Wednesday 13 October 2010

Atlas

Last night I devoured the most beautiful book: the Atlas of Remote Islands: Fifty Islands I Have Not Visited and Never Will, by German writer and artist Judith Schalansky, published in English by Penguin's Particular Books imprint. It's wonderful: like one of Borges's eccentric encyclopaedias (The Book Of Imaginary Beings or A Universal History of Iniquity come to mind), each entry is a piece of art in itself. Alongside the maps of the islands in question are stories from their histories--tales of utopians, murderers, prisoners and dictators; of the lost, the mad, cannibals and scientists; of nuclear bombs and tonnes of accumulated birdshit. It's all described with a voice that is both lucid and poetic, a style which, while explaining things, actually makes the world seem more mysterious. It is, in a word, great.






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5 comments:

Derek said...

Splendidly whimsical; obviously a labor of love.

Jonas said...

It officially is the most beautiful book, at least of Germany. Its an annual competition called "Die schönsten Bücher Deutschlands", with exhibitions at the Frankfurt and Leipzig Book Fairs.

JRSM said...

The good people of Germany know what they're talking about: it's gorgeous.

Chasch said...

This book looks absolutely marvelous! I'm going to get myself a copy as soon as I can. I love that kind of very specific, elegantly made, eccentric book that doesn't really fit into any category because it comes so completely from someone's heart... thanks for sharing this!

Ben said...

Nothing much to add, except: what a great idea for a book, wonderfully executed too by the look of it.

I think I know a couple of people who'll be getting copies of this for xmas, assuming my finances hold up.