The golden cage
The golden cage (original title: De gouden kooi ) is a picture book by the French writer Anna Castagnoli and the Belgian illustrator Carll Cneut . It tells the story of the spoiled Princess Valentina, who desires the rarest birds and sends her servants on the hunt for them.
The golden cage was published on October 10, 2014 by the Belgian publisher De Eenhoorn in Dutch and comprises 48 pages. The German translation was published by Bohem Press Verlag on September 1, 2015 and also comprises 48 pages. Ulrike Schimming translated the book from Italian. The book has so far been published in the Netherlands , Germany , Belgium and Italy . It is the 39th book illustrated by Cneut.
The golden cage was awarded the Cutting Edge Award (March 2015) and nominated for the German Youth Literature Award 2016 . In the features section it was described as a “puzzling, beautiful, even magical picture book that you open to the front immediately when you get to the back” (Sylvia Schwab, Deutschlandradio Kultur, January 12, 2016).
content
In “The Golden Cage” Anna Castagnoli tells the story of the spoiled Princess Valentina, who owns 390 pairs of shoes, 812 hats and 50 snake leather belts. More than anything else, Valentina loves exotic birds and so she sends her servants to bring her the rarest specimens. However, Valentina has only invented many of the coveted birds and so in her wickedness she has the heads of the servants who return empty-handed. One night Valentina dreams of a talking bird and the next morning orders all her servants to bring this bird to her. But none of them have been successful for months and so more and more heads are rolling. One day, however, a boy promises Valentina that if she only promises to be patient, he will be able to find the talking bird. When he finally returns after eleven long months with an egg and tells the princess that the talking bird will hatch from it, she keeps her promise and lies down by the egg, waiting.
characters
Valentina
Valentina is a spoiled princess who owns whimsical hats, shoes, and belts en masse. It goes without saying that she gets what she wants. If this doesn't happen, it will become cruel and unpredictable. She only loves her collection of rare birds and when she meets a talking bird in a dream that keeps her company and says nice things, she wakes up the next morning cheerful and happy.
Literary genre and style
The golden cage can be assigned to the genres of picture books and children's books. The book also contains fairytale features and is characterized by the illustrations by Carll Cneut.
Literary criticism
“Reality, fantasy and dream are intertwined in the pictures and the cleverly structured text. This book is an impressive total work of art. "
"A puzzling, beautiful, even magical picture book that you open to the front immediately when you get to the back."
Nominations and Awards
The golden cage received various awards. One of the most important is the Cutting Edge Award (March 2015). The book was also nominated for the 2016 German Youth Literature Award in the picture book category.
Public book presentations
The book was presented as a German premiere in the presence of the writer at the children's and youth program at the 16th Berlin International Literature Festival in September 2016.
Web links
- Original language and German language publisher website for the book
- Author's website
- Illustrator's website
- Translator's website