Starry Night, Blurry Dreams

by Henn Kim

Las poesía gráfica de Henn Kim, evocadora y surreal, nos habla en un lenguaje universal sobre temas como la soledad y el desamor, pero también sobre el poder de la amistad, del arte y la imaginación para superar momentos difíciles. El suyo es un universo poético, siempre en blanco y negro y de líneas simples pero de una gran belleza, en el que una chica joven, a veces acompañada y otras sola, está rodeada flores, libros, objetos cotidianos y, de fondo, como bálsamo a sus sueños inquietos, una noche siempre estrellada. Cuando las palabras no basten para describir nuestras emociones, sus imágenes nos ofrecerá consuelo, alegría y un amigo en la oscuridad. Primer recopilatorio de poesía visual de Henn Kim, una de las ilustradoras coreanas más influyentes en redes sociales.

Genres: Poetry, Graphic Novels, Art, Nonfiction, Asia

304 pages, Hardcover

Published September 7, 2021

Reviews

[Henk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly dark, with mental health, impossibility of love and loneliness far outnumbering visual jokes on everyday sayings.

In a black and white style Henn Kim draws a world full of lonely, melancholic figures. Sometimes they try to hug cacti, sometimes they stare in a portal of planets conjectures by a book, at times they represent two people, but always with a fear of abandonment somewhere at the background. Although short on text Starry Night, Blurry Dreams is much more serious than I expected, and also less sweet. Highly stylised but not shying away of serious topics, giving me the feeling of being right back in a lonely, rainy day as a teenager.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly my kind of book when I get too chaotic. And chaotic I am. Most days. And this collection is just the cure to make myself understand I am who I am and I need to accept it. Things do calm down when I see and read something relatable. This. Is. Exactly that.

You do not need to think much about what you are reading but a few words that would speak to you.

You do not need to look much into the details of the illustrations that depict the different moods and emotions. But you will feel exactly what it tells you to.

Love this collection so much!

Thank you, Andrews McMeel, for the advance reading copy.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Starry Night, Blurry Dreamsis a beautiful and haunting book of poetry and art that I couldn't draw away from.
The art fits so perfectly with the poetry! The poetry is beautifully written if not melancholic and emotional in places. This book just seemed to click with me and really tugged at my heart strings. The poetry covers topics such as navigating our human existence and the highs, lows, loves and losses we encounter and bare.
If you love dark asthetic artwork and emotional poetry that touches your soul, you will definitely enjoy this as much as I have.

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations 🖤

(I got this from a wonderful soul for my birthday - thank you 🤍)

[Sabrina Ye · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75~4 stars. I really like those weirdly beautiful illustrations 😍

[Mandy Kell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing a copy of Starry Night, Blurry Dreams in exchange for an honest review.

Starry Night, Blurry Dreams by Henn Kim is an exquisite piece of art.

The illustrations and captions perfectly fit the expression "a picture is worth a thousand words". The drawings have a heart wrenching melancholy that is both beautiful and mournful. Emotional and intense, this collection of poetry and artwork would be a wonderful gift for any artistic soul in your life.

I give this book five stars for a lovely dark aesthetic and a timeless expression of love, loss, and learning to live through the pain of human existence.

[Stacey | prettybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

A stunning collection of artwork by Henn Kim (known to me as the illustrator of Sally Rooney's book covers).

[Madara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I'd call this a poetry collection. Maybe visual poetry, but not poetry in the classic sense. Every single illustration is visually stunning and I'd actually be interested in owning this book in physical form too.

Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[MJ Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think part of my issue with this book is that it was billed as "graphic poetry". I went into it expecting a genre fusion between graphic novels and poetry, or an artbook with poetry woven in. And while the illustrations are lovely and unique and exactly my brand of surrealism, there's no real poetry in this book. And I don't mean that in a snobbish way, like "real" poetry is something to achieve. I mean this book is full of illustrated scenes and a one-to-six word caption. They're interesting captions, and they often bring new insight into the illustrations, but they're more pun than poetry.

The other thing I would have loved to see in this collection (because from here on out I'll be treating it like a coffee table artbook) is more variety in the people depicted. Every woman in this book looks the same, and while this may likely be a stylistic choice, in a world where people have whale heads sometimes and go to octopus salons, I would really have liked to see any variation in body type, skin tone (yes it's black and white; no that's no excuse), even hair texture. After 300 pages, a skinny pale woman with big boobs and a curvy butt gets boring.

Additionally, my favorite art books are the ones with some overarching plot or narrative, and although there were a couple of 3 to 4-part storylines, there really wasn't anything more lasting.

Overall: 7/10, mostly just disappointed.

(I received a free copy of this book through netgalley in exchange for my honest review. thank you!)

[Ana Rute Primo · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️ Artigo publicado em https://www.boasleituras.pt/

Que livro bonito, uma obra de arte! Assim que lhe pegamos não conseguimos parar.

Não estava familiarizada com o conceito de poesia visual, mas, decididamente, fiquei fã. Amei!

As páginas transportam-nos para o interior de uma galeria de arte, como se estivéssemos a visitar uma exposição.

Composto na sua maioria por desenhos monocromáticos relacionados com a mulher, descrevendo os seus vários estados de espírito, a dor, o amor, a vida. As ilustrações são muitas vezes sombrias, belíssimas, muito criativas, acompanhas pelas respetivas legendas em português e inglês. E ainda bem que se optou pela via do bilingue, pois há muitas frases que, pelo trocadilho ou pelo humor, se perderiam na tradução.

Aventurem-se, experimentem, não se vão arrepender!

Boas Leituras ❤️

[Benicia Noia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muchas gracias Netgalley por el envío de una copia avanzada a cambio de una reseña honesta.

Este poemario es tan bello y sencillo a la vez, de lectura ligera y con ilustraciones que hacen que todo lo escrito tenga aún más sentido.

Los versos que acompañan las ilustraciones hacen que la lectura a veces caiga en un punto en el que se vuelve irónica y sarcástica, dulce y amarga.

Las ilustraciones son muy bonitas y representativas, con las que podrías identificar facilmente los poemas.

Una lectura agradable y que volvería a repetir en un futuro.

[Sintija Buhanovska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vizuāla grāmata pieaugušajiem vai tiem, kas par tādiem top. Smalka, poētiska, skumja, asprātīga, reizēm tik ikdienišķa un tāpēc jo tuvāka. Tā nu gluži nav dzejas grāmata, bet noskaņu noteikti rada.

[nerdy.bookdragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lovely collection of stunning illustrations and small motivating inspirations and quotes. It is a lovely book that I think is definitely worht reading!

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black and white quirky drawings and a few words tersely depict a range of emotions from sad to joyful.

“to calm my mind
books are my cup of tea”
Accompanied with a hand hovering over a clear cup of tea with a tea bag shaped as a book.

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die Kunst in diesem kleinen Büchlein ist wirklich unfassbar schön, atemberaubend und mitreißend emotional. Tiefgründig sind die wenigen Worte auch, die diese beschreiben, aber gerade, weil Julia Engelmann die Übersetzerin gewesen ist, habe ich mir etwas anderes vorgestellt. Ich wurde nicht enttäuscht, das kann ich nicht sagen, aber die Worte an sich haben mich auch nicht so recht mitgerissen. Auch wenn ich mir ein paar dieser markiert habe. Doch zum Teil sagten sie eben auch nichts 'Neues', Erschließbares aus.
Obwohl ich die Autorin des Werkes dagegen umso mehr bewundernswert finde - sie sprach vom Alter 17 bis 19 gar kein Wort -, und arbeitet inzwischen nun trotzdem für große Marken wie UNICEF, u. a. und ich finde das einfach sehr bemerkenswert, würdige und schätze das sehr.

[Erika Sarutobi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The artstyle is stunning and I love it so much especially so since it's mixed with plants, flowers, space and moon (though some are sexually suggestive). My only criticism is that the captions feel more titles for the art and was hoping for a little more.

For some reason, Goodreads doesn't seem to have a description for the book (at least on the phone app) so I copied it off Netgalley.

"From popular South Korean illustrator Henn Kim comes a moving collection of graphic poetry about loneliness, love, and the surreality of everyday life.

When words aren’t enough to describe our emotions, this book offers comfort, joy, and a friend in the dark. In her spare yet powerful style, Kim navigates subjects like mental health, trauma, loneliness, and loss. Pairing exquisite, black-and-white illustrations with short, surprising captions, each page of Starry Night, Blurry Dreams inspires wonder and introspection."

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

[Lucía Cafeína · Rating 3 out of 5]

Las ilustraciones son maravillosas, pero las frases que las acompañan me han parecido un poco sosas, o que transmitían muy poco; me habría gustado mucho más si todo estuviese más en sintonía.

[Ângela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poesia que alimenta a alma.

[Inga Grencberga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grafiskā dzeja lēnajai Ziemassvētku vannai.

[aqilahreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

such an interesting take to explore darkness of depression & complexity of human relationship, its something that you might not wanna miss if youre into visual poetry ✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. the poetry style might not be for everyone tho and some readers might not even find them as "poetry" but i guess its really up to reader's intepretation on how poetry is to be seen. the words matches the illustrations well, i personally enjoyed the beautiful drawings but i wasnt satisfied with the 2-words/few words kind of poetry ((probably bc i wanted more)) so it took me awhile to get used to it. its a very fast read overall but i think its meant to be read slowly...i tried to slower down my pace......but i ended up still finishing it in one sitting lmaooo

i felt that its still quite a decent book just the way it is even though theres not much depth into it. also makes quite a calming book to flip through from time to time after having a long day - i just find myself getting lost in these pages each time. definitely something different and unique that might take some time to appreciate with.

// thank you so much @definitelybooks for a review copy in exchange of an honest review ✨

[Lorena Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eu esperei tanto tempo ter a oportunidade de comprar alguma obra da Henn Kim, que é uma das minhas ilustradoras favoritas e maior inspiração para ter começado a desenhar, e a espera valeu a pena pois comprei esse livro que é uma coletânea com muitas das ilustrações mais icônicas dela.

As obras são descritas como “poesia visual” e é o que é, puro sentimento. A cada página virada, as ilustrações surrealistas me deixam de coração mais quentinho. Acho incrível a sensibilidade dela de dar contorno aos sentimentos mais complexos que a solitude pode trazer. Adorei viajar pelo universo p&b dela, conte cmg para td Henn Kim 🖤

Obs: A capa é mto linda, as estrelas tem um revestimento prateado que deixam elas brilhantes, a encadernação tbm está mto bem feita e com detalhes em prateado. Achei td mt bem pensado e caprichadinho.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is stunning, and Henn Kim is such a talented illustrator

[Evelyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poignant & beautiful visuals ❤️

[Rin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not enough words

[Célia Gil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que livro maravilhoso! Há imagens que falam, de facto, por mil palavras. Esta poesia visual comunica por si só. As palavras surgem a complementar a mensagem que as imagens transmitem. São várias as emoções, os estados de alma, situações quotidianas representadas nas imagens, onde a mulher é a protagonista, e complementadas por versos que partem de canções, de frases feitas e expressões do dia-a-dia. E o facto de ser bilingue, torna o texto ainda mais interessante. Curiosamente, em algumas das imagens, penso que a expressão em inglês é a que se ajusta melhor e que, muitas vezes, não é fácil de traduzir. Mas louvo a tradução feita.
É um livro que aconselho a quem gosta de poesia e tem sensibilidade para a leitura de imagens.
É um livro delicioso, que consegue comunicar sentimentos de forma artística, sem deixar de ser simples e direto, muitas vezes duro, onde é possível revermo-nos, identificar as emoções recônditas que nos atormentam. É um desnudar de emoções, muitas que ficam guardadas dentro de nós e que muitas vezes não se exteriorizam. É um livro para refletir, quase um autorretrato da alma, despido de preconceitos e com um humor muito peculiar.
É daqueles livros onde voltarei várias vezes, disso tenho a certeza!

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this graphic novel of poetry is visually gorgeous [there is some seriously stunning artwork in this book - I was blown away over and over as I read this. SO. MUCH. DETAIL. Amazing.], this will not be for everyone. This is not a happy book. It is about wanting happiness and love and normalness, but it is about how depression and anxiety fights against all the things that we want and often wins. There is no happy ending here and if you have never struggled with the overwhelmingness of depression, you will absolutely not get this book. For me [I have suffered from depression since I was a child and anxiety since I was a teen], this book was like the author dove into my brain and then illustrated what she found there. It was deeply personal for me and while it was a bit jarring to see my feelings echoed back to me on a page, I loved this book. Someone who gets me. Glorious.

Thank you to NetGalley, Henn Kim, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's honestly hard to review this book. Because it's filled with illustrations and mostly it's for people who love aesthetically pleasing visuals. If you're searching for comforting words or illustrations, you can surely pick this book up.

If you're into more words or content, I think this book might not be for you. I am somewhat 50/50 about this book. However, I lean into the more positive side as I enjoyed interpreting the illustrations and trying to make sense of the illustrations and relating them to the phrases written. It was indeed a fun process.

Overall, I enjoyed going through this book and would definitely revisit it.

[Dipali · Rating 4 out of 5]

** A copy of Starry Night, Blurry Dreams was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

Henn Kim is one of my favourite digital illustrators - I particularly love her work on Normal People. Needless to say, when I saw this ARC available, I jumped at the chance to devour it. Kim's imagination is something to behold - her illustrations of love, loss, mental health and grief are stunning! I would love prints of many of the pieces in this collection! While many might not appreciate this "graphic poetry" because it is more graphic than poetry, I welcome Kim's attempts at letting the illustrations do most of the talking.

[Charlotte (char.lottereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating : 4/5

I have always loved poetry since I was very young but I am just starting to appreciate the written form of it for poetry slams has been how I consumed poetry for the longest time. This type of poetry - visual poetry to be exact is very new to me and I am genuinely surprised to how it can hit this deep with just one lines or even 5 words sometimes. The visual jokes on everyday sayings paired with Henn Kim's very unique art style made a unique but powerful pairing.

Henn Kim is the famous illustrator for the cover of normal people (yes the sardine can with people inside) From that you can already see the very core of her art. It takes mundane things with a twist in such a poetic way that it is just such a visual pleaser but also a symbol of something much deeper.

would recommend to beginners of visual poetry/poetry, easy to get through , with a lot of heart in it but also with so much space for intreprations of your own. Thank you pansings distributions for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Allen Sanita · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all have our own beautiful universe...

A beautiful book (outside and inside), collection of visual/graphic poetry with a few words in it, tells about loneliness (a little bit about mental health and depression as well), love, existing in our world, sunday mood...

I feel a deep connection to the parts about loneliness because it describes exactly how i am feeling when i am alone, what i think in my mind, what i really want to say.

I enjoyed this book a lot, stunning, beautiful art and description, definitely a book i want to revisit when i'm feeling down.