Life is Elsewhere

by

Milan Kundera

Faber & Faber, London 1986
First Edition in English
220 x 140 x 32 mm

Full leather binding in dark petrol green goat. Gilt tooling of in two shades of gold leaf around a centre figure in red / green foil. The spine is structured by three successions of raised bands, that are onlayed with yellow and blue. Title in the first panel, tooled with blue foil. Sewn silk headbands in grey silk, leather joints and endpapers in breezy yellow.

The book is accompanied by chemise and slipcase covered in bright blue and purple paper and tooled tooled with yellow and blue lines. All papers used are hand-dyed.

The book is about the struggle of a young man to grow up and find his place. Wish-full thinking and the deep desire to impress his surroundings with his poetry are juxtaposed by a rich imaginary world and actual reality. The design takes this as a starting point, a classic centerpiece is surrounded by a flurry of dazzling yet undirected aimless shapes.

bound 2010