Shaun Tan’s since his annus mirabilis in 2011, when he was only Oscar (for the animated film “the Lost Thing”) and then the Astrid Lindgren memorial award (for his work) won – both in their respective divisions, Film and children’s book, the highest award in the world – the most prominent youth book Illustrator of our time. But he bears easily, because what is published by Tan since then, in the typical large distances, is so unusual, as if he were a shape-shifter. Only plastic reactions of Grimm came to rule the fairy-tale characters (for their retellings by Philip Pullman), the mysterious picture book “rules of summer” and now a new work called “journey to the Interior of the city,” that defy classification.

Andreas platthaus

editor responsible for the literature and literary life.

F. A. Z.

Yes, it is a picture book, because there are 43 double-page illustrations, 25 stickers, and a terrific combination and a consequent drawing, and no, it’s not a picture book, the illustrations are usually added only as a Coda of a single narrative and no direct Alliance with any of these. Yes, it is a collection of short stories, and no, it is not, because the 25 each of a animalistic form of existence dedicated to the Chapter as a composite portrait of a city scene, in which the animals are something of a silent companion and real masters of human life. And Yes, it’s a children’s book, and no, it’s not a children’s book. But it is also not a book for adults. Or just the.

Why? Because Shaun Tan the art piece manages to write with all the literary waters washed narratives and at the same time, the child to involve the community unfamiliarity with the prose of Kafka, Borges, or Philip K. Dick as a calculus, because in the state of the literary innocence of the charm of the Tanschen sound opens up just about as reliable, but you will not be distracted by his many reminiscences. Not an intellectual research, but an emotional adventure you will experience, and that is the reason for the interest by Shaun Tan, fair, born in 1974, as a child, Malay emigrants in Australia and the adventurous families – like his own recovered youth perceived history as equally a matter of course. In his masterpiece, published in 2006 Comic “The Arrival” (in English “A new Land”), both of which are crossed with each other perfectly.

In each window, a small white schemes

This Band was completely silent, only told in pictures. “Journey to the Interior of the city”, now primarily from the texts. Wherein the images are masterfully enough, and there is also a Chapter (to the dog), this is a own picture book in the big book: three of the ten double-page illustrations, a short prose poem to accompany, and here interaction prevails, even though the images and Text seem to tell two different stories. In the Rigor of the literary as in the illustrative Form of this section is the heart of the book.