Book of Questions

Where is the center of the sea? Why do the waves never break there? A book containing unanswerable, fantastical questions, inviting us to be curious, while simultaneously embracing what we cannot know.

About the author

Pablo Neruda (Parral, Chile, 1904 - Santiago de Chile, Chile, 1973), whose real name was Neftalí Reyes Basoalto, is undoubtedly one of the pinnacles of world poetry of the last century. Famous from a very young age, he lived in Santiago from 1920 to 1927, years in which he wrote, among others, the collection of poems "Twenty love poems and a Song of Despair," which has perhaps gained widest popularity of all his work and marks the moment when he first achieves his full powers as a Spanish-language poet. Neruda traveled extensively and and served as Chile's ambassador to several countries, including Burma, France, and Argentina. He was a prominent political activist, member of the Communist Party, and a militant intellectual. Endowed with incomparable verbal power, he also founded a revolutionary conception of poetry. His literary career is one of the main expressive adventures of the lyric in the Spanish language. In awarding him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971, the Swedish Academy described him as a poet "who brings to life the destinies and dreams of an entire continent." Neruda was also awarded the International Peace Prize.

Born in Chile in 1978, Paloma Valdivia studied design at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and studied Creative Illustration at the Eina School of Art and Design in Barcelona, Spain. Her main passion is illustrated books for children. Her book have been translated into 12 languages. As a teacher, she directs the degree program in "Illustration and Autobiographical Narrative" at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. She lives in Santiago with her family.

Summary

Where is the center of the sea? Why do the waves never break there? A book containing unanswerable, fantastical questions, inviting us to be curious, while simultaneously embracing what we cannot know.

A New York Times Best Children's Book of 2022

A New York Times Bestseller!
A USBBY Outstanding International Book of 2023
A 2023 Bologna Ragazzi Award Amazing Bookshelf Selection

★ “Blues and reds and yellows weave in and out of words trailing one after another, poking and prodding the universe for answers to millennia-old questions. Sixty of the original 316 questions penned by the inimitable Chilean poet Pablo Neruda perch on vibrant landscapes solo, in pairs, or in trilling triplets. Each rumination is compelling in its whimsy, yet profound in its simplicity. Just as a wish cast onto the heavens returns with a treasure, so too do the thoughts of the poet. The answers, like the questions, dwell in infinity. Both the original Spanish and Paulson’s English translation mirror the poignancy echoing from one tongue to the next. Her translations sustain the lyricism of Neruda’s dreamscapes. Valdivia’s stylized illustrations are striking and a perfect counterpoint to this wondrous collection of ethereal literary images. A lovely exploration of diversity, language, and culture, and a splendid introduction to Neruda’s works for the very young.” —STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal

Product details

Authors	Neruda Pablo
Assisted by	Valdivia Paloma (Illustration), Sara Lissa Paulson (Translation), Sarah Elisabeth Paulson (Translation), Sarah Lissa Paulson (Translation), Paulson Lissa Sara (Translation)
Publisher	Ingram Publishers Services
Languages	English
Age Recommendation	ages 5 to 18
Product format	Hardback
Released	26.04.2022
EAN	9781592703227
ISBN	978-1-59270-322-7
No. of pages	80
Dimensions	230 mm x 311 mm x 15 mm
Weight	754 g
Illustrations	This book has 6 gatefolds
Subjects	Children's and young people's books > Story books, fairytales, sagas, rhymes, songs; Fiction > Poetry, drama > Poetry; JUVENILE FICTION / Imagination & Play, JUVENILE FICTION / Visionary & Metaphysical

Product details

• Authors: Neruda Pablo
• Assisted by: Valdivia Paloma (Illustration), Sara Lissa Paulson (Translation), Sarah Elisabeth Paulson (Translation), Sarah Lissa Paulson (Translation), Paulson Lissa Sara (Translation)
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: ages 5 to 18
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 26.04.2022
• EAN: 9781592703227
• ISBN: 978-1-59270-322-7
• No. of pages: 80
• Dimensions: 230 mm x 311 mm x 15 mm
• Weight: 754 g
• Illustrations: This book has 6 gatefolds
• Subjects: Children's and young people's books > Story books, fairytales, sagas, rhymes, songs; Fiction > Poetry, drama > Poetry; JUVENILE FICTION / Imagination & Play, JUVENILE FICTION / Visionary & Metaphysical