Gita Wolf
Author of Gobble You Up!
About the Author
Works by Gita Wolf
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1956-12-06
- Gender
- female
- Education
- University of Erlangen (MA, English)
- Occupations
- author
publisher - Short biography
- [excerpted from Prabook website]
Gita Wolf is best known as the author of a dozen books for children and adults. Considered one of the most original and creative voices in contemporary Indian publishing, she has pursued her interest in exploring and experimenting with the form of the book and its status as a revered cultural object. Several of her children's books have won major international awards.
Since 1993 Gita Wolf has worked as a publisher for Tara Publishing. In her works for children, Wolf approaches traditional stories from a contemporary, woman-centered angle: her protagonists are usually young, resourceful girls who combat the odds to make positive changes in the world around them, giving her fiction what Books in Canada reviewer Marilyn Andrews calls a "gentle feminist thrust that empowers" her young characters. - Nationality
- India
- Birthplace
- Calcutta, West Bengal, India
- Associated Place (for map)
- West Bengal, India
Members
Reviews
This beautiful little gift book, published by Tara Books, a small independent press based in Chennai, India, is a celebration of the snake - particularly the snake in Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Gorgeously textured handmade paper, brief fables, all featuring mythological snakes, and swirling artwork that perfectly captures the sinuous power of these creatures that "stand in for our deepest fantasies and fears," all come together in Ssss: Snake Art & Allegory.
From the Hindu snake goddess show more Manasa, to the cobra which sheltered the praying Buddha, a wide variety of tales are included by Gita Wolf, each in a very abbreviated form. Greek-born illustrator Ianna Andreadis' art uses bold black swirls, occasionally enlivened by blue, green or red. The effect is a powerful one, making me glad I gave this title a chance. Anyone with a love of snakes, and the folklore inspired by them, or who appreciates handmade paper and hand-printed books, should definitely seek out this little gem! show less
From the Hindu snake goddess show more Manasa, to the cobra which sheltered the praying Buddha, a wide variety of tales are included by Gita Wolf, each in a very abbreviated form. Greek-born illustrator Ianna Andreadis' art uses bold black swirls, occasionally enlivened by blue, green or red. The effect is a powerful one, making me glad I gave this title a chance. Anyone with a love of snakes, and the folklore inspired by them, or who appreciates handmade paper and hand-printed books, should definitely seek out this little gem! show less
Siena Baba was an artist, and like all artists, he had a vision. A snake with wings, a self-portrait with no face, a pig with peacock feathers, these images may have puzzled others, but to Siena, they simply represented the world as he saw it. But when his creations themselves - from the Deer-oise to the Monk-upine - object, the artist knows that he must find them the right venue... the right world!
Illustrated by Bhajju Shyam, a tribal artist of the Gond people of India, whose breathtakingly show more gorgeous work can also be found in The Night Life of Trees and The Flight of the Mermaid, That's How I See Things is another brilliant picture-book from Indian publisher, Tara Books. Sirish Rao's engaging narrative, with its neat (and very appropriate) solution to Siena Baba's dilemma, together with Shyam's eye-popping visuals, make this the ideal picture-book for would-be artists. Highly recommended! show less
Illustrated by Bhajju Shyam, a tribal artist of the Gond people of India, whose breathtakingly show more gorgeous work can also be found in The Night Life of Trees and The Flight of the Mermaid, That's How I See Things is another brilliant picture-book from Indian publisher, Tara Books. Sirish Rao's engaging narrative, with its neat (and very appropriate) solution to Siena Baba's dilemma, together with Shyam's eye-popping visuals, make this the ideal picture-book for would-be artists. Highly recommended! show less
It's another gorgeous picture-book from Tara Books, the Chennai-based Indian press that is one of my favorite smaller, independent publishers! Their books are always superb, with interesting stories (or non-stories), beautiful artwork, and innovative designs: fold-out, accordion-books like Hen-sparrow Turns Purple, or those created with homemade papers, like this one. Gita Wolf's Do! is a celebration of action, a list of verbs, and - with its thick brown paper, and detailed Warli art in show more white ink - a feast for the senses!
Pairing a single word - work, read, climb - on each page, with a multitude of stick-figures in action, all painted in white in the style traditionally used by Warli women to decorate their homes, this is a book to pore over, examining the artwork in its minutest detail, rather than to read. It can be used as a concept book, or as an introduction to a lovely style of art that is described on the back cover as resembling pictograms. No wonder I love it! Highly recommended to anyone who appreciates the craft of book-making, or loves handmade paper and books, and gorgeous artwork! show less
Pairing a single word - work, read, climb - on each page, with a multitude of stick-figures in action, all painted in white in the style traditionally used by Warli women to decorate their homes, this is a book to pore over, examining the artwork in its minutest detail, rather than to read. It can be used as a concept book, or as an introduction to a lovely style of art that is described on the back cover as resembling pictograms. No wonder I love it! Highly recommended to anyone who appreciates the craft of book-making, or loves handmade paper and books, and gorgeous artwork! show less
A gorgeous book with an innovative design, Hen-sparrow Turns Purple reflects many of the things I particularly like about Tara Books, an independent publisher located in Chennai, India, and started by Gita Wolf in 1994. The use of fine materials (like hand-made paper), the attention to visual detail, the creativity of book design itself (including the utilization of unusual formats), and the importance of child-centered storytelling, all contribute to the creation of an impressive body of show more work that appeals on many different levels.
Designed as a scroll that can be opened fully, with illustrations silk-screened onto hand-made paper, Hen-sparrow Turns Purple is a sensory feast for both eyes and hands, and it is no surprise that it won an illustrator's award at the 1999 Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava. The story is a retelling of a traditional Indian folktale, and is the kind of cumulative tale that children will enjoy. Well worth the time of folklore enthusiasts, as well as any readers with a passion for beautiful books! show less
Designed as a scroll that can be opened fully, with illustrations silk-screened onto hand-made paper, Hen-sparrow Turns Purple is a sensory feast for both eyes and hands, and it is no surprise that it won an illustrator's award at the 1999 Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava. The story is a retelling of a traditional Indian folktale, and is the kind of cumulative tale that children will enjoy. Well worth the time of folklore enthusiasts, as well as any readers with a passion for beautiful books! show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 38
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 546
- Popularity
- #45,668
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 56
- ISBNs
- 69
- Languages
- 7