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Cartea din nufăr
B I J U T E R I E G R A F I C Ă Ş I O L U M E Î N O G L I N D Ă
S A U C E C R E D Z Â N E L E D E S P R E N O I
Este o carte despre oameni, scrisă de gnomi, zâne, elfi şi alte fiinţe fermecate din Ţara Scânteietoare Mar. Locuitorii acestei ţări nu cred în oameni, dar unii dintre ei s-au pomenit, în împrejurări cât se poate de misterioase, în lumea noastră. Aceşti călători fără voie au devenit autorii cărţii de faţă. Ei au adunat în ea observaţiile lor şi poveşti despre viaţa oamenilor. Multe din aceste informaţii sunt inexacte, caraghioase sau, hai să spunem adevărul, de-a dreptul aberante. Şi bineînţeles că sunt incomplete şi întâmplătoare, descriind doar ce s-a nimerit sub ochii acestor autori neobişnuiţi sau ce li s-a părut interesant.
Cu toate astea, am hotărât să lăsăm însemnările aşa cum sunt, cu toate erorile privind realitatea omenească, fiindcă interesantă este, în acest caz, nu rigoarea ştiinţifică, ci mirarea cu care sunt percepute multe din lucrurile care nouă ni se par banale.
Această carte n-are pretenţia de a fi ştiinţifică sau riguroasă. Eu sper doar ca munca mea să le fie de folos altor gnomi, zâne şi elfi, care ar nimeri într-o tărăşenie ca aceea în care am nimerit eu. De o vreme încoace încetasem să mai cred în ameninţările mamei („Dacă nu te duci imediat la culcare, vine Omul şi te ia!“) şi consideram lumea oamenilor o invenţie gratuită. Totuşi, asemenea tuturor gnomilor mici, adoram şi eu poveştile despre zânele şi elfii răpiţi de oameni şi duşi de ei în Ţara florilor de piatră.
S A U C E C R E D Z Â N E L E D E S P R E N O I
Este o carte despre oameni, scrisă de gnomi, zâne, elfi şi alte fiinţe fermecate din Ţara Scânteietoare Mar. Locuitorii acestei ţări nu cred în oameni, dar unii dintre ei s-au pomenit, în împrejurări cât se poate de misterioase, în lumea noastră. Aceşti călători fără voie au devenit autorii cărţii de faţă. Ei au adunat în ea observaţiile lor şi poveşti despre viaţa oamenilor. Multe din aceste informaţii sunt inexacte, caraghioase sau, hai să spunem adevărul, de-a dreptul aberante. Şi bineînţeles că sunt incomplete şi întâmplătoare, descriind doar ce s-a nimerit sub ochii acestor autori neobişnuiţi sau ce li s-a părut interesant.
Cu toate astea, am hotărât să lăsăm însemnările aşa cum sunt, cu toate erorile privind realitatea omenească, fiindcă interesantă este, în acest caz, nu rigoarea ştiinţifică, ci mirarea cu care sunt percepute multe din lucrurile care nouă ni se par banale.
Această carte n-are pretenţia de a fi ştiinţifică sau riguroasă. Eu sper doar ca munca mea să le fie de folos altor gnomi, zâne şi elfi, care ar nimeri într-o tărăşenie ca aceea în care am nimerit eu. De o vreme încoace încetasem să mai cred în ameninţările mamei („Dacă nu te duci imediat la culcare, vine Omul şi te ia!“) şi consideram lumea oamenilor o invenţie gratuită. Totuşi, asemenea tuturor gnomilor mici, adoram şi eu poveştile despre zânele şi elfii răpiţi de oameni şi duşi de ei în Ţara florilor de piatră.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
34 people are currently reading
870 people want to read
About the author
Svetlana Dorosheva
11 books17 followersaka. Sveta Dorosheva
Originally from Ukraine and currently based in Israel, Sveta is a freelance illustrator working in the areas of narrative illustration and art for books.
Sveta enjoys traditional drawing by hand, most of her illustrations are works in paper. Her anachronistic style of illustration and symbolic imagery take strong influence from fairy tales, folklore and mythologies.
She considers golden age book illustration to be a huge influence on her work, particularly the illustrations of Edmund Dulac, Kay Nielsen and Harry Clarke. Her research into medieval illuminated manuscripts further informs her visual narrative. Sveta's intricate compositions reflect her fascination with medieval emblemata and bizarre grotesques. She uses a combination of manuscript decoration and modern day typography to create beautiful lettering and intricate handwritten illustrations. Her detailed illustrations are executed using pen, ink and watercolor or acrylics.
Originally from Ukraine and currently based in Israel, Sveta is a freelance illustrator working in the areas of narrative illustration and art for books.
Sveta enjoys traditional drawing by hand, most of her illustrations are works in paper. Her anachronistic style of illustration and symbolic imagery take strong influence from fairy tales, folklore and mythologies.
She considers golden age book illustration to be a huge influence on her work, particularly the illustrations of Edmund Dulac, Kay Nielsen and Harry Clarke. Her research into medieval illuminated manuscripts further informs her visual narrative. Sveta's intricate compositions reflect her fascination with medieval emblemata and bizarre grotesques. She uses a combination of manuscript decoration and modern day typography to create beautiful lettering and intricate handwritten illustrations. Her detailed illustrations are executed using pen, ink and watercolor or acrylics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
September 3, 2018
The Land of Stone Flowers is a riot of whimsy and wonder, of sensuality and splendor. The human encounters, imparted here by such creatures as the Goddess of Constellations, the Overseer of snail races, and the royal court's bewitcher of morning dew, are a philosophical comedy of errors embellished with marvelous illustrations that enchant one's imagination.
Moreover, they insist that humans are comprised of a large number of internal organs (not to be confused with the musical instrument): tinsels, a diagram (of what, not specified), one long on either side of the heart (a long what?!), a lever, pan grease, small and large investments, two kid's knees (even in adult humans?), and a bunch of other nonsense.
January 14, 2021
Tekstovi magičnih stvorenja koja su se lično uverila da ljudi nisu bića iz bajki kako svi u Svetlucavoj zemlji veruju. Od ljudske anatomije sve sa „krovnim” sudovima (posuđa sa krovom umesto poklopca) pa do ljudskog jezika zaljubljenih i tumačenja njihovog snevanja na javi.
Satirična bajka za odrasle, ukratko - prezanimljivo i predivno ilustrovano.
Odlomak iz poglavlja: „Rituali i običaji ljudi”
Praviti od muve slona – Pravljenje slona od muve vrlo je složen alhemijski proces. Čovek pribegava toj drevnoj ceremonijalnoj čaroliji kada želi da skrene pažnju na sebe. Čovek s muvom često je neprimetan, dok čoveka sa slonom primaćuju svi.
Odlomak iz poglavlja: „Jezik odeće”
Kad smo kod jezika koje vile ne razumeju, i ljudi su izmislili nekoliko samo njima znanih dijalekata. Na primer, jezik odeće. Gobl Vipauč, vrstan lingvista i prevodilac s jezika vetrova, fontana i grana, dvanaest godina je proučavao ljudski govor. Tako iz njegove monografije Šta te briga šta nosim u žaketu? saznajemo da naočare sa četvrtastim ramom i otrcani somotski sako „govore” da je čovek pročitao mnogo debelih knjiga bez slika.
Satirična bajka za odrasle, ukratko - prezanimljivo i predivno ilustrovano.
Odlomak iz poglavlja: „Rituali i običaji ljudi”
Praviti od muve slona – Pravljenje slona od muve vrlo je složen alhemijski proces. Čovek pribegava toj drevnoj ceremonijalnoj čaroliji kada želi da skrene pažnju na sebe. Čovek s muvom često je neprimetan, dok čoveka sa slonom primaćuju svi.
Odlomak iz poglavlja: „Jezik odeće”
Kad smo kod jezika koje vile ne razumeju, i ljudi su izmislili nekoliko samo njima znanih dijalekata. Na primer, jezik odeće. Gobl Vipauč, vrstan lingvista i prevodilac s jezika vetrova, fontana i grana, dvanaest godina je proučavao ljudski govor. Tako iz njegove monografije Šta te briga šta nosim u žaketu? saznajemo da naočare sa četvrtastim ramom i otrcani somotski sako „govore” da je čovek pročitao mnogo debelih knjiga bez slika.
April 7, 2021
Genul de carte care-si ratează grupul-țintă sau pur si simplu nu îl are. Cartea din nufăr e un soi de sociologie a oamenilor scrisă din prisma zânelor, gnomilor, elfilor si altor creaturi fabuloase, dar sigur nu-i o carte pentru copii (desi ai fi tentat să crezi asta la început). Dacă nu e pentru copii, atunci e pentru adulți, dar adulților mă tem că li se va părea cam puerilă.
Reteta: câteva generalităti, câteva banalităti, cateva stereotipuri plus niscaiva citate si textu-i gata. Marele plus e, cu sigurantă, grafica. Deci dacă vă doriți o carte “frumoasă”, cu ilustrații minunate, yessss she’s the one (ca mai toate de la aceasta editură), dar nu-i taman o fabuloasă viziune asupra umanității ( cel mai probabil nici nu-și propunea să fie).
Reteta: câteva generalităti, câteva banalităti, cateva stereotipuri plus niscaiva citate si textu-i gata. Marele plus e, cu sigurantă, grafica. Deci dacă vă doriți o carte “frumoasă”, cu ilustrații minunate, yessss she’s the one (ca mai toate de la aceasta editură), dar nu-i taman o fabuloasă viziune asupra umanității ( cel mai probabil nici nu-și propunea să fie).
December 29, 2018
I’m surprised this book has so few reviews on here! It feels almost as if this book’s magic has kept it from the public eye? It’s whimsical and fun with beautiful illustrations and style. It’s a book where fairies and pixies and gnomes try to unravel the mystery of human beings. The art style alone was enough to draw my eye and I’m glad I was able to find a copy!
May 4, 2019
A Fairy Guide to the Mythical Human Being...wonderful! The pictures alone are reason enough to check out this book, the artwork is absolutely stunning.
October 31, 2018
You can check my review here.
I want to thank Chronicle Books for sending me a copy of this book, this hadn’t influenced my review, nor my rating in any way.
The Land of Stone Flowers intrigued me in so many ways, it was original and creative, the illustrations were breathtaking and the words stole my heart entirely.
This book’s written like an anthology of stories told by fairies, trolls and dwarves to prove that humans do, in fact, exist. Yes, you’ve read that right. In this book, humans are mythical creatures, their existence is questionable, their world is called The Land of Stone Flowers and fairies, dwarves, trolls only ever get there through very peculiar events and usually when they get back to their world, their experiences aren’t believed.
I really loved how every part of the book was dedicated to very different aspects from the human world, for example, the book started with anatomy details on humans beings, then it got into our customs, what dreams and languages are, how we socialize.
The illustrations are hands-down the best part of the book, they are very detailed and stunning, Sveta Dorosheva has such a great talent and I love how she mixed her illustrations with the story she was building. They were fitting and absolutely glorious. This book is probably the most beautiful book I own.
I loved how the book noted the differences in perception between children and adults, how as we grow up, we start to lose our connection to magic, to our imagination, to things that made us so happy during our childhood, while in our adulthood, we lose ourselves in routine and jobs and earning success and forget about magic. I think this discussion will always touch me and remind me not to lose my inner child and always keep it alive through books and kindness.
My only issue with this book was the fact that it didn’t seem very inclusive, there was a chapter on dancing and all the couples depicted were heterosexual and dancing was described as “an activity between a man and a woman”, erm. I would have probably let it go as a not-very-thoughtful unintended comment if the book was diverse in any other way. But that wasn’t the case, so a star goes.
All in all, I think this is a very clever story, it definitely resembles a fairy-tale and will probably be a huge hit for anyone looking for a beautiful, original story.
I want to thank Chronicle Books for sending me a copy of this book, this hadn’t influenced my review, nor my rating in any way.
The Land of Stone Flowers intrigued me in so many ways, it was original and creative, the illustrations were breathtaking and the words stole my heart entirely.
This book’s written like an anthology of stories told by fairies, trolls and dwarves to prove that humans do, in fact, exist. Yes, you’ve read that right. In this book, humans are mythical creatures, their existence is questionable, their world is called The Land of Stone Flowers and fairies, dwarves, trolls only ever get there through very peculiar events and usually when they get back to their world, their experiences aren’t believed.
I really loved how every part of the book was dedicated to very different aspects from the human world, for example, the book started with anatomy details on humans beings, then it got into our customs, what dreams and languages are, how we socialize.
The illustrations are hands-down the best part of the book, they are very detailed and stunning, Sveta Dorosheva has such a great talent and I love how she mixed her illustrations with the story she was building. They were fitting and absolutely glorious. This book is probably the most beautiful book I own.
I loved how the book noted the differences in perception between children and adults, how as we grow up, we start to lose our connection to magic, to our imagination, to things that made us so happy during our childhood, while in our adulthood, we lose ourselves in routine and jobs and earning success and forget about magic. I think this discussion will always touch me and remind me not to lose my inner child and always keep it alive through books and kindness.
My only issue with this book was the fact that it didn’t seem very inclusive, there was a chapter on dancing and all the couples depicted were heterosexual and dancing was described as “an activity between a man and a woman”, erm. I would have probably let it go as a not-very-thoughtful unintended comment if the book was diverse in any other way. But that wasn’t the case, so a star goes.
All in all, I think this is a very clever story, it definitely resembles a fairy-tale and will probably be a huge hit for anyone looking for a beautiful, original story.
January 31, 2021
LOVE IT, SIMPLY LOVE IT! Fairies, gnomes, pixies, elves all gather to explain the world's greatest mystery: Do humans exist? Contains quotes from philosophers (human and fairy), beautiful pictures and ironic remarks on human nature - I could read it forevermore and it'll never get boring! Take this, for example, it's a fairy explanation of human customs:
"Gift Horse
Every year, humans celebrate their birthdays. Lots of guest gather to eat cake, sing a special song, and give presents - one of which is often a horse. It's considered bad luck to look in the mouth of the gift horse. whoever looks into the mouth and is reflected in the horse's teeth will disappear into thin air and remain forever invisible."
"Gift Horse
Every year, humans celebrate their birthdays. Lots of guest gather to eat cake, sing a special song, and give presents - one of which is often a horse. It's considered bad luck to look in the mouth of the gift horse. whoever looks into the mouth and is reflected in the horse's teeth will disappear into thin air and remain forever invisible."
November 14, 2018
A funny exploration of how the fairies view the mythical humans. It discusses such things as the human anatomy, language, and religion, getting much of it entertainingly wrong.
There's plenty of illustrations, from simple black and white sketches to gloriously colorful full page spreads. Much of the text is typed, but some is meant to look handwritten, and a thankfully few pages are so elaborately decorated with curliques as to be difficult to read. Beautiful, and interesting.
There's plenty of illustrations, from simple black and white sketches to gloriously colorful full page spreads. Much of the text is typed, but some is meant to look handwritten, and a thankfully few pages are so elaborately decorated with curliques as to be difficult to read. Beautiful, and interesting.
January 21, 2020
So wonderful and imaginative, I loved every part. Sometimes the writing is a bit hard to read but when your eyes adjust it's totally worth it. Love this! Definitely going to read it to my kids one day!
December 3, 2018
Beautiful illustrations, whimsical and elegant. The tales show how absurd some of the things people do. Imagination are wonderful things to keep alive, you have to grow up but not necessarily grow old.
March 17, 2021
Brilliant satire. Magnificent artwork. One of the wittiest and best illustrated books I have ever read. The humor is not necessarily aimed at children. Highly recommended for lovers of brilliant comedy writing and superb illustration.
June 16, 2019
This book is goooorgeous. It's whimsical and funny and has the most beautiful art.
February 2, 2020
This is a beautiful book with amazing art and hilarious texts. I would recommend this for any lover of magic and satire.
January 28, 2021
This book is cute, funny, whimsical and has some beautiful art. It's the most unusual fairy book I've ever read and well worth it.
October 25, 2020
Cute concept of fairies writing about the mystical land of humans. I liked the twist, but honestly it got a bit repetitive and a tad boring after a while.
November 23, 2023
4.5 just because the fun slows down a bit before the end, but this was so great, I need my own copy!
June 25, 2023
this is the most gorgeous book i’ve ever read. the art nouveau illustrations are so decadent i can’t even explain it.
basically, a publishing company was sent a matchbox that contained this book and a note requesting it be published in a normal human size. it is a book about humans written by gnomes, fairies, pixies, elves, hobgoblins, and other magical creatures from the glimmering land of maar. most of these creatures don’t believe in humans, but this book is comprised of knowledge gathered by those who have managed to mysteriously travel to the human world, which they call the land of stone flowers.
this book is rare and not in lots of libraries, but if you can get your hands on it, you will not regret it. it is utterly enchanting
basically, a publishing company was sent a matchbox that contained this book and a note requesting it be published in a normal human size. it is a book about humans written by gnomes, fairies, pixies, elves, hobgoblins, and other magical creatures from the glimmering land of maar. most of these creatures don’t believe in humans, but this book is comprised of knowledge gathered by those who have managed to mysteriously travel to the human world, which they call the land of stone flowers.
this book is rare and not in lots of libraries, but if you can get your hands on it, you will not regret it. it is utterly enchanting
January 24, 2018
Надзвичайна книга для візуалів, і, хоча мені не все філософське начиння сподобалося, але не можна не визнати, що книжка шедевральна. На кожен розворот можна дивитися вічно, тільки от занадто тягне подивитися ще й на наступний, а потім ще й на наступний. Крильця фей, пелюстки квіток, ніжні пастелі і чіткі чорні силуети - усе це залягає шарами у серці, тамує усі види естетичної спраги, надихає на власні кольорові звершення. Мабуть, саме тому не відразу прочитала текст книжки, бо у якийсь момент читання раптом перетворюєшся на дитину, для якої найголовніше у книжці - то ілюстрації, і далі вже просто зачаровано гортаєш і гортаєш.
December 28, 2018
It still puzzles me why I found this book in two different countries under the "children's books" section. Despite featuring elves, fairies etc, it's really not a book for kids.
The illustrations and visual effects of the book are mind-blowing. I also really enjoyed the concept. I found most of the reflections on humanity and us humans quite thought provoking. But in some point it does feel the author doesn't really have something genuinely interesting to say and the 'story' is actually a pretext for the drawings. The world and characters she creates seem to lack depth, substance and coherence.
It remains, however, a visually enchanting book.
The illustrations and visual effects of the book are mind-blowing. I also really enjoyed the concept. I found most of the reflections on humanity and us humans quite thought provoking. But in some point it does feel the author doesn't really have something genuinely interesting to say and the 'story' is actually a pretext for the drawings. The world and characters she creates seem to lack depth, substance and coherence.
It remains, however, a visually enchanting book.
March 5, 2024
The copy I checked out of the library has the title: "The Land of Stone Flowers: a Fairy Guide to the Mythical Human Being." I don't know where the title above came from. This book was translated from Russian. The concept is clever and it is amusing in places, and I really liked the artwork. It is altogether whimsical and quirky.
February 27, 2019
Though I wished there was a bit more “meat” to the text, the concept was adorable & creative. The gorgeous illustrations were definitely the highlight for me, lush and reminiscent of Aubrey Beardsley.
March 21, 2021
O carte atat pentru cei mici cat si pentru cei mari :)
O carte minunat ilustrata, plina de magie, amuzanta dar si cu cateva concluzii triste.
O carte despre oameni si obiceiurile lor, scrisa din perspectiva fiintelor fantasfice (elfi, gnomi, zane, vrajitoare etc).
O carte minunat ilustrata, plina de magie, amuzanta dar si cu cateva concluzii triste.
O carte despre oameni si obiceiurile lor, scrisa din perspectiva fiintelor fantasfice (elfi, gnomi, zane, vrajitoare etc).
May 20, 2015
MARVELOUS!!!
September 26, 2018
Interview with Sveta Dorosheva, author of The Land of Stone Flowers
http://www.raincoast.com/blog/details...
http://www.raincoast.com/blog/details...
September 27, 2019
Este o bijuterie de carte
May 17, 2020
This is the most beautifully illustrated book I've owned!
October 29, 2020
A visual masterpiece.
February 18, 2025
🧚♀️💚 Absolutely WONDERFUL! Magical, whimsical, funny, brimming with imagination and creativity! And the illustrations...oh, sweet Lord of Faires! This book is like a treasure that you have mysteriously stumbled upon in an old attic. Thank you, gnomes and other magical beings, for writing about these strange creatures called Humans!
Much love, Teodorissa G, pre-middle-aged fairy from the Enchanted Hollows (the Invisible Book district).
p.s. 1. On a more human(esque) note, I am curious...in what language was this written originally? Russian? I read it in Romanian (my native tongue) but I also have it in English (in pdf). It’s fascinating to notice the differences and similarities between languages/translations...There are a few small drawings that are missing from the English version, as well as totally different illustrations + texts replacing the ones from the English version (the funny idioms chapter). Certain phrases/jokes/ puns are untranslatable I’d say and unfortunately don’t really make sense in Romanian. The translation could have been better in a few places (so that the joke/play-upon words is not lost), but overall it’s a good one.
The author must have collaborated and signed a contract with Baroque Books (Romanian publishing house) in order to create certain specific illustrations (such as the capital letters that start paragraphs and are different for each language, as well as the above-mentioned idioms).
p.s. 2. This literary gem certainly deserves more reviews and recognition from the human world.
p.s. 3. NOT suitable for small kids. Despite the sweet innocence of most magical beings, the book does include some PG-13 elements (mature themes) plus irony, cultural, religious, and philosophical references, etc
Much love, Teodorissa G, pre-middle-aged fairy from the Enchanted Hollows (the Invisible Book district).
p.s. 1. On a more human(esque) note, I am curious...in what language was this written originally? Russian? I read it in Romanian (my native tongue) but I also have it in English (in pdf). It’s fascinating to notice the differences and similarities between languages/translations...There are a few small drawings that are missing from the English version, as well as totally different illustrations + texts replacing the ones from the English version (the funny idioms chapter). Certain phrases/jokes/ puns are untranslatable I’d say and unfortunately don’t really make sense in Romanian. The translation could have been better in a few places (so that the joke/play-upon words is not lost), but overall it’s a good one.
The author must have collaborated and signed a contract with Baroque Books (Romanian publishing house) in order to create certain specific illustrations (such as the capital letters that start paragraphs and are different for each language, as well as the above-mentioned idioms).
p.s. 2. This literary gem certainly deserves more reviews and recognition from the human world.
p.s. 3. NOT suitable for small kids. Despite the sweet innocence of most magical beings, the book does include some PG-13 elements (mature themes) plus irony, cultural, religious, and philosophical references, etc
October 30, 2019
I'm giving a three star review to the kindle edition. I'm sure the print version would be better in terms of being able to look at the full sized pictures, and being able to read the lettering.
The book is charming, humorous, and very pretty. The illustrations are gorgeous. The story telling is the weak point, especially the parts that were written as a part of the illustrations. In print format, it would probably be easier to read the tiny text in a cool, but hard to read font.
The parts of the book written in normal font was fun, and I would have loved more. Many of the observations made by the different narrators were amusing. But again, I would have liked more.
If the description of the book appeals to you, get the print version. I also think it might make a good gift for someone who like fairies, elves etc.
The book is charming, humorous, and very pretty. The illustrations are gorgeous. The story telling is the weak point, especially the parts that were written as a part of the illustrations. In print format, it would probably be easier to read the tiny text in a cool, but hard to read font.
The parts of the book written in normal font was fun, and I would have loved more. Many of the observations made by the different narrators were amusing. But again, I would have liked more.
If the description of the book appeals to you, get the print version. I also think it might make a good gift for someone who like fairies, elves etc.
November 3, 2021
A whimsical, enchanted slice of splendor, splashed with gorgeous illustrations and clever wordplay. This would make the perfect coffee table book, one I would leaf through again and again. Do be careful about reading it around particularly small pixies or chillings… it insists upon the silly idea that humans are real, living creatures. While I am not opposed yo entertaining the idea that they may have once existed long ago… I think it unwise to fill childlings’ heads with fear when grown-fae know humans are nothing but a folktale, a running joke, a cautionary story to convince little ones to behave.
Aside from the nonsensical way it talks of humans as non-fiction… this book is quite a fun way to spend an hour or so.
Aside from the nonsensical way it talks of humans as non-fiction… this book is quite a fun way to spend an hour or so.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews