"THE GRAPHIC CANON" (Seven Stories Press) is a gorgeous,
one-of-a-kind trilogy that brings classic literatures of the world
together with legendary graphic artists and illustrators. There are
more than 130 illustrators represented and 190 literary works over
three volumes--many newly commissioned, some hard to
find--reinterpreted here for readers and collectors of all ages.
Volume 1 takes us on a visual tour from the earliest literature
through the end of the 1700s. Along the way, we're treated to
eye-popping renditions of the human race's greatest epics:
"Gilgamesh," "The Iliad," "The Odyssey" (in watercolors by Gareth
Hinds), The "Aeneid," "Beowulf," and "The Arabian Nights," plus
later epics "The Divine Comedy" and "The Canterbury Tales" (both by
legendary illustrator and graphic designer Seymour Chwast),
"Paradise Lost," and "Le Morte D'Arthur." Two of ancient Greece's
greatest plays are adapted--the tragedy "Medea" by Euripides and
Tania Schrag's uninhibited rendering of the very bawdy comedy
"Lysistrata" by Aristophanes (the text of which is still censored
in many textbooks). Also included is Robert Crumb's rarely-seen
adaptation of James Boswell's "London Journal," filled with
philosophical debate and lowbrow debauchery.
Religious literature is well-covered and well-illustrated, with the
Books of Daniel and Esther from the Old Testament, Rick Geary's
awe-inspiring new rendition of the Book of Revelation from the New
Testament, the "Tao te Ching," Rumi's Sufi poetry, Hinduism's
"Mahabharata," and the Mayan holy book "Popol Vuh," illustrated by
Roberta Gregory. The Eastern canon gets its due, with "The Tale of
Genji "(the world's first novel, done in full-page illustrations
reminiscent of Aubrey Beardsley), three poems from China's golden
age of literature lovingly drawn by pioneering underground comics
artist Sharon Rudahl, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, a Japanese Noh
play, and other works from Asia.
Two of Shakespeare's greatest plays ("King Lear" and "A Midsummer
Night's Dream") and two of his sonnets are here, as are Plato's
"Symposium," "Gulliver's Travels," "Candide," "A Vindication of the
Rights of Woman," Renaissance poetry of love and desire, and "Don
Quixote" visualized by the legendary Will Eisner.
Some unexpected twists in this volume include a Native American
folktale, an Incan play, Sappho's poetic fragments, bawdy essays by
Benjamin Franklin, the love letters of Abelard and Heloise, and the
decadent French classic "Dangerous Liaisons," as illustrated by
Molly
Crabapple.
Edited by Russ Kick, "The Graphic Canon" is an extraordinary
collection that will continue with "Volume 2: ""Kubla Khan"" to the
"Bronte Sisters" to The Picture of Dorian Gray" in Summer 2012, and
"Volume 3: From Heart of Darkness to Hemingway to Infinite Jest" in
Fall 2012. A boxed set of all three volumes will also be published
in Fall 2012.
General
Imprint: |
Seven Stories Press,U.S.
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
May 2012 |
First published: |
May 2012 |
Authors: |
Russ Kick
|
Dimensions: |
276 x 215 x 31mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade / Sewn
|
Pages: |
501 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-60980-376-6 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
Special features >
Graphic novels
|
LSN: |
1-60980-376-0 |
Barcode: |
9781609803766 |
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