggs are ruined and there is just one left - the young king cobra which he can swap for the life of the human boy.

And the last black and white picture is of the peaceful garden full of flowers, birds and frogs, without any snakes. Darzee the Tailorbird sings his chant praising Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, "the valiant, the true, with eyeballs of flame". The very last picture is another watercolor of Rikki chasing a cobra, as if to reconfirm his commitment and readiness to fight for his friends and territory.

If somehow you have missed this book in reading to your children, I very highly recommend it. It is a really good book which teaches good things. And it is also lovely and amusing.

Vintage "Thumbelina" from USSR

I buy a lot of vintage children's books with good illustrations. Many of those are unlikely to ever be reprinted, so I grab them whenever I can. My daughter loves reading, and buying books for her is a pleasure (it is quite possible that part of the reason for her loving to read is that I love reading to her and enjoy looking for nice books).

I bought this vintage "Thumbelina" (printed in USSR in 1977, so it is as old as I am) on Sunday; it is illustrated by Natalia Barbotchenko, and I think I love her interpretation most of all. I especially love the cover - it so peaceful and cozy. This is the first tine I have seen this book.

I think that almost any little girl  would like to imagine herself sleeping in such a bed, or, better still - having a tiny girl friend who could be cared for, like a doll.

The house of the witch is quite cozy, too; even though it is dark, it is not scary. She looks neat and well-dressed, very eco style - her dress might be made from undyed linen, and shawl... alpaca? What do you say? Her posture expresses care and compassion. And the woman looks so desperately hopeful and unprotected. By the way, have you ever thought of the injustice done to her in the end? Her child was stolen and never returned to her, and obviously did not even remembered her - there was no single mention of the mother after Thumbelina was stolen. This always stroke me as unfair.

These creatures are not frightening, too. They are so homely and business-like. Note the beautiful lamp! And can you imagine what this place smells like? It is clean and earthy, with hints of dried fruits and herbs. A perfect hole, sound and well-built, full of properly stored food, and any decent mole lady would love to inhabit it.

The glamorous part of it always seemed boring to me - there is too much sunlight, and it lacks the comfort of living in the shadow of grass and flowers. What are they going to do now - just dance and play? If they were to play in the strawberry patch, where the soil is moist, where there is shade and mystery under the large festooned leaves, with ripe red berries hanging low, with small white flowers, with strawberry runners spreading like tentacles - it would be fascinating! You can meet a worm or a beetle there, or even a slug (I was afraid of them as a child, or rather disgusted), and you might have to fight for your life - that is so much more interesting than just jumping from one flower to another.

But the book is written as it is and cannot be changed. Anyway, I am grateful to Andersen for the moments of magic, for green shade under leaves, for mirror-like water of the pond with gold fish sealed inside, and the smell of grain and honey, flour and herbs, in the mole's hole. And when Thumbelina went outside to say farewell to the outside world, it would smell like autumn - wet soil, wet stumble in the field, cold air and smoke somewhere far away... and a single sparrow, the last one, coming from the darkening sky with sparse stars, to take her away from this sad land. What was later - is not real to me.

Russian Folk Tales as Seen by Tatiana Mavrina

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Can you see my hand painted floral silk shawl in the collage? It is in the upper left and right corners. It mingles really well with the lovely illustrations by my beloved Tatiana Mavrina, does not it?

Tatiana Mavrina was a Russian artist famous for her book illustrations. She lived from 1900-1996, and was very prolific. Her works were not limited to illustrations; she painted pictures, too, and made sketches for cartoons. But it were her works for books that brought her fame, recognition and prestigious awards. Books are so much more affordable than pictures, and I had two books illustrated by Mavrina when I was a child. Now I have several, including Russian folk tales and tales for children by Alexander Pushkin, and would like to buy more, but it is not so easy to do now.

I own several books illustrated by her, and reading them is a pleasure. However I do not feel that she was painting for children, and my mother agrees with me. Her pictures are wonderful, but they are clearly for adults, in our view; my own daughter was not impressed at all when she was 4 years old. Now she is 6; just several minutes ago she came to see what I was doing and said the pictures were beautiful, but I know she still prefers more 'life like' pictures to these sophisticated paintings.

Russian lubok, together with other traditional forms of Russian art, clearly was among the origins of these works; however Mavrina went far beyond it. Lubok is always very clear and unambiguous, whereas Mavrina is not. Her paintings are very decorative, highly stylized, with amazing color combinations, but not easily comprehensible for small children. However this is not something to be upset about: I am sure that my daughter will love her works like I do when she becomes older. 

 Source

Below are several beautiful examples of Mavrina's paintings, and you can find more here, in the Russian part of the internet (but of course texts will be in Russian), or look for information in English, but there will be fewer paintings of course. You could combine both approaches, it will be the most efficient way.

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I would love to publish many more pictures by Tatiana Mavrina - it is such a pleasure for me to look at them - but I am afraid the post will become too long. I have had to make an effort to remember what made me think of Mavrina and write all this; it was a floral vintage silk shawl, painted by hand, which is so redolent of Mavrina style - indeed it looks as if painted by her. I listed it today but I am thinking of removing it... We will see; I think if it does not sell, I will keep it.

Vintage Books: A Childhood Remembered

Today I was lucky to buy a bundle of vintage children's books. All of them are in excellent condition and with lovely pictures.

One of the books is Heksen en zo (Witches and such) by Annie M.G. Schmidt, which has amazing pictures. I have never seen this book before. Just look, it is sheer magic!

Source of the scans: http://www.igrateney.ru/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=23981

I have not started reading it yet, but I am looking forward to it.

The second book I am especially happy about is The Talking Parcel by Gerald Durrell. This one we had as children, and then my younger brother left it in the taxi. My heart was broken! I have been looking for it for a while and how I have my own copy. 

I have looked at the English versions of this book in online bokstores, and some of them are really nice. But of course I wanted to have the one I had as a child, and now it is here!

The Russian edition has lovely pictures showing a very special magical world with amazing mythical creatures, all with their own personalities. The atmosphere in the pictures is very cozy, and even monsters do not look threatening despite their impressive claws and breathing fire. However I think my 6-year-old will be the best judge to decide whether they are scary or not. 

The girl heroine, Penelope, is pretty without resembling Barbie, and the boys are very nice, and all the beasts are charming. The Magician has mimics exactly like one of my school teachers, and it gives me additional pleasure making him even more alive and special to me.

Below you can see the map of the magic world followed by pictures of some of the lovely characters.

Source of the scans: http://kidpix.livejournal.com/278474.html

The remaining books are by Russian writers. Some of them boast pictures by Kalinovski, a great book artist, and they deserve a separate post. Now I will go back to reading - I am going to lie on my bed with The Talking Parcel and a big red apple. As an added benefit, I hope these books will help me with ideas for Halloween - we need to think of what to offer in our Etsy shop.