The Lost Soul: Olga Tokarczuk’s next work is an illustrated book about finding fulfilment for adults and children
19 November 2020
Text:
Lucía de la Torre
Illustration by Joanna Concejo. Courtesy of Editions Format.
Illustration by Joanna Concejo. Courtesy of Editions Format.
Illustration by Joanna Concejo. Courtesy of Editions Format.
“Once upon a time there was a man who worked very hard and very quickly, and who had left his soul far behind him long ago. In fact, his life was all right without his soul –– he slept, ate, worked, drove a car and even played tennis,” reads an excerpt of The Lost Soul, the forthcoming title from Nobel prize-winning author, Olga Tokarczuk.
Out next year by 7 Seven Stories Press, the illustrated book, targeting both children and adults, is about finding fulfillment in a society indifferent to you. The story is set in a parallel universe where a man who has forgotten what makes his heart feel full moves to a house far away, waiting for his soul to return to him.
“But sometimes he felt as if the world around him were flat, as if he were moving across a smooth page in a math book that was covered in evenly spaced squares,” the extract continues.
The Lost Soul is being translated into English by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, with pen-and-ink drawings by illustrator Joanna Concejo.
The Lost Soul is coming out in February 2021. You can pre-order a copy here.
