that last illustration reminds me of dubuffet. I wonder what a chain children's book buyer would make of it. We keep being told that a Ben Shahn illus. of 3 kids playing the harmonica is "too scary"—but it's nothing compared to this!
Is this because book buyers assume (rightly) that parents are afraid their kids will want to play the harmonica?! (In this scenario, violins and kazoos would need to be blacked out to assure publication.)
The mention of pre-WWII German "chauvinistic" children's books made me think that someone should be studying current chauvinistic children's books -- you know they must be out there in abundance. I don't have the stomach to do it myself.
any idea if the brecht text is available in english, i don't know what's scarier, grosz illustrating a kids book, or brecht writing one... unfortunately, it seems the perfect moment for someone to publish an english translation...!
hey will, thanks much for posting the ewen quotes about the book, sounds incredible!!!! i can't believe someone hasn't tried to reprint it in english. certainly up there with the most horrific kid's books ever written. great stuff!
The Chinese fish book description reminds me of the ersatz Harry Potters from other countries, which seemed way more hallucinatory than the real thing. Kidlit remix. http://www.slate.com/id/2084960/
Though there's likely some parlor game to be played whose object is to see how bizarre you can make even an ordinary plot sound by phrasing it the right way.
Wow. I'm a great fan of Grosz's art and Brecht's poetry, and I find this very interesting. Though his drawing in your post isn't 'degenerate' it looks too violent for a kid's book!
A childrens book illustrated by Grosz, you don't say? That's fantastic.
ReplyDeletethat last illustration reminds me of dubuffet. I wonder what a chain children's book buyer would make of it. We keep being told that a Ben Shahn illus. of 3 kids playing the harmonica is "too scary"—but it's nothing compared to this!
ReplyDeleteIs this because book buyers assume (rightly) that parents are afraid their kids will want to play the harmonica?! (In this scenario, violins and kazoos would need to be blacked out to assure publication.)
ReplyDeleteThe mention of pre-WWII German "chauvinistic" children's books made me think that someone should be studying current chauvinistic children's books -- you know they must be out there in abundance. I don't have the stomach to do it myself.
any idea if the brecht text is available in english, i don't know what's scarier, grosz illustrating a kids book, or brecht writing one... unfortunately, it seems the perfect moment for someone to publish an english translation...!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea Grosz had done a children's book. That would be amazing. I have a couple of the reprints of his stuff from Dover, and they blew me away.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the comments. I did a little more research into The Three Soldiers and added a summary of it to the original post.
ReplyDeleteA semi-rhetorical question: is this the only kid's book in which God is put up against a wall and shot? (Sara, imagine pitching that to B&N.)
hey will, thanks much for posting the ewen quotes about the book, sounds incredible!!!! i can't believe someone hasn't tried to reprint it in english. certainly up there with the most horrific kid's books ever written. great stuff!
ReplyDeleteThe Chinese fish book description reminds me of the ersatz Harry Potters from other countries, which seemed way more hallucinatory than the real thing. Kidlit remix.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.slate.com/id/2084960/
Though there's likely some parlor game to be played whose object is to see how bizarre you can make even an ordinary plot sound by phrasing it the right way.
Wow. I'm a great fan of Grosz's art and Brecht's poetry, and I find this very interesting. Though his drawing in your post isn't 'degenerate' it looks too violent for a kid's book!
ReplyDelete