Title: Fairy Tales of Our Grandmothers
Author: Karel Hlobil
Publisher: Karen Hlobil
ISBN: 9780987671202
Pages: 99, Paperback
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/Young Adult/Children’s
Reviewed by: Beth Adams, Pacific Book Review
Book Review
Clearly there exists a genre for illustrated children’s books, however within the artfully original drawings in Fairy Tales of Our Grandmothers by Karel Hlobil, it is hard to claim this to be just a children’s story; as its drawings are so powerfully awe inspiring it challenges the reader to stop and view the details for a pregnant period of time. Clad in a large printed format with high-gloss covers, filled with watermarked parchment pages of varying text font and point sizes reminiscent of skilled calligraphy, this book is a masterpiece of printed media, clearly representing the loving work of Karel Hlobil.As the cover art depicted in the story titled “Elene and the angel” is intricately beautiful, I also was taken aback by a drawing titled “Three Fates” – done with a minimalist sketchy monochromatic technique. Other work such as “Hasterman-Taterman Vicent” has a character sitting by a lake nearby a castle of such bizarre detail that the personality of the portrait is perceived instantly as being cunning, manipulative, precise and a powerful being.
The story takes the reader along a journey, a transcendental spiritual escape through three worlds. As written by Hlobil, “The Middleworld is the realm of the human ego – the personal self. The Lowerworldis the unconscious, hidden self, and the Upperworld is the realm of the superconsciousness, that you are experiencing right now. While Spirit determines and directs, the Mind receives and creates, and Force (energy) performs, causing Matter to appear.” Perhaps a bit surrealistic for young minds to comprehend, it definitely opens and expands children’s thoughts to the mysteries of their mind, self-being and angelic concepts within theology.
The journey is vivificated with the spirits of Forest Friends bringing an ecological love of nature to readers as three sister characters each embark on their quest. Elene is the oldest and awakes in the realm of the Sitting-Sun where she is exposed to primeval life-creating forces. Slava, the middle sister, finds herself in a mountain field and stream setting, plagued by the villainous Wolf Derek and Red Fox Grandmother; saved by Veles, Lord of theLowerworld. And Anat, affected by a young boy’s energy, causing her body to open like the stars in the sky, flowing with a universal feminine force, sought the guidance of animal friends’ instincts for survival.
Interlaced with morals and virtue of character strength, the wonders of this fanciful journey, articulated both beautifully with words as with images, transports the reader into the mystic super-natural wonders of existence; all within the framework of classical good versus evil. Creating a story which when read over will excite different thoughts; Fairy Tales of our Grandmothers stands as a completely original form of literary art. A book ideally suited for young adults on the verge of mature curiosity of being, this book would make a wonderful gift due to its quality of print. Drawn with impeccable detail and compiled with love, all those who hold and read this book will be forever touched by the forces brought to life by Karel Hlobil.
