The Wild (The Savage)
Author: David Almond
Illustrator: Dave Mckean
Translator: Cecilia Dutheil de la Rochere
Gallimard Jeunesse - Album Junior - 01/10
80 pages - from 12 - 13 euros
Editions Gallimard youth have s. highlight exceptional authors such as David Almond. To show all facets of the author with a unique style, which was not accustomed to find in children's literature, they publish a literary object unidentified.
In a book that is atypical. Both album and novel, but without any time to be a full graphic novel. Indeed alternating passages completely written and illustrated passages, all in a controlled flow. This is the story of a young boy named Blue who has just lost his dad. The school psychologist will advise him to write what he feels, " he explores his grief . But instead of talking about him, which makes him too badly, Blue will tell and draw the history of the Savage. " was a wild child who lived in the woods Burgess . "We read in handwriting. And these are the passages in the history of Indian who are shown, grammar and spelling are approximate but the story is powerful. This is a boy the same age as his young author who lives in the wooded area on the outskirts of the city. His life is to eat small animals, a sort of young ogre who eats anyone looks at him, " it was wild. It was really cruel . "For what is written passages Blue is a larger one talks about this difficult moment in his life, and how the history of the Wild has helped make her grief by going to truly embody in the life of a young boy. In fact the reality is stranger than fiction once that Blue sees his nemesis, Hopper, arriving to school with her face messed up the day after a night when the Wild Blue had unleashed against him. There is even a wonderful scene where Blue meets the Wild, who also looks strangely.
A novel multi-level reading which the violence of the feelings experienced after a large loss is aptly expressed through the talents of two outstanding British authors.
David Almond the text is a great writer for young readers, we owe the splendid Spitfire in Scripto. He is a master in the art of storytelling in which the wild fantastic realism comes stressful make inroads, as Clay in the same collection.
As for Dave McKean , is best known for his collaborations with Neil Gaiman who donated works graphically as strong as the nightmares of children, as troubling Wolves in the walls. Here he uses images from Blue drawings with illustrations in ink, more streamlined than his usual style, with an economy of colors. Green for the day scenes, the blue ones for the night and touches of red when the violence spills. David Almond there was this exceptional artist who could give life to the Wild.
Ultimately we are faced with a work with passages that may seem difficult because of violence expressed. But we must not forget that everyone needs to see its share of savagery expressed through works under control, that help in putting words and pictures on the violence and fears that haunt us all. One can speak of a sort of Where the Wild Things youth. Ultimately this is mostly a major work that will certainly remain long in the memory.
Beautiful and disturbing! Here
covers English and American, I have a weakness for the U.S.: a real primal scream!
