DRAWING FROM MEMORY
by Allen Say
Oregon Book Awards, 2013,
Children’s Category
The jacket cover of writer
illustrator Allen Say’s DRAWING FROM MEMORY depicts twelve-year-old Say floating
in his new apartment. In post World War II Tokyo, he has just passed tough
middle school entrance exams and his mother has allowed him to be an
independent scholar. But Say is not floating with happiness because he can
study. He is ecstatic because he now has an art studio. All he has ever wanted
to do is draw, to become a cartoonist like Japan’s famous Noro Shinpei, a
pioneer of today’s Manga.
This memoir, presented in graphic
novel style, is based on Say’s autobiographical novel, The Ink-Keeper’s Apprentice. It’s an extraordinary story of how a
young boy realized his dream through perseverance and the good fortune of
studying with his hero. Alan Say started his apprenticeship filling in the
cartoon backgrounds, inking in clothing and preparing tea for his sensei, his teacher.
His middle school art teacher introduced Say to a former student who was a
serious artist. Orito-san became another mentor and encouraged Say to draw classical
forms.
Later, Shinpei sent Say to life
drawing class, saying, “Drawing is never a practice. To draw is to see and
discover. Every time you draw, you discover something new.” Another time he said, “Painting is a kind of
writing, and writing is a kind of painting they are both about seeing.”
DRAWING FROM MEMORY is filled with sketches, illustrations, family photos and even Shinpei’s cartoons. I love books set in Japan and after reading this book, The Ink-Keeper’s Apprentice, Grandfather’s Journey and The Bicycle Man, I will seek out Allen Say’s other picture books.
Listen to Reading Rockets’wonderful interview with Allen Say talking about his career. There he says his
idea of imagination is “rearranging your memory.”
Grandfather's Journey was a story in a reader I used to teach. I remember the beautiful illustrations and the idea that one could realize a dream. I love the quote from Say about writing and art both as a way of seeing. I believe this to be true.
ReplyDelete