Lispector's Childhood Stories: The Private Life of a Hen

A thought-provoking work by Clarice Lispector, a top Latin American writer

Revealing the mysteries behind everyday life through the life of an ordinary hen

Even beneath an ordinary appearance, there is a unique beauty

◎ Editor's Recommendation

Hailed as "the most important Jewish writer since Kafka" and one of the most important Brazilian writers of the 20th century

Clarice Lispector, a beautiful and outstanding female writer

Wrote the "Lispector's Childlike Heart Stories" series for children with a mother's love

5 children's literature works, published for the first time in Chinese

Strolling through the personal world of Laura the hen

What we see are the most ordinary things

Foraging, laying eggs, wandering in the coop

And facing the risk of becoming a blood chicken

But the ordinary interior is much more complex and subtle

Just like life

We should have respect for it

☆ Literary nourishment for children by a top writer, with a friendly and lively colloquial narrative style, full of interactive fun.

Told from a first-person perspective, in a mother's tone, it is as intimate as a fireside chat, full of interactivity. In the process of storytelling, Lispector, as a mother, always takes care of her child's emotions, responds to their specific questions, and tries to get close to their thoughts and imagination, allowing the child, as a listener, to experience the joy of participation.

☆ Through the friendly character of the hen, it opens a window for young readers to understand and re-examine their parents' lives.

Lispector wisely tells young readers the story of Laura the hen, and speaks with great respect about the rich inner life beneath an ordinary exterior. An extremely ordinary hen also "has an inner life"; although she is ordinary and ugly, she also possesses something unusual and beautiful within.

Laura the hen reflects ordinary women, especially mothers, who are busy, ordinary, yet have their own joys and meanings. Children can, through this lovable character, open a window to understand and re-examine their parents' lives, and further see the "existence of the inner life" of women as "mothers."

☆ Fresh watercolor illustrations give the story a tranquil beauty.

Illustrator Odilon Moraes's watercolor illustrations depict Laura the hen's ordinary and tranquil life, perfectly combining with the atmosphere of the narrative. Lispector herself, sitting at the typewriter, is a highlight throughout the story, inadvertently revealing a connection between her as a mother and Laura the hen, subtly reflecting the profoundness of the work.

☆ Special lenticular cover, spacious square format, exquisitely bound in a retro style, giving children a precious literary gift.

This book is part of the "Lispector's Childlike Heart Stories" series. The entire series features specially designed lenticular covers, full of dynamic beauty, enhancing the interest and design of the book's binding.

The cover paper uses white kraft paper, with elegant and retro tones, exuding an elegant literary atmosphere.

The 12-k spacious square format, with interior pages using 140g offset paper, is thick and textured; full-color printing reproduces various styles of illustrations.

☆ Includes a professional guide, written by Zhang Xiaofei, a senior Portuguese translator and associate professor, to help readers interpret the work in depth.

◎ Synopsis

This is a thought-provoking story about Laura the hen's simple yet busy daily life. She lays eggs, wholeheartedly incubates them, forages, sometimes is borrowed by neighbors like a hero, and sometimes faces the risk of being made into a delicacy... Although Laura seems rather clumsy, she can detect danger signals at critical moments and then manages to disguise herself, escaping the fate of being slaughtered with her intelligence. Although Laura has the ugliest neck in the world, she usually likes to dress herself up beautifully and is content with her ordinariness, showing the "inner beauty" beneath her ordinary appearance. Eventually, she gains the favor of an alien, who becomes her guardian. And so the story ends.

◎ Media Recommendations

(Lispector) was recognized early on as having the potential to become "the greatest female writer in Portuguese," and her half-century of writing practice indeed earned her such extreme accolades as "the greatest Jewish writer since Kafka" and "the Joyce of Brazil"...

—— Min Xuefei (translator of Lispector's works)

Clarice Lispector's children's works are innovative because they can address children's issues in a non-childish way, with the understanding of children as a constant undertone.

—— Rosa Gens (Doctor of Literature, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro)

This work dialogues with children in a wise and subtle way, presenting an extremely wonderful narrative. I recommend it to children, who enter the work as they respond to the narrator and will never forget this character.

—— Amazon reader review

Clarice Lispector tells the story of a hen who escapes being slaughtered in an innovative way, and she even befriends an alien. This work breaks away from the stereotypes of typical children's stories.

—— Amazon reader review

◎ Celebrity Recommendations

One of the most mysterious writers of the twentieth century, her writing is full of vivid colors.

—— Orhan Pamuk (Nobel Prize in Literature laureate)

◎ Awards

Won the Carmen Dolores Award and the Calunga Award.

2022-12-01

上海人民美术出版社

the new wave

48

9787558624360