A review by fridge_brilliance
Sharaz-De by Sergio Toppi

5.0

I picked it up in exactly the right time and mood: in these uncertain times when time itself seems to have lost its meaning, being taken on a journey to 1001 Nights by someone whose artistic vision is so delightfully timeless was an absolute treat. Is it Martian or Persian? Is it African or metaphoric? It is rich and evocative for sure, and you decide the rest. I read it in a very poetic Russian translation, and the text was a sing-song recognizable like old tales, and stylized almost to the point of dissolving in the pictures. And the illustrations, gosh. So beautiful and layered, and so easy to get lost in, and yes, such a blend of imagery that is neither here nor there, but kind of timelessly everywhere.

I usually ignore the forewords by translators, because they often verexplain things or divulge“more information about penguins that I care to know” but here, I appreciated as a chance to have a conversation along the lines of “Did you feel this way about it? Yeah, me too”

Absolutely delighted that I have this book on paper on my shelves.