Tuesday, June 3, 2008

tales from outer suburbia

Last night I went to a talk given by Shaun Tan. He's one of Australia's most wonderful illustrators and authors. It was fantastic! He is amazingly talented, quirky, diverse and intelligent! I sat in awe, soaking up all he talked about; the stories he read, the beautiful images he displayed and the tales he told. His sensitivity and talent was so inspiring (and humbling!!). I also bought his new book, Tales From Suburbia, a selection of short stories accompanied by beautiful, poetic, images. It's beautiful.


I really admired and envied the fact that what he was doing with his life - the way he was able to earn a living - was so soul- sustaining and he obviously loves it! (He did a book signing at the end of the evening and for each book he signed, he did it with such tenderness and carefulness .... even drew little pictures in each book!!! So great!)

4 comments:

Bec said...

Wow Ali, this sounds fantastic! I've never heard of this guy, but you've got me wanting to find out more. I love discovering new authors. And yes, it's so inspiring when you see someone making a living from something that clearly nourishes their soul. Cheers! Bec.

Joanne said...

Sounds like such a lovely night Ali. So nice to hear how thoughtful he was about signing the books - it is wonderful when someone really cares about what they do and how they share it with others.

Hey Harriet said...

I wasn't familiar with Shaun Tan's work. Although after clicking your link I can certainly understand why you had such an enjoyable evening in his presence!

david santos said...

Veri nice... Ali, very nice...
Hapy day