I'm late to the game on this one, but i have recently discovered the amazing artwork and storytelling of Shaun Tan. In the best way possible, too. I just stumbled across his stuff at the bookstore. No hype, no expectations. I just liked the cover so i picked it up and flipped through it. Instantly i was mesmerized and ended up buying two of his works. I plan to get more in the future.
The first one, The Lost Thing, is a wonderful and fantastic children's tale of a boy who finds the titular Lost Thing and has a brief adventure with it. The story is a commentary on our far-too-busy modern lifestyle and not noticing the wonder around us. But it also reads as a great kids book. The kind you actually want to read again and again and always find new things in. And besides all that, the art is mind-blowingly intricate, original, and beautiful.
The Lost Thing was turned into an animated short film that won this year's Oscar for Best Short Animated Film. Haven't seen it yet (the DVD is proving hard to track down here in Japan), but if it's anywhere as good as the book, i think i get why it won.
Congratulations, Mr Tan, on a job well done!
The second book of his that i picked up was his latest, The Arrival. The following are a couple of pages from The Arrival, a stunning wordless graphic novel that takes puts a fantastic spin on the European migration to the United States through Ellis Island. It is beautifully "told" through images, simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar. The artwork is incredible.
For more information about Shaun Tan (a native of Perth, Australia now living in Melbourne) check out his website at ShaunTan.net. The website itself is quite a piece of work. What a talent!
Symian is: truly impressed and enthralled... and running out of adjectives.
Currently Reading: The Lost Thing (again)
Currently Listening: The Stax-Volt Complete Collection 1958-1969
Kanji of the Day: 迷子になった／まいごになった／lost (to be lost)
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