Overcome your fears. Face the shadows of the night. Listen to the beating of her heart and live her life… This is one of the teachings of Vassilissa, the famous traditional Russian tale that Chiara Carrer has adapted and illustrated in a beautiful book just published by La joie de Lire.. With her dreamlike, shadowy universe, the author-illustrator invites us to follow the initiatory journey of a sweet, endearing little girl as she traverses the female psyche.
First words of the tale: “Why did you disappear? Why did you leave me here?” Abandonment, solitude. How will Vassilissa survive? On her deathbed, her mother entrusts her with a doll with strange powers, supposed to protect her. Life will be very hard for the little girl. Her father remarries a woman who makes her his whipping boy. She has to put up with humiliation and jealousy from her half-sisters. She learns to resist in silence. One day, the stepmother sends her to fetch fire from the witch Baba Yaga, whom everyone fears. This is the time of trial and obstacles. On the road, the doll protects her. Vassilissa listens to her and makes her way into the heart of the forest. “Black is the night, red is the light. Vassilissa almost asleep… Rustling leaves. At the top of the hair Baba Yaga appears, laughing with her mouth wide open.” Will Vassilissa be able to coax her? “The doll reassures her, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.” warns her.“Don’t ask, keep quiet. That way you’ll get Baba Yaga’s fire.” Vassilissa trusts the doll, the one who knows everything.
Reconnecting with her primordial intuition? Chiara Carrer prefers silence to heavy words, ellipsis to explanation, using the power of drawing to evoke the presence of a hidden world with benevolent forces. To do this, he doesn’t try to be beautiful, but to be sincere and authentic. Wood pencil, grease pencil and yellowed paper collages give a taste of sketching. Black and red, a little blue. A simplicity that touches the skin. Like a return to basics. An invitation to continue the story. An invitation to move forward on the path of self-discovery. Much more than a book to tell little children…
Chiara carrer, Vassilissa, La joie de Lire, May 2011.
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