Through the eyes of the translator June 4, 2020 – Posted in: Books – Tags: graphic novel, engraving, illustration, acid

For Yark, Crispy bones and juicy eyes of Bertrand Santini

by the translator Katerina Fragou 

The York is a beautifully illustrated adventure - with black and white sketches / engravings , that is a very pleasant and sing-along read, by young and old alike, because it has double meaning in many places. (The monster that runs away from the little girl can also be the unfaithful husband who loves his sweet wife).

 Although it is lowercase, it is written with an internal rhythm of sixteen syllables almost entirely, so children can easily learn some "sayings" by heart. It is an allegorical, funny, terrible adventure, which can be read to children who are not yet fast readers, one chapter every night, so that they get used to the joy of watching a story where the hero develops.

A source of laughter is all his adventures to find wise children (a difficult thing, but Santa Claus can unwittingly help) and a source of anxiety and laughter the coincidences they make and finally he constantly eats naughty children who ... tease him.

Yark is a carnivorous monster that loves children and eats them. He finds them very tasty! A monster that feeds on children in preference to the wise… Naughty children fall heavily on his stomach and he avoids them, so the wise children are tempted to do a lot of mischief to escape his teeth!

But at some point he will meet Madeleine, a very wise little girl who lives isolated from the world. Madeleine, free from social pressures and facts, will like him, look at him without the blinders of fear and find him beautiful. He will feel sorry for what he has suffered and thus the monster will become a lamb for Madeleine's love. But their quiet life together, no matter how happy it is, becomes boring for the monster who constantly lusts after children, so one day he goes on a trip around the world. Unfortunately, he will go through more terrible adventures before he returns completely cured of his passions to sweet Madeleine.

Making the myth of Yark o Bertrand Santini, touches on many other childhood myths, such as Peter Pan's lost children, Santa's list. In general, it is a very reference-rich book, which is why it has even been translated into English, and has been performed many times in the theater.