窗外

by Charles Keeping, 林真美 (譯者)

While standing at the window of his house, a little boy watches a drama involving the people on his street.

雅各站在樓上臨街的窗前，眼下的這一條街，對他來說，就是他全部的世界。隔著玻璃，窗外的世界猶如電影默片，動靜分明，卻悄無聲息，而雅各的眼睛就像一部攝影機，紀錄著這一切；日常熟悉的人們、店舖， 慢悠悠的晃入鏡來，更顯祥和寧靜，「鏡頭」看不見的意外，也因無聲愈形驚心動魄。

作者簡介

　　查爾斯．奇賓(Charles Keeping)，1924年生於倫敦。父親是名攤販，也是拳擊手。自幼家貧，童年生活中印象最深刻的，乃是碼頭與市場附近的點點滴滴，而這些，對其日後的作品，都帶來了非常深遠的影響。

　　查爾斯．奇賓在十四歲中學畢業後，就去當印刷工人。1946年服完兵役，由於深覺再進修的重要，遂以半工半讀的方式，至倫敦工藝學校就讀，並於1952年取得了國家設計師的執照。之後，即在母校及克羅伊登(Croydon)藝術學院執教多年。

　　查爾斯．奇賓的作品魅力獨特。其書中斑斕的色彩，描寫的卻常是倫敦中下階層小孩的生活片段或深層心理。他用濃重的詩意，表達出他們的孤單、不安、欲求和憧憬。而這灰暗與明亮交替的複雜內容，固屬難解，但由於內蘊無限，深不可測，所以，常在讀者的心中留下了極為深刻的印象。

　　查爾斯．奇賓於1988年病逝，享年六十三歲。

譯者簡介

　　林真美，台灣省台中市人。日本國立御茶之水女子大學兒童學碩士。曾從事幼教和發展障礙兒童「早期療育」工作。目前在大學兼課，教「兒童文學」，並經常與兒童、繪本為伍，為〈大手牽小手〉系列、〈沒大沒小〉系列之催生者。

Genres: Picture Books, Fiction

36 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Charles William James Keeping was an English illustrator, children's book author and lithographer, born in Lambeth, South London. This childhood background of markets and docks influenced much of his work. At fourteen he became an apprentice in the printing trade before working as an engineer. Later he served in the Royal Navy. On leaving the Navy he changed careers yet again and worked for a while as a rent collector before starting on a three year course at the Regent Street Polytechnic studying drawing, etching, and lithography. (He later took up a teaching position here).

Charles Keeping had his work exhibited all over the world and throughout his career illustrated over 100 books. He received many awards, including the 1967 Kate Greenaway Medal for his picture book Charley, Charlotte and the Golden Canary, and the 1981 Kate Greenaway Medal for The Highwayman.

Reviews

[Patrick Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that made me fall in love with Charles Keeping. A hard-hitting story told through the eyes of a child who doesn't understand what he's seeing, with rich illustrations that beautifully depict the colours of urban night, full of movement and even, when the horse-drawn dray rattles across a double page spread, virtual sound. The quality of work being done in children's picture books in the late 60s by artists like Keeping, Brian Wildsmith, and a handful of others, was amazing - and sadly overlooked.