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Flowers & Fables
Fantasy art combined with tales of flower origins and myths.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 25, 2019
Ever since I first encountered the surreal artistry of Rafał Olbiński, on the cover of Meredith Ann Pierce's
Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood
, I have been interested in his work, so when I discovered that he had illustrated a picture-book, I was curious to take a look. Flowers & Fables does not disappoint, at least insofar as the artwork is concerned.
Each of John Gruen's fourteen brief textual snippets, which the publisher is pleased to describe as "fables," is accompanied by a full-page, color illustration by Olbiński. Here are travelers, transformed into cypress trees; a lovely woman made of tears and tulips; poplars rising into the sky. Here, in short, are marvelous wonders, and anyone with an eye for beauty will savor the experience of looking through this book.
Unfortunately, as readers they will come away unsatisfied. Gruen's pieces, neither story nor fable, are slight, anemic little bits of text: uninteresting statements of events. That the events in question are fantastic, makes their lack of appeal all the more noticeable: one feels as if they should be evoking some sense of magic. All in all, this is a book I would recommend only to Rafał Olbiński devotees.
Each of John Gruen's fourteen brief textual snippets, which the publisher is pleased to describe as "fables," is accompanied by a full-page, color illustration by Olbiński. Here are travelers, transformed into cypress trees; a lovely woman made of tears and tulips; poplars rising into the sky. Here, in short, are marvelous wonders, and anyone with an eye for beauty will savor the experience of looking through this book.
Unfortunately, as readers they will come away unsatisfied. Gruen's pieces, neither story nor fable, are slight, anemic little bits of text: uninteresting statements of events. That the events in question are fantastic, makes their lack of appeal all the more noticeable: one feels as if they should be evoking some sense of magic. All in all, this is a book I would recommend only to Rafał Olbiński devotees.
February 16, 2022
I love the artwork, the images are stunning and surreal and draw me in. The poems didn't do much for me. They felt a bit like a forced dance partner.
December 17, 2011
a nice collection of poetry around astoundingly beautiful and interesting images.
June 26, 2013
Gorgeously strange images pair with beautiful, surreal prose poems. I love this book!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews