 |
Art by Clive Hicks-Jenkins See Clive's posts on Thaliad here Book design by Elizabeth Adams Available in pb via indies, Bookshop, Amazon, etc., and in both hc/pb from Phoenicia Publishing |
Clive, this morning in Wales: 'Ark', a chapter heading from Marly Youman's poem/novel, 'Thaliad'. I set out on my 'Thaliad' adventure with some trepidation, wary of its author's description in several e-mails of being a post-apocalypse-themed epic-poem. Ahead of reading it I wondered what I might offer to add to its words, but as I worked through the manuscript making my notes, I became completely lost in it. Though I've loved all the works I've illustrated for Marly, this is a personal favourite. It was also the first book in which I felt I really began to understand how to 'decorate' the pages of a text. I'm going to return to it when I've finished my current read. I feel it's what I need right now. It was published by Phoenicia Publishing and is still available from them.
* * *
I'm glad that Thaliad is still in print, still trickling out into the world, and I'm happy that Clive thinks it right-for-right-now. (We need to outlaw the phrase, "trying times," and a few others that have sprung up like dandelions. Well, I don't mean to insult those little starry suns in our yards and meadows. How about these? Like Japanese knotweed. Like bishop's weed. Like unwanted periwinkle.)
