English / India
The storyteller and his bag of myths
Premchand, Neeta
(text/illus.)
Mumbai: Bombay Paperie, 2015. –
ISBN
Gods | Humans | Sin | Revenge | Flood | Survival | Picture book
Reading age: +
White Ravens issue: 2016
In the lavishly illustrated boxed set “The Storyteller and His Bag of Myths”, renowned paper expert and storyteller Neeta Premchand gathers three myths about great floods from different cultures. The simple retellings of tales from the Bible (Noah’s Ark), the epic of Gilgamesh, and Hindu mythology (Manu and the Flood) all revolve around the big questions of immortality and death, human sins and God’s – or the gods’ – revenge, and a new beginning. The texts are accompanied by exquisite matt collage illustrations in a stylised and allusive design. The collages for each picture book volume were created by cutting and tearing shapes from handmade paper adorned with rich intricate patterns in silver and gold. Hand-carved wooden blocks were used to print the waves, swirls, zigzags, etc. The carefully produced set of books is a treasure that points out the striking similarities between creation stories from around the world and celebrates traditional forms of arts and crafts. (Age: 4+)