When reading is painful causes ...
© Edition Moderne
It is not easy to discuss the works of Tom Gauld. How can one describe in words what the Scottish illustrator seemingly effortlessly unleashes on us readers in his cartoons. Tom Gauld seems to be one of the best known and most popular artists among international humor artists. I didn't know him either until almost 3 years ago, which may also be due to the fact that his strips appear in the New York Times, the Guardian or the New Yorker. Since I don't actively read any of these newspapers, and since they are more reserved for the English-speaking public, Gauld's humor first caught my attention after the publication of Section for Insane Theories (review here).
While the focus at that time was on dealing with the different sciences and how society deals with them, Tom Gauld now takes on all the people involved in the subject of books, literature and the entire business around it. It's dry and biting at times, heart-rending at times and very often bitterly angry, because as a reader you sometimes feel caught in this role. Because let's be honest, who can claim not to have been in the situation that I describe in the first paragraph. When am I supposed to read all the books, please?
Desks are untidy but a creative find
© Edition Moderne
Literary agents, writers, pro- and antagonists, pretty much every group from and in the field of books gets their “fat off”, as the saying goes. About books that nobody will read, about the lack of a muse who again refuses to kiss the author, or about the critics who, like me, make it easy for themselves to judge a work. Sometimes the laughter gets stuck in your throat, regardless of whether you belong to one target group or another.
With Gauld, even the novels can think and speaking. For example, they complain that they are simply not read or not properly valued. What Gauld has already implemented with the department for crazy theories in the field of science, he also succeeds here in his own profession. This is already his third book with Edition Moderne, not counting the other English-language publications. So it's written and drawn from an author's perspective and we can't help but find ourselves from the reader's perspective. That's what I call a connection between author and reader, that reaches the next meta level. Because even if we don't have any other unread book on the shelf, at least this book is still unread if you've dutifully bought it in the nearest bookstore. And that's what you do, right? Surely you don't want to feel the revenge of the books?
The poltergeist of distraction likes to live with me too!
© Edition Moderne
If you would like to get a small impression of the illustrations, you can view a reading sample online here. Alternatively, I have included a few examples here in the text, which should give you a good impression.
Die Rache der Bücher was published by Edition Moderne;
ISBN: 978-3-03731-250-6 Hardcover 160 colored pages 21x15cm in landscape format 22,- Euro Order Die Rache der Bücher at Buecher.de now
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Our online magazine ntower is a member of the Amazon affiliate network PartnerNet, Awin, Webgains, Media Markt E-Business GmbH and Saturn online GmbH. If you order via one of our affiliate links, we receive a variable commission from the respective shop operator. There are no additional costs for end customers.