Favorite books illustrator Yana Frank

1. What books are your favorite?

Favorite books are different in different periods of life. For example, as a child I was crying on the books, which are now ashamed to remember.

10 years I read all the soap operas Stendhal. I cried real tears over them. A little later I was with a sinking heart, read the complete collection of works by Edgar Poe, although all said that I'm too small and certainly nothing in read do not understand. But of all this I have long grown.

Probably one of my favorite books ever - Donde mejor canta un pajaro ( «Where is the bird sings best") Alejandro Jodorowsky. German and English versions of this book, I just gave 20 different friends.

This epic novel, which consists of two parts. Each begins with genealogical treeAnd then, right in the course of this tree, the author tells all the stories flow into one another. This book is written so that the first page contains a bunch of promising drawstrings. At the end of each paragraph to sunbathe on another story and you start thinking, "Lord, and what the outcome of it?" Very experiential book. Right from the first to the last line.

There is still "This strange life"Daniel Granik. It just changed my life.

But in general, that's not fair. I have many favorite books. I have three more racks picture books purchased for the sake of illustration, and they are - favorite. I buy only what I want to be, and frequently watch. The rest is used to take a long time in the library.

2. How to form the habit of going to the library? Do not like to save the book or is it some kind of a special ritual for you?

After our departure in Dushanbe remains a huge library. She took all the free walls in all the rooms, and the books were in the 2-3 series.

When we left, we left the apartment relatives. And they could not get rid of our books, as booksellers did not take the library volume of more than 2000 books. They then even in the trash did not want to take, because it was not of this size container.

In general, after moving to Germany, I became somehow more careful with the books. I began to think more carefully what really needs to have a home. In Berlin, absolutely stunning library, Everything is there. You can keep all the time at home to 60 library books.

There is an American library, where all designers, illustrators, and so on are stored just untold treasures. Take it and enjoy it. There is a lovely site, if the book is not in the nearest library, it is possible to order a book usually comes the next day. All it costs 9 euros per year, and my mother-pensioner - nothing. No more need to have all the books home.

3. Do you have a favorite author? What his book you recommend to read?

Of Russian - Tatyana Tolstaya. It's kind of literature where often Read the sentences and then come back to read it again. And you think: "This is how could so beautiful it is to write" admire text. I read for the sake of aesthetic pleasure from reading. The content of fine too, but I already know by heart. And still re-read, to remember how to write in Russian.

And yet P. D. Ouspensky and John Bennett. In general, I am very careful to any mystical literature, although the spiritual development of the topic I was very interested. And in this regard I am the author of the two closest. Its scientific and general human approach to these challenging issues.

And they are easy to read, they are written in human language, can not be said about most of the mystics. For example, to read Gurdjieff also interesting places. But in some books in his proposal - a one page. Read as much as you fighting!

From English-speaking favorite writer - Siri Hustvedt. It seems to me that she writes better than her husband Paul Auster. Although he is better known. I sink in her book. It seems that just seeing the whole picture, you represent everything that happens, if you are there.

And I really like her approach. I'm familiar with it personally, I know some of the facts from the biography. It is interesting to read novels, where a lot of personal (such living, because she herself has experienced this), but it is mixed with fictional elements.

Even knowing the author, I wondered what this really was. And sometimes you think, "Oh, what if this is a very strange how time was actually? Happens!"

Most of all I love her book "The Invisible Woman". It seems to me that many creative women anxious that somehow look for yourself and his place in life, it should be very close. And for those who are more mature, - the book "Summer Without Men."

And by the way, returning to Alejandro Jodorowsky, I do not know Spanish in the original it is not read. But it is very well translated into German and English. I have all his books, which reached up to reading in both languages ​​and also each time felt this is the pleasure of the text itself. He wrote a very thick, generally no water. Each proposal - at least one act of the great tragedy!

Of German writers I love Andreas Altmann. I wanted to write more about Paul Watzlawick, but the Austrian, ha ha.

I'm almost 30 years old and live in Germany and I have rarely come across a book in Russian. I keep reading in German and English and do not know which of these books have been translated into Russian. Recently, I read more than any self-help books or research papers on hudlit time is short.

From today's favorite - Mindsight Daniel Siegel. Mindsight - is a therapeutic method for identifying various old injuries request in the brain and affect our lives and behavior, and correct them.

This is by far the main textbook of practical exercises, trainees neuroplasticity of the brain. Initially, this book was called "Alchemy of the senses." In fact, it is a practical guide for the average person how to apply your brain all the latest research in this area.

And yet I love all books Eda Burusho people (about how the family and the environment affect the formation of the child's personality). Paul Watzlawick "How to become unhappy." Das Ende der Megamaschine Fabian Shaydlera.

4. With a book from childhood you have associated with the most fond memories?

If we talk specifically about the warm memories of childhood, this book illyustratorshi Ida Bogatty. I myself grew up, became an illustrator and now I understand how difficult it is - to draw like that, "simply and uncomplicated," but that the illustrations were so warm and lovely.

As a child I adored her books. Most of them - about the size of a palm. There's just stories, they probably can not even read the children knowing that there is written on the picture and everything is clear. But children these illustrations touched to the core. I still have a lot of her books have gone up son and grandchildren.

5. Which book is the most inspired you to some action?

Granik "This strange life" pro-life Lubishchev who recorded everything that he did, up to 15 minutes, more than 50 years without interruption. Inspired by this book, I'll start to conduct timing. As a result, has created its own system of organization of creative work, he has written a book about it "Muse and the Beast». Until now, the very working of the system.

I also once helped the book by Barbara Sher. She is well versed types of people. Like its classification into "divers" and "scanners". I certainly learned a typical scanner, and I was very comforted in their time explaining it that "we" - are normal. It's nice to know that you're just representative of a psycho, but not crazy. Although at the time of reading this book, I myself have figured out how to live with it.

By the way, I remembered another book Simonton 'return to health. " This book is, of course, also changed my life. I handed her oncologist, when it turned out that I had a relapse, and I was immediately recorded directly on the next morning to the hospital to remove ¾ of the liver (and before that I took a full course of chemotherapy and is officially the year was "in remission ").

I'm there all day crying doctor (probably for the first time, I cried so much in my life). And it seemed to me that I will not survive even one more round of such treatment. Despair was terrible. And then she gave me this book Simonton, and I read it all night and in the morning already in a much more optimistic mood was in the hospital.

I drew on it, and fought, and then took a big project that helps other people to fight. If interested, my site has a lot of it, all called Battle Inside.

6. What book should be read by every man and why?

It's a difficult question. My son was born and raised in Germany, virtually all of its Russian language - what is learned in the family and friends through a Russian-speaking family. I once gave him to read books like "1984" with the words: "This book you need to know." He knows by heart all the tales of Pushkin, Gogol liked it, I was glad when I found that he read Zoshchenko and he's funny. Son read Chekhov, Turgenev.

Probably, for everyone who is reading this now listed needless to say. But when you live in another country and teach their own child's language, it appears that truly consider it necessary to get and to give the child to read.

For example, on the "Crime and Punishment"We had a ridiculous discussion. He said, "Well, Mom, this is the basic problem in all their psychological blogs have already discussed far and wide." Haha, okay. But still it seems to me that it should be read to, to have on this subject his mind.

And for those who are all granted read... I would suggest that often look at books written by authors from very distant countries. In Germany, I often come across books by different authors from Africa, Indonesia, Mexico.

It's so interesting, they have a very different picture of the world, often different idea of ​​happiness and norms. It is interesting to dive into other people's worlds, all to remember that people think the way we not everywhere. What we seem to savagery, somewhere - normally. And vice versa.

7. What is a good book you read on the advice of another person?

I have two sources from which "fly" unexpected book. This is my mother and my mate Mattias. Both love to read, and all the time somewhere find books that I myself would not find it.

Matthias's Mindsight gave me now reread for the third time, it is interesting. He knows a great many German and Austrian authors (he is Austrian), of which I had no idea.

My mother came to Germany in 40 years, but it's great to learn German, that does not get out of the library. She goes there several times a week, and her home is always more than a dozen library books. She is interested in the biographies of famous artists.

After reading about someone, she remembers who it was still in the immediate vicinity, then finds their biographies too. Thus, you get the whole picture of a large company of artists who lived at a particular time.

At first read to the biography of a famous wizard. Then separately - a biography of his mistress, who was waiting for his whole life, and he broke all his life, with its prospects. Then - all the same in terms of his wife, a friend, an evil competitor.

From all this, the most impressive, perhaps, Bella Chagall's autobiography. She also wrote so that by its description Just imagine every bridge and every street. But, as already mentioned, it is particularly interesting to read such a book together: after one such book to find the biographies of all the others involved and to read them, too.

And the last funny thing is that of Matthias flew to me - this is the book Arnold Rettsera "foul mood» (Miese Stimmung). This is a book that does not need all the time to run around the world in a state of euphoria. And that person is entitled to sadness, resentment and a little buhtezha.

And I recently enthusiastically read a textbook on physiology. On the advice of friends. I actually thought I was (for the common man) I know a lot of health issues. But somewhere wrote something not quite right, and a friend (a doctor) told me to read corresponding passage in the textbook, which is a mandatory part of the program in all health institutions. The result was so interesting. It is a pity that I have no time at all, and I'd love more of a number of books read.

By the way, the question of unusual books: I also recently seized in the library in a textbook on biology, which is here, "the chief." He is an American, and perhaps in America, too, is considered a classic of the genre. I do not know if it is in Russian. This is a great tutorial Campbell Biologie (Pearson Studium). How beautiful this textbook is organized and illustrated! And as you know there are explained many things that I'm at school and did not realize until the end. Although the biology of love.

I had a feeling that now I finally understand everything. Tutorial is very thick and tested on all major topics of biology. And it is organized so that each chapter is divided into parts. And in the end of the chapter there is a questionnaire. If a question can not answer more intelligibly, it says, on what page it is necessary to return again to work out this question.

8. How do you read? What do you prefer: paper, electronic, audio books? Why?

I love paper books. Although in recent years sometimes sigh, there are not enough full-text search. The e-book, I would have thought for a keyword and it would have found this place and this passage immediately. And sometimes half an hour rummaging in a paper book - well, where it was! But still, I often feel that I am better able to absorb the text when reading something on paper. I know that this is a very old-fashioned. But I like.

In recent years, I began to lose vision and underwent many operations to restore it. The last three years I could read paper books, just sitting at the table with a huge magnifying glass. A month ago I had a sixth operation, and now I can again read paper books, lying in bed reading glasses. It makes me very happy, because I love to read.

When the eye was very bad, I opened the book on a tablet and included of Siri, so she read them aloud. This is not so great, but better than not reading.

And in general, in the bad times, I preferred to open the book on your tablet and read it, simply because it can be convenient to increase the text to any size and move it around the screen.

9. Do use special applications for reading? What?

No, I do not use it. Since for me in e-book most importantly easy to control zoom and text zoom. I most like to read ordinary PDF.

10. Do you make a note if quotes are preserved, whether write reviews?

Yes! In Germany, I have been taught that the books can be just a working tool, they can be precisely work. There are books precious, beautiful from afar, who did not want to crush and spoil.

But if I am interested to work with the text, especially if it's all sorts of books on self-development, or business, scientific, I write in the margins, pasted in the book dozens of self-adhesive tabs, in some places to invest pages notes.

I often buy books online, used, for a penny. They are psychologically easier to write and draw. And there are already "live life to the fullest": obvozhu interesting pieces of text, write something in the fields.

I'm all for it to work with books as convenient. When I'm writing the book itself, I always encourage readers to work with them. Often I leave in the layout space for records and notes.

11. List of the most beloved books of Yana Frank

I've written a lot. At the end I will give a list of your favorite books. List, I think, a very feminine. Maybe someone from the readers like it.

• Paul Auster - "Temple of the Moon."
• Siri Hustvedt - "The Invisible Woman", "Summer without Men", "sadness American».
• Peter Stamm - "gentle indifference of the world."
• Sebastian Shlosser - Lieber Matz, Dein Papa hat 'ne Meise. Here the father in his letters to his son from a psychiatric hospital perfectly describes all the details manic-depressive disorder.
• Brigitte Schweiger - Fallen Lassen. world description from the point of view of a woman living in severe depression. Her own book - "Where the sea salt» (Wie kommt das Salz ins Meer).
• Janice Galloway - The Trick is to Keep Breathing.
• Alejandro Jodorowsky - "Where is the bird sings best» (Where the Bird Sings Best).
• Shaun Tan - Tales from Outer Suburbia.
• Caroline Paul - Lost Cat. Touchingly illustrated history of the missing cat.

And I understand that this poll - about reading in the first place. But then, about your favorite books, too? I can list their favorite books that more pictures than text?

• Tekkon Kinkreet ( «Reinforced Concrete") - is a stunning, lively, interesting comic about orphans living on the streets in the Japanese city.
• Shaun Tan - "Arrival». Book without a single word that is understood by every immigrant. It is The Lost Thing - is so touching.
• Casey at the Bat. Here you can lie down and die at the mere thought, "How could such a draw here." This and any nehudozhnika enchant.
• Christian Lacroix - "History of one collection." Photos real diary, in which he planned to this collection!
• Books Torben Kuhlmann about the mouse: Armstrong, Lindbergh, Edison, Moletown. Porydat together with your child. They will certainly become your favorite books!
• Books Lynn fracture. After them will want to immediately work out collages.
• Bob Dylan Scrapbook - a real scrapbook! In this book, all glued million, invested unfolds, gets and so on. Printed on different types of paper. Just like a real diary!
• Klaus Enzikat - Taipi. Maybe someone knows German, and perhaps it has been translated into Russian? In any case, here the immortal illustrations Enzikata Claus!
• Maya Angelou, and Jean-Michel Basquiat - Life Does not Frighten Me. One of my favorite writers from my favorite artist made a small book that does not need to be afraid of life!
• House Industries. It's just a catalog of design agency. But this is the coolest published a catalog of all time!
• John Harris, Mark Todd - My Monster Notebook. Funny and cool style book-mystification about the mythological monsters.
• Drawing Blogs Frida Kahlo.
• Books Mattias Adolfsson. You can view the infinitely both adults and children. Without words.
• Bastien Vives - "Flavor chlorine." Romance in the pool. :-)
• Jillian Tamaki - "Without Borders". Graphic novel for adults about life in a big (cynical) city.
• Aude Pico - Ideal Standard. Very voluminous comics for adults about the search for a partner and a great love. She painted and wrote this story for eight years!

In general, it came to interview me about a bunch of picture books. But I live, I'm an illustrator. I have a million favorite picture books!

see also

• REVIEW: "Walking on Peter," John Frank →
• REVIEW: "The Muse and the Beast. How to organize the creative work, "John Frank →
• REVIEW: "The Year of Living levolapika" Ian Frank →
• Favorite books Ludmila Sarychev, chief editor of "Cases Modulbanka" and co-author of "Write, reduces" →
• Favorite Books Valerie Lyubarskaya, blogger and TV presenter →
• Favorite books Konstantin Panfilov, editor vc.ru →