Maira Kalman paints her highly personal worldview in an inimitable combination of image and text.
The Principles of Uncertainty is an irresistible invitation to experience life through the psyche of Maira Kalman, one of this country's most beloved artists. The result is a book that is part personal narrative, part documentary, part travelogue, part chapbook, and all Kalman. Her brilliant, whimsical paintings, ideas, and images-which initially appear random-ultimately form an intricately interconnected worldview, an idiosyncratic inner monologue. Kalman contends with some existential questions-What is identity? What is happiness? Why do we fight wars? And then, of course, death, love, and candy (not necessarily in that order).
The tremendous success of Kalman's 2005 illustrated edition of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style established her as an original, inspirational voice, and the quirky, hilarious, heartbreaking style of The Principles of Uncertainty reveals Maira Kalman for what she truly is: a national treasure.
Amazon Best of the Month, Octhober 2007: In 2005 Maira Kalman brought a fresh vision to Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, filling the pages of the reference classic with her whimsical illustrations. And much like its multi-talented creator--who has illustrated children's books and New Yorker covers and collaborated on fashion projects with Kate Spade and Isaac Mizrahi--her new book, The Principles of Uncertainty, defies easy classification. Is it philosophy? Art? Memoir? Travel? Sociology? The answer is All of the Above (and more). This charming collection of text, paintings, and photography presents a "profusely illustrated" year in a life, with illustrated musings that range from a young Nabokov "sitting innocently and elegantly in a red chair" to two stuffed rabbits in the window at Paris's Deyrolles taxidermy to Kitty Carlisle Hart at home in her "pearly pink palace." Delightful, inspiring, and often very moving, this little charmer is a a book you might find nestled on Wes Anderson's coffee table. --Brad Thomas Parsons
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Witty, funny and wonderful:
Everything Maira touches turns into the most funniest, quirkiest and happiest thing. This is one of my favorite books, its sort of like a new version of Chicken Soup for the Soul. The illustrations are amazing, color combinations are vibrant, writing is witty that it just becomes such a pleasurable visual read. She is even more funnier when she speaks. She's like the intelligent, amazing and awesomest aunt that you wished you had.
Poignant and thought-provoking fun:
I enjoyed Maira Kalman's lovely illustrations and her musings about the mysteries of the world. Having read many of her children's books, I was not surprised at her trenchant observations about the more grown-up parts of life, but I was gratefully surprised at the delicacy, poignancy and humanity of her images. Her work deserves admiration for its honest portrayal of reality, but with the wonderful twist that a real artist can bring. The Principles of Uncertainty is structured around the journal or diary... more info
Elements of Whimsy:
This book holds a permanent place on my coffee table. It is a wonderfully illustrated and observed year in a life. Page by page, it offers captivating visual and written poetry of the everyday, as well as ruminations on "the big picture."
Random, charming thoughts:
This isn't really a book for reading, it's a book that you'll dip in and out of, reading the humorous and sometimes touching vignettes at your whim - much like the blog that spawned this book. Some of the illustrations are better than others - I particularly like the historical portraits and full-colour pages. Nonetheless it's a beautiful illustrated book and a sweet gift for someone.
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