Little Parsley – Inger Hagerup
Little Parsley by Inger Hagerup, illustrated by Paul René Gauguin / ISBN 9781592702862 / 7 x 9.75 inches, hard cover from Enchanted Lion
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“Gaugin’s original illustrations are attractively rendered in black-line cartoon style with splotches of light green, royal blue, aquamarine, pumpkin, and mustard. The book’s appealing cover will engage children, and the poems might prompt them to create their own silly rhymes.–School Library Journal, starred review.
The combination of handwritten, informal verse and Paul René Gauguin’s avant garde illustrations has proven to be an irresistible and endlessly delightful combination for children and adults alike. Alive with sound, shape, and color, Hagerup’s children’s poems are still known by heart by every Norwegian child and collections of her poetry can be found on every child’s bookshelf.
Generations of Norwegian children have grown up reading and reciting poems by Inger Hagerup (1905-1985). She made her literary debut in 1939 with I got Lost in the Woods, a collection of poetry. This was followed by a number of notable collections, like Further (1945) and Verse with the Wind (1958). Involved with in the resistance movement against the Nazis in Norway during World War II, Hagerup is, above all, a poet of love. But she is also a poet of death; many of her best poems circle this subject. In addition to her life as a children’s author, she wrote radio plays and reinterpreted Shakespeare and Goethe. Her memoirs A Girl Came Along, What Are You Doing Down Here, and Out Seeking Labour, were published in the 60’s.
Born in Cophenhagen, the son of Pola Gauguin and the grandson of the French post-impressionist Paul Gauguin, Paul René Gauguin (1911-1976) was a painter, sculptor, set designer, and illustrator. He is well remembered for his innovative color woodcuts. He first learned wood cutting techniques while on fishing trips in Ibiza and Mallorca. His art draws inspiration from Max Ernst, Vincent van Gogh, and Georges Braque.
