Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence
by Nick Bantock
Griffin & Sabine (1), Griffin & Sabine Series (1)
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Description
It all started with a mysterious and seemingly innocent postcard, but from that point nothing was to remain the same in the life of Griffin Moss, a quiet, solitary artist living in London. His logical, methodical world was suddenly turned upside down by a strangely exotic woman living on a tropical island thousands of miles away. Who is Sabine? How can she "see" what Griffin is painting when they have never met? Is she a long-lost twin? A clairvoyant? Or a malevolent angel? Are we witnessing show more the flowering of a magical relationship or a descent into madness? This stunning visual novel unfolds in a series of postcards and letters, all brilliantly illustrated with whimsical designs, bizarre creatures, and darkly imagined landscapes. Inside the book, Griffin and Sabine's letters are to be found nestling in their envelopes, permitting the reader to examine the intimate correspondence of these inexplicably linked strangers. This truly innovative novel combines a strangely fascinating story with lush artwork in an altogether original format. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
S. by Doug Dorst
dizzyweasel Interactive letter writing between two persons who become romantically involved without meeting. Real letters, postcards interspersed throughout.
30
Member Reviews
I read this slim little novella when it first came out (and have a first edition). I was completely captivated and was thrilled that the feeling remains the same on my second reading.
Griffin Moss is an artist living in London. He produces a series of postcards that are beautifully illustrated with his artwork. One day he receives a cryptic postcard from Sabine Strohem, a woman living in the South Pacific island nation of Sicmon Islands. She asks him to send a particular postcard, and mentions an earlier version. But how could she know about that earlier version? Griffin never showed it to anyone and changed the design before ever producing the cards.
Thus begins an extraordinary correspondence between these two souls. Sabine explains show more that she has been seeing visions of his art for many years, though she cannot really explain why or how. He confesses he has felt “watched” but put it down to paranoia; now he feels exhilarated to have found her.
The reader feels as if she is eavesdropping on a particularly intimate exchange between two lovers as they learn more about each other and pour their hearts out in their letters and cards to one another. The illustrations begin as beautiful, colorful, drawings; Griffin’s are whimsical (a kangaroo in a red hat); Sabine’s focus on the island fauna. But as their correspondence continues the drawings become ever more fantastical and disturbing, hinting at madness and violence.
The ending takes the reader by surprise, and leaves one hanging, wanting more. show less
Griffin Moss is an artist living in London. He produces a series of postcards that are beautifully illustrated with his artwork. One day he receives a cryptic postcard from Sabine Strohem, a woman living in the South Pacific island nation of Sicmon Islands. She asks him to send a particular postcard, and mentions an earlier version. But how could she know about that earlier version? Griffin never showed it to anyone and changed the design before ever producing the cards.
Thus begins an extraordinary correspondence between these two souls. Sabine explains show more that she has been seeing visions of his art for many years, though she cannot really explain why or how. He confesses he has felt “watched” but put it down to paranoia; now he feels exhilarated to have found her.
The reader feels as if she is eavesdropping on a particularly intimate exchange between two lovers as they learn more about each other and pour their hearts out in their letters and cards to one another. The illustrations begin as beautiful, colorful, drawings; Griffin’s are whimsical (a kangaroo in a red hat); Sabine’s focus on the island fauna. But as their correspondence continues the drawings become ever more fantastical and disturbing, hinting at madness and violence.
The ending takes the reader by surprise, and leaves one hanging, wanting more. show less
Postcard artist Griffin gets a card from mysterious Sabine who somehow can view his world from thousands of miles away, and the two strike up a rather unusual correspondence. This is an inventive and aesthetically interesting epistolary story that has an unexpected spin at the end, resulting in more questions than answers. I was mainly impressed with the art, but the ending was surprisingly dark and intrigued me enough to pick up the following parts of the trilogy although I would have liked a more fleshed-out story. Opening the envelopes to read the continuing story was much more satisfactory than I would ever have thought even though (or maybe because) it felt slightly illicit to read someone else's mail.
I don't know what to say about this odd little book. I read it the day I bought it (it doesn't take long), and the sense of forensic snooping, trying to get into the head of someone I've never met, was delicious. The unavoidable tactile nature of this book adds to the effect. And the conclusion is both startling and expected. I had no choice but to start the sequel immediately.
Os.
Os.
This gets five stars because of the original conception and beauty of the visual execution--even though if this were text only I doubt it would impress. A friend of mine mentioned the book and when I confessed I had never heard of it raved about it.
It's a funny little book. Less than fifty pages, it's the correspondence between two artists, Sabine from the South Seas and Griffin of London. This is the text of the first letter, from Sabine to Griffin:
It's good to get in touch with you at last.
Could I have one of your fish postcards?
I think you were right--the wine glass has more impact than the cup.
Just one thing--Griffin had never met her before.
There are 19 pieces of correspondence, all short, and as a story this isn't all that show more strong. The romantic aspect, for one, is beyond rushed. But the experience of the book is another matter. The postcards, even the stamps of the South Sea Island, the decoration on the envelopes, are lovely, several are surreal and Dali-esque. And the letters aren't simply text on a page. Instead, an envelope is glued to the page. You open the flap and slip out the one-page letter and read. There's something about the experience of holding the letter in your hand and reading it that can't be captured by its contents.
So, for prose and story, maybe I'd give it a two. But for the experience of this...what? Pop-up book for adults? I'm going to give it five stars. I was enchanted, even if I doubt I'll ever get the other books in the series. show less
It's a funny little book. Less than fifty pages, it's the correspondence between two artists, Sabine from the South Seas and Griffin of London. This is the text of the first letter, from Sabine to Griffin:
It's good to get in touch with you at last.
Could I have one of your fish postcards?
I think you were right--the wine glass has more impact than the cup.
Just one thing--Griffin had never met her before.
There are 19 pieces of correspondence, all short, and as a story this isn't all that show more strong. The romantic aspect, for one, is beyond rushed. But the experience of the book is another matter. The postcards, even the stamps of the South Sea Island, the decoration on the envelopes, are lovely, several are surreal and Dali-esque. And the letters aren't simply text on a page. Instead, an envelope is glued to the page. You open the flap and slip out the one-page letter and read. There's something about the experience of holding the letter in your hand and reading it that can't be captured by its contents.
So, for prose and story, maybe I'd give it a two. But for the experience of this...what? Pop-up book for adults? I'm going to give it five stars. I was enchanted, even if I doubt I'll ever get the other books in the series. show less
So I love books with letters written and this one did not disappoint. Its basically a correspondence between two people that seems like one is in a different time period than the other person. I love that the book contains actual letters in envelopes that you can take out and read and the illustrations are perfectly done.
Beautiful and macabre epistolary novel that tells its story by making readers open letters and peruse postcards. The love story is saved from banality by the creepiness of the couple's connection and the frightening psychology of the artwork in the postcards.
I bought all of the Griffin and Sabine books, at least 20 years ago, probably longer. I was on a Nick Bantock kick after reading The Museum at Purgatory and loving it. I was also into a lot of postmodern stuff, anything different, bucking the normal structure or patterns of story.
BUT for some reason I never got around to them. I think I was worried they would be boring and not include enough "magic" or "monsters". So, after waiting all this time, I read this first book to my wife in two sittings on the same day.
There was "magic" and mystery and the format was cool and interesting. Looking forward to where this story goes.
BUT for some reason I never got around to them. I think I was worried they would be boring and not include enough "magic" or "monsters". So, after waiting all this time, I read this first book to my wife in two sittings on the same day.
There was "magic" and mystery and the format was cool and interesting. Looking forward to where this story goes.
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Author Information
Nick Bantock was born in Stourbridge, England on the 14th of July 1949. He went to school in the suburbs of North East London, and from there moved on to an art college in the market town of Maidstone, Kent. At the age of 23, he quit his job in a gambling house and began working as a freelance illustrator. In 16 years he produced approximately 300 show more book covers, including novels by Philip Roth and John Updike. During the winter of 1988 he moved to Vancouver Canada, and two years later started work on his own books. He is most well known for his Griffin and Sabine Trilogy, an artful representation of a long distance romance. His other works include The Artful Dodger: Images and Reflections (2000) - a visual autobiography, and retrospective, Urgent 2nd Class: Creating Curious Collage, Dubious Documents, and Other Art from Ephemera (2004) and Windflower (2006) - with Edoardo Ponti. (Bowker Author Biography) Nick Bantock is the author of numerous illustrated novels, most recently "The Artful Dodger" and the tenth anniversary, limited edition of "Griffin & Sabine". Born in England, he now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Publisher Provided) show less
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence
- Original publication date
- 1991-09-01
- People/Characters
- Griffin Moss; Sabine Strohem
- Important places
- London, England, UK; Sicmon Islands, South Pacific
- Epigraph
- Turning and turning in...
- Dedication
- For Kim Kasasian
- First words
- Griffin Moss It's good to get in touch with you at last.
- Quotations
- "Pain and beauty, our constant bedfellows"
Griffin: It's good to get in touch with you at last. Could I have one of your fish postcards? I think you were right—the wine glass has more impact than the cup. —Sabine - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Griffin Moss is missing.
- Original language
- English
- Disambiguation notice
- This is the original edition of Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence (1991). Please distinguish it from both the Tenth Anniversary Limited Edition (2001) and the 25th Anniversary Limited Edition (2016)... (show all), each of which adds new content.
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