Rebel Folklore, a beautifully presented collection of 50 characters from folk tales across the world adapted by Icy Sedgwick, is stunningly illustrated by Melissa Jarram. Conjuring up original interpretations of characters as familiar to British readers as Robin Hood – rendered here as an Elfin female – and perhaps as unfamiliar as New Zealand’s Moehau Man, a hirsute long-clawed beast, Jarram is constantly inventive, frequently terrifying but always respectful of the source material.
And with its presentation in hardback this really is a special set of illustrations to cherish for those interested in folklore depicted in modern styles of art that merge the digital with the traditional. The text, from folklore guru Icy Sedgwick, is not quite what you might expect from a book of folk tales – but take note that the title specifies ‘folklore’ and the publisher is reference specialist DK.
Sedgwick offers an enticing paragraph, cleverly written in the present tense, of mystical scene setting before contextualising different readings of characters as diverse as the Caribbean’s Papa Bois (a forest spirit) and France’s Ankou (a Gallic Grim Reaper). What follows is a detailed, three-page explanation of the characters in different forms, across different countries and in different stories with much made of modern relevance in popular culture.
For someone wanting to research a project, or with an acute interest in the background of stories that have inspired modern classics such as Heido Nakata’s Ring film (see Okiku), this is as good a reference book as you could have. For those looking for the stories themselves told in length, look elsewhere. But then you’d have to do without Jarram’s excellent illustrations.
Rebel Folklore, Icy Sedgwick (DK)
Price: £19.99. Info: here
words JOHN-PAUL DAVIES