Monday, March 23, 2009

loup, lapin, licorne

the much harped about lockout-by-language in france has ensured that i go back to basics. so, communication is only about primary emotions (secondary emotions need figures of speech and sentence structures that are elusive still); and the only books i 'read' from the lush CNBDI illustrated book/ comic library are books that have no words and books meant for pre-teens.

for the latter, i feel strangely blessed. it has ensured that i have been saved from 'adult' stories about existential ennui, cyborgs, vampires, protagonists with absent/hostile parents, mutilation and maiming, and a posy of sexual fixations and perversions (fodder of much contemporary graphic fiction). instead, i get to read folk tales, adventures of runaway babies, and books that deal with 'les animaux fantastiques'.

striking difference in choice of animal cast - instead of the cow, fox, deer and lion beloved in Indian context; there is an abundance of wolf, rabbit and unicorn here. the wolf in particular, sirian relic, sits grinning-jawed in many a occidental bookshelf...

2 comments:

TEST said...

go for "les fables de lafontaine" illustrated then, that's a great general overview of animal's symbolic in european culture.
(and it's so dilightfull)

jonaas09 said...

…deeply moved by your "Loup,Lapin,Licorne" post…
…as having been a (french) "foreign" student in Japan…
I just discovered your work (Kari…seems wonderfull…), through as a "beside effect" of an internet research about the writer "Tariq Ali" & Peter Brook's "Mahabarhata"…!! rires!!! (= “lol” in french !!!)…
…regrets not having met you in the last "Angoulême BD 09"…but this year I had already toomuch nice meetings in Angoulême BD festival with Japanese, Lebanese…etc… authors…thanks to my daughters and their friends…
…I would appreciate an answer…specially if you are still in Angoulême "residence"…
good luck & courage for your work…specially if it concerned "Mahabarhata"…!!! rires!!!