El libro de las m’Alicias

«Kalandraka just recovered one of the most emblematic books by Miguel Calatayud, the most avant-garde Spanish illustrator of the ‘80s and, without a doubt, one of the renovators of the country’s children’s literature. Book of the M’Alices, with text by Miquel Obiols, had already been awarded the National Prize for Illustrated Children’s Books in 1992, in a splendid edition, recommended for readers aged 8 and above.» Victoria Fernández, Babelia.

«This Alice brings spice and sizzle, arousing the (healthy) appetite for words and images.» Carmen Blázquez, El Cultural

(Book of the M’Alices) Alicia is tired of sitting in front of the computer, with nothing to do, and decides to go out, but she doesn’t know what to wear. She opens the refrigerator. Inside there’s a rabbit stew, and on a white plate, a left ear with a gold star-shaped earring.

Book of the M’Alices is a taste of creative avant-garde for readers of all ages, This book was selected for the VI Symposium on Children and Young People’s Literature, organized by the Germán Sánchez Ruipérez Foundation in June 2000, as one of the 100 works of Spanish Children’s Literature most representative of the 20th century. First published in 1990, it’s a strange and amusing retake on the character Alice in Wonderland. It consists of twelve crazy short stories, full of humour and fantasy, in which Miquel Obiols presents a new female protagonist – unruly and irreverent – from the Lewis Carroll story, in a surreal and eccentric world that is far from conventional. This work represents a before and after in Miguel Calatayud’s artistic journey, and an essential landmark in his aesthetic evolution.

Illustrations: Miguel Calatayud, National Prize for Illustration 2009.

(Spain, Kalandraka - Spanish, Catalan, Galician)