Story within a story narrative technique has its ancient roots and One Thousand and One Nights is one of the examples of such narrative techniques. Puffin – Penguin approached me with their interpretation of the Arabian Nights written by Anushka Ravishankar. The story was divided in a few chapters and the editor had picked up some key visuals for interior illustrations but i still had freedom to pick up other scenarios to depict. as the title said the storyteller i wanted to show the Queen indulged in telling the story to her King so she can live for another day and another night she would continue the incomplete tale. Such a beautiful plot and so on the cover it is Scheherazade telling a tale to me.
The original tales are quite erotic and since this version is meant for kids, the eroticism was edited and simplified for their primary audiences, otherwise every illustration would have had me as the central idea living the arabian fantasies till the book runs out of editions… eternity in a way!
The interior illustrations are purely Black&White for a simple reason that there are infinite tales happening in one tale so to keep the simplicity and depth in the visuals, this technique was chosen.
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Client: Penguin India
Additional Credits: Rahi Kadam
Book site: http://www.penguinbooksindia.com/en/content/storyteller
You can own a copy here FLIPKART
