Carnival of the Animals: Poems Inspired by Saint-Saens' Music (review)
2006; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 59; Issue: 9 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2006.0358
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Poetry Analysis and Criticism
ResumoReviewed by: Carnival of the Animals: Poems Inspired by Saint-Saëns' Music Deborah Stevenson Chernaik, Judith , ed. Carnival of the Animals: Poems Inspired by Saint-Saëns' Music; illus. by Satoshi Kitamura. Candlewick, 2006 [32p] ISBN 0-7636-2960-X$16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 3-6 While The Carnival of the Animals wasn't publicly performed during the lifetime of its composer, Saint-Saëns, it's since become a popular suite, especially for orchestral programs aimed at young listeners. Editor Chernaik commissioned fourteen poems from thirteen poets, including herself, to illuminate the fourteen sections of the musical piece, accompanied visually by Kitamura's line-and-watercolor illustrations. The result is a sparkling collection containing many poems that stand effectively on their own as well as providing a creative interpretation of Saint-Saëns' humorous yet lovely music. Though there's the occasional slight liberty taken (Cicely Herbert focuses on "Horses of Tartary" rather than the music's "Wild Asses"), some poems offer explicit indications of response to the music itself, not just the idea of the subject (Saint-Saëns' "Tortoises" employs a stately and melancholic echo of the can-can, and Chernaik's "Tortoise" describes an old tortoise in whom "beats the heart of a young dancer"), others emulate the style of their inspiration (Charles Causley's "The Swan" has the fluid lyricism of its musical partner), and soundplay, tight rhythms, and vivid imagery are at the forefront of many entries (X. J. Kennedy's "Aquarium" and James Berry's "Lion" are splendidly successful examples). In his illustrative spreads, Kitamura demonstrates considerable versatility, employing jittery yet precise lines and subtly patterned backgrounds for the rhythmic squabblings of Kit Wright's "Cocks and Hens," thick splatters of print-like navy to delineate the elephants in Adrian Mitchell's "Elephant Eternity," and gently comic but affectionate sequences of the fervent but ungraceful tortoise for "Tortoise"; fonts also vary from each spread, carefully corresponding to the illustrative style of their background. While poet biographies and an index of the entries or at least a table of contents would have been welcome, this is still a strong and lively collection, suitable for reading alone or aloud, in conjunction with Saint-Saëns or on its own. Copyright © 2006 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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