5 books Isabelle Arsenault would love to illustrate
Jane van Koeverden | | Posted: June 29, 2017 8:55 PM | Last Updated: October 8, 2019
Acclaimed illustrator and children's writer Isabelle Arsenault is a three-time winner of the Governor General's Literary Award. Her books include Colette's Lost Pet, Louis Undercover written by Fanny Britt, and Virginia Wolf written by Kyo Maclear.
Arsenault's latest book is Albert's Quiet Quest. In this picture book, an introverted young boy named Albert dreams of finding a quiet sunset beach to read on. Instead, he's surrounded by the loud and raucous kids in his Mile End neighbourhood in Montreal.
Albert's Quiet Quest is a finalist for the 2019 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — illustration. The winner will be announced on Oct. 29, 2019.
In 2017, Arsenault shared five stories — from classic novels to children's books — that she'd love to illustrate with CBC Books.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
"When I was a teenager, I used to read a lot of Alexandre Dumas's novels while on the bus on my way to school. I found them so entertaining and I loved the romantic feel of Dumas's writing, the epic adventures and his sense of humour. I remember having been blown away by The Count of Monte Cristo. What impressed me in that book was how cleverly all the pieces came together to build up to a truly satisfying ending. I wish I could provoke these kind of emotions through my work: a sort of joy for the eye, the heart and the brain."
The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante
"I liked this book a lot, for many reasons. The story takes place on a beach in Italy. A divorced woman is observing a Neapolitan family on the beach, a missing daughter and a stolen doll and experiences feelings that could resemble envy or bitterness. The story refers to memories and how we are indelibly marked by our childhood. It's also about being a mother and a daughter and the struggle of being both, the struggle between freedom and responsibility. The language and actions are straightforward yet subtle and open to interpretation, which is something I enjoy while reading and that I try to infuse in my work."
Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
"This story has already been illustrated many times by great illustrators and I don't think it needs my interpretation in any way. But I love the narrative tone as well as the dialogue. The language is raw and elegant at the same time. The story is inventive, fun and full of wit. Roald Dahl creates a whole world that's quite imaginative and yet realistic and credible, like if it was happening right in front of our eyes. I admire this ability to bewitch the reader, to succeed at make-believe. It is something that I always keep in mind when creating. Plus, I love foxes!"
1984 by George Orwell
"This classic sci-fi novel was a mind opener for me as a teenager. It plays with unsaid authority and control. But it's also about the power of words, those used to define certain concepts and even our own identity. The threat and coldness of the world that affects the character is disturbing and can in many ways echo some aspects of the world today. Sometimes I feel like Winston from the book in that I seek comfort in objects from the past: old-fashioned and unplugged. I think this sort of nostalgia and grayness evoked in the book is something I can easily relate to and that I could find satisfying to interpret visually."
Evening Over Sussex: Reflections in a Motor Car by Virginia Woolf from The Death of the Moth, and other essays
"This is a short story from Virginia Woolf that really struck me. The first time I read it, I could totally visualize it transposed into illustrations. Woolf has a conceptual way of telling this story that is so close to how things work inside my head. The character is multiplying as the story unfolds, showing new facets of her mind — just like the way cubists tried to capture each side of a subject in order to create a portrait. Then, the parts assembled together create a whole new thing, another vision. That's also something I aim to do in my work: surprise the reader with something new, with something that I didn't even know was there when I started working."