Brahma Dreaming: Legends from Hindu Mythology - Hardcover

Jackson, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0956921280 ISBN 13: 9780956921284

Publisher: JJ Books, 2014

Synopsis

Brahma Dreaming is master storyteller John Jackson’s latest collaboration with the acclaimed artist, Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini.

John’s intriguing versions of the tales of the Hindus’ great gods are graced by Daniela’s brilliantly reimagined illustrations of the deities, each a masterpiece of detail and drama, reminiscent of Dulac and Rackham, and the glorious ‘Golden Age.’

These are the tales of the Trimurti – the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva – and Brahma Dreaming is divided into three sections representing their continuous forces of creation, preservation and destruction.

The work begins with Lord Brahma dreaming the universe into being and from there unfolds an enthralling collection of interconnected tales that span the entire spectrum of human experience, dark illusions and earthly temptations.

Here are brave princes, divine divas and demon kings, family feuds and epic battles, burning loves and lies, tragic deaths and glorious rebirths. There are tales about dancing elephants, peacock warriors and monkey armies, all retold by Jackson with great character, warmth and wit.

Jackson's collaborator, artist Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, has been inspired to create what she describes as the best work of her career in Brahma Dreaming with over fifty exquisite fonts and illustrations hand-drawn in black ink. These are the Hindu gods and goddesses as they have never been seen before!

Brahma Dreaming has been crafted using the same methods and attention to detail used to create the earliest illustrated gift books from the turn of the twentieth century and the result is itself a work of art. With a distinctive black dust jacket, Brahma Dreaming is finished in black laminate with orange varnish details. Underneath the black cloth cover is a fully illustrated front and back with foil stamping and debossing, also in black and orange. It features elaborate endpapers and is completed with a tangerine ribbon marker.

About this title

About the Author

JOHN JACKSON was born in 1929 in rural Devon, England, close to where he lives today. He is an established author, lawyer, businessman, and political and constitutional campaigner.

Review

Brahma Dreaming by John Jackson, illustrated by Daniela Jaglenko Terrazzini, is an unusual book in which the author with extremely good story-telling skills retells the ancient Hindu tales of their great gods, The Mahadevas, The book is sensitively illustrated by the well-known artist Terrazzini, who created black and white prints which look very much like ancient Indian cultural styles, with dream-like quality to the brush strokes. The sections are divided into Tales of Creation; Tales of Destruction; and Tales of Preservation. If you have ever been interested in Hindu culture and beliefs you will find this book really interesting and well done for modern eyes and ears.

The beautifully produced art-book, with thick paper and monochrome prints, is in the style of books from the golden age of children’s literature in the early decades of the last century. Like many, I devoured my parents’ copies of these books in my childhood. Among them were illustrated fairy tales that brought the narratives to life, whether it was H.J. Ford images in Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books series, or Margaret Tarrant’s drawings for Hans Christian Andersen’s stories. For an older generation, J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens will always be associated with Arthur Rackham’s drawings rather than the later cartoon versions. The successors of these illustrators worked in more contemporary children’s books, so Robin Jacques’ drawings were instantly recognizable, as was the later rock album art of Roger Dean.

The images were integral to the books, illustrating key moments and episodes, and remain forever part of the text itself. Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini’s images draw on this different lineage of illustration as a new way of presenting the familiar tales of Hindu mythology.

The style of the stories of the gods, told by John Jackson, is also redolent of this era of fairy tales. The simple language brings characters to life and presents situations afresh with deceptively plain sentences, with vivid descriptions and pithy dialogues.

About this edition

• Publisher: JJ Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0956921280
• ISBN 13: 9780956921284
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 239
• Illustrator: Terrazzini Daniela Jaglenka