CON EL SOL EN LOS OJOS / WITH THE SUN IN MY EYES
by Jorge Luján & illustrated by Morteza Zahedi & translated by Janet Glass
Broadly daubed, semiabstract views of children and animals illustrate 10 short, reflective lyrics by an Argentinean poet.
“All that I have is a lot: / my dog Oliver, / wind hitting me in the face / and your laughter that explodes for no reason.” Placed beneath their Spanish originals on cream-colored pages, the translated poems speak in relatively simple language and imagery. They imagine a rooster and a hen orbiting each other, wading toes as little fish, the son and moon daydreaming together, a street like a tree’s trunk with roots and blossoms extending tantalizingly out of sight in different directions. Using markers, linocuts and other media, Iranian artist Zahedi offers fanciful but recognizable views of each poem’s subject and speaker. Smudgily reminiscent of Chris Raschka's work, the little dreamscapes are marvels of micro-composition and color.
Not exactly a heaping helping of words and art, but handsomely designed and rich in the sort of observations that will attract readers for whom silence is “louder than noise.” (Poetry. 9-12)