In The Land of Punctuation

Im Reich der Interpunktionen

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First published in 1905, German poet Christian Morgenstern’s „Im Reich der Interpunktionen“ (In the Land of Punctuation) is a comic poem on the flow of landuage – and the breaks in it. Punctuations signs are markers of pauses, interruptions, asides and stops. But they also point to intonation, intent and emotion. a fact used brilliantly by Morgenstern to turn them into characters with their own agendas, in a drama that careens toward an inevitable end. It is a fun romp, and yet the political undertones are unmistakable, suggesting menacing systems of control.
Adding a new dimension to the connection between marks and meaning, graphic disigner Rathna Ramanathan illustrates this translated version of the poem with punctuation signs. She evokes older traditions like calligrams and the art of Russian Constructivists, while developing her own ingenious — and very contemporary — idiom. Her visual grammar balances bold experimentation with precise communication, creating and artist’s book at the crossroads of language, graphic design and politics.
This limited edition book has been manually silkscreen-printed and bound by hand on recycled handmade paper at TARAbooks‘ print workshop, run on fair trade practices.