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Literary Review
The right project
Excerpts from an exclusive e-mail interview with CHRISTOPHER HUDSON, Director of Publications, the Getty Trust:
Could you tell me more about the Getty and what it does?
Certainly. The Getty is a not-for-profit foundation, based in California, serving both general audiences and specialised professionals, and concentrating on the visual arts. Educational in purpose and character, the Getty weaves the presentation and enjoyment of art together with its study and conservationIn our publications programme, we reach out both to scholars and to the general public.
Why did you choose the Greek myth as a story idea?It is understood that though the project was a complex production, it had to be subject to several tests. Could you elaborate?
Well, we took a year or two to find the right project: we knew we wanted to use the silkscreen and handmade paper approach, but we had to find a project that was consistent with the particular direction of our publishing programme, and that would make sense for our own market. At first it seemed difficult, as the sort of retelling of Indian folk-tales that Tara was doing for domestic consumption, while they worked well from a design and production point of view, were inappropriate for our own publishing list.
One of our particular interests, though, was the reinterpretation of the Greek and Roman classical tradition, and once Tara knew this, it was in fact Tara who suggested that it might be interesting to try the Antigone story. As for the tests, on the one hand we were concerned at a practical level that — since the book is used by young readers — all of the materials would pass the scrutiny of the North American children's book standards group so we had to make sure none of the hand-mixed inks contained any toxic materials, and that the quite different humidity conditions in American book warehouses would not cause warping. And on the other hand we wanted to review the palette of colours to ensure that it fairly represented the black-and red-figure traditions of Greek vase painting.
"Antigone" is a complex play with themes such as pride, the individual versus State, conscience versus law, moral or divine law versus human law, inaction, and gender, to name some. How did you arrive at an acceptable and shortened script?
Yes, it is complex, but they are enduring themes that still have great power. In this regard we expected that we would be doing a lot of work on the script, but in fact the text that Sirish Rao and Gita prepared was perfect. I wish all of our writers produced such thoughtful and accessible condensations.
Did you have a say in the artist's rendering of events/characterisation?
Well, we provided reference materials about our Greek vase collection, and we did comment on the renderings, but I have to say that, as with the text, Indrapramit Roy's renderings were exactly right — he did a wonderful job.
Please elaborate on the two awards Tara's "Antigone" has won.
It won an award from the Independent Publishers Association for Best Book Arts Craftsmanship. And it's just won a Western Books Exhibition award, which is actually quite funny though we are very pleased that it won: the comment made by the judges' chairman was "This tragic Greek tale is retold by text and illustration in black and brick red on a toned and textured paper. It is a remarkable book, a great bargain, and one that completely captivated the judges. Had I, as Exhibit Chairman, paid closer attention before the judging and been aware that it was not — designed — in the Western United States, it would not have been eligible to enter the judging." I guess they don't expect Californian publishers' books to be designed in India!
What is the western book market like? In an environment with multimedia options, how does publishing make its mark, and especially with books like this?
Well, I won't pretend that the print runs for high-quality art books are in the same league as the runs for multimedia products, or even mass-market paperbacks. But serious book publishing continues to make its mark with opinion-formers. And, almost paradoxically, I think that there is a resurgent interest in the craftsmanship of fine book making, partly as a reaction to the fact that there is so much homogenisation in other fields.
How can the Tara experiment, based on reviews and the response it has generated, help the book industry in countries like India for instance?
All publishers need to be more global. But there's no substitute for international book fairs like Frankfurt, and the opportunity to discuss collaborations face to face. That is more of a rights trading fair, as opposed to the New Delhi Book Fair, which has a lot of sales activity direct to the public. Both types are important. I would hope that forward-looking international publishers will look to India, and to other countries that they might not have considered, as sources of creative book making as well as resources for data entry and typesetting, areas in which India's competitiveness is already established.
Do you have additional comments/remarks to make?
Producers of visual arts books have become increasingly international in their manufacturing activities. Most of our colour work, for example, is done outside the U.S. But it isn't just a question of finding places where the labour costs are comparatively low in relation to the West: there needs, as well, to be an educated work force and a tradition of craftsmanship and commitment to quality.
That is why we print in places like Singapore, and that is why Tara and A.M.M. Screens in Chennai have appealed to us. And the whole idea of bringing a contemporary Indian sensibility to the retelling of a classic ancient Greek play was also immensely appealing.
M.N.K.
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