The Completed Book Covers

Illustrations and back cover synopses come together to convey the essence of the novels, as the space and folds of a book dust jacket become at once canvas and page, and meaning is pursued through visual and textual exploration. This project was conceived to disseminate Italian literature by drawing on the inspiration elicited by 20th Century Italian Classics in people from different cultural backgrounds.

Typeface used: Titillium, copyright Accademia di Belle Arti di Urbino

Completed book jackets:

• 1904: Luigi Pirandello, The Late Mattia Pascal
• Illustrator: Karolina Szymkiewicz (MA Illustration, ECA)
• Writer: Giuseppe Episcopo (PhD Italian Studies, UoE)

• 1923: Italo Svevo, Zeno’s Conscience
• Illustrator: Borja Civantos Urrutia (Artist)
• Writer: Alberto Godioli (Visiting Fellow Italian Studies, UoE, PhD Italian Studies, Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa)

• 1929: Alberto Moravia, Times of Indifference
• Illustrator: Nai-Yen Chen (MA Illustration, ECA)
• Writer: Christos Hadjiyiannis (PhD English Studies, UoE)

• 1940: Dino Buzzati, The Tartar Steppe
• Illustrator: Emily Hair (MFA Illustration, ECA)
• Writer: Mario Prisco (PhD Italian Studies, St. Andrews University)

• 1950: Cesare Pavese, The Moon and the Bonfires
• Illustrator: AnChi Chen (MA Illustration, ECA)
• Writer: Corey Gibson (PhD English Studies, UoE)

• 1957: Carlo Emilio Gadda, That Awful Mess on Via Merulana
• Illustrator: Astrid E Jaekel (MFA1 Illustration, ECA)
• Writer: Christopher Ferguson (PhD Italian Studies, UoE)

• 1958: Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, The Leopard
• Illustrator: Patrizio Belcampo (Artist Printmaker)
• Writer: Carmela Pierini (PhD Italian Studies, St Andrews University)

• 1958: Primo Levi, If This is a Man
• Illustrator: Lefke Kerr (Artist)
• Writer: Siobhan Magee (PhD Social Anthropology, UoE)

• 1959: Pier Paolo Pasolini, A Violent Life
• Illustrator: Turine Viet-Tu TRAN (MA Illustration, ECA)
• Writer: Corey Gibson (PhD English Studies, UoE)

• 1963: Natalia Ginzburg, Family Sayings
• Illustrator: Xiaomeng Yu (MA Illustration, ECA)
• Writer: Silvia Villa (PhD English Literature, UoE)

• 1966: Leonardo Sciascia, To Each His Own
• Illustrator: Liam Golden (MFA1 Illustration, ECA)
• Writer: Mario Prisco (PhD Italian Studies, St. Andrews University)

• 1969: Oriana Fallaci, Nothing and Amen
• Illustrator: Ching-Yu (MPhil Illustration, ECA)
• Writer: Silvia Villa (PhD English Literature, UoE)

• 1972: Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities
• Illustrator: Gary MacKean (MFA1 Illustration, ECA)
• Writer: Christos Hadjiyiannis (PhD English Studies, UoE)

• 1985: Gianni Celati, Voices from the plains
• Illustrator: Joe Caslin (MFA1 Illustration, ECA)
• Writer: Myrto Petsota (PhD Italian Studies, UoE)

• 1993: Antonio Tabucchi, Pereira Maintains
• Illustrator: Sara Oskarsson (BA (Hons) Painting)
• Writer: Armando Rotondi (PhD Italian Studies, Strathclyde University)

About the Book Cover Project

20th Century Italian Classics

Book cover illustrations and back cover blurb

This project (concept by Carlo Pirozzi) aims to bring together post-graduate Italian and English studies fellows at Edinburgh University (UoE), Master Illustration students from Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) and others, to create the back cover text and book cover illustrations for 15 important 20th century Italian classics.

For the enjoyment of participating in a collaborative and cultural project, to raise awareness of Italian literature both visually and through the written word and to present the results at an exhibition during the Edinburgh Book Festival, 22nd to 29th August 2011 at the Italian Institute of Culture, Edinburgh. 

Please also read:

Illustration brief 

Illustration deadlines

Book Cover template details

Reimagining the book - Exhibition

Book Cover Illustration Brief

This project aims to create complete dust jackets for 15 important Italian novels selected from periods throughout the 20th century.

We hope that all those participating enjoy the experience and process of writing for and illustrating these book covers and enjoy the collaborative and cultural aspects of this project, which aims to raise awareness of Italian literature both visually and through the written word.

We would like to see illustrations that capture the essence of the novels in an appealing manner, that complement the styles of the 'back cover synopsis' and that make full and playful opportunity of the space and folds of a book dust jacket.

The template has been designed in such a way that it provides some limits, but at the same time provides a lot of flexibility for illustrators to be able to really maximise the use of space i.e. giving the illustrator the ability to play with the shape and folds, the spine & flaps and giving the ability to treat the book cover as a tangible object...

Each illustrator is assigned one book, see this list for your book assignment

The results will be presented in an exhibition during the Edinburgh Book Festival, August 2011 at the Italian Institute of Culture, Edinburgh (exact dates to be confirmed).

Book Cover Illustrations - Meetings, Deadlines

Meetings:

• No more meetings scheduled. If you require more information or need to discuss your book / illustration contact Lefke Kerr ailurus@gmail.com

Deadlines:

• Deadline for final illustrations: 29th July - require digital files of illustrations, CMYK, 300dpi
•  Exhibition starting 21st August

Contact for book cover template design and information: Lefke Kerr

View project page for illustrator and writer contact names for individual books

Book Cover Template - details

Each book has been set in a standardised template to create consistency and give the impression of the books belonging to a publisher's Italian Classics series

Contact Lefke Kerr for a copy of the book cover spreads relevant to your illustration (available as inDesign and pdf files)

(Be aware some editing of text on the templates may still be required over the next two weeks)

Dimensions:

Full length: 519mm
Full length including bleed: 539mm
Height: 235mm
Height including bleed: 255mm
Front & Back page width: 160mm
Spine width: 15mm
Left & Right folds: 92mm

All illustrations need to take into account print bleed areas

Colours, fonts and text:
All fonts - sizes, weights are not to be changed
All text positions are fixed

All font colours can be adjusted to match illustration

The following text areas have a transparency background available:

• This series list (full height of book)
• Back cover blurb (text area only)
• Spine text (full height of book)
• Collaboration list (full height of book)

Note: No transparency behind title and author name on front cover

Examples of the use of transparencies:

The Game of Roles Posters

Poster and flyer illustration for the play 'The Game of Roles' / 'Il Gioco delle Parti', adapted and directed by Carlo Pirozzi, performed on the 3rd and 4th of March 2011 at the Adams House Theatre, Edinburgh.

• All submissions exhibited at Adams House Theatre, organised by Lefke Kerr
• See posts labelled The Game of Roles for more information
• Texts in English translated by Dan Finch-Race (4th year, Italian Department of Edinburgh University)

Participating illustration students:

• Astrid Jaekel - MFA1 Illustration

• Liam Golden - MFA1 Illustration, www.liamgolden.com

• Kate McLelland - MFA1 Illustration, www.katemclelland.co.uk

• AnChi Chen - MA Illustration

• Joe Caslin - MFA1 Illustration, joecaslin.blogspot.com

• Darrel Perkins - MFA1 Illustration

• I-Huan Lee - MA Illustration

• Gary MacKean - MFA1 Illustration

Poster information

The following information is to be included on the A1 Poster / A5 flyer for the Gioco delle Parti play:

The students of the Italian Department at Edinburgh University are proud to present:

Il Gioco delle Parti
The Game of Roles
Freely adapted from the play by Luigi Pirandello
Performed in Italian and English with extracts from Shakespeare's Macbeth

Created and directed by Carlo Pirozzi
Assistant directors: Felicia Cucuta and Ishbel MacFarlane


Adam House Theatre, Chambers St
3rd and 4th March 2011
7.30 pm
£5 / £3 Conc

Tickets: jackie.barnhart@ed.ac.uk
Tel: 0131 650 4026

Live music from Simone Caffari and the Badwills
Guest International Flautist Luisa Sello
The theatre will also host the exhibition 'Interpretation of a Play' by Edinburgh College of Art students, organised by Lefke Kerr. 1st to 4th March -10am to 6pm.

4 small logos of the following:

• The University of Edinburgh

• IPSE - The Italian Postgraduate Society of Edinburgh

(examples of the above can be found here: http://www.ipseweb.com/Italian_Play.html)

• IICE - Italian Cultural Institute Edinburgh

http://www.iicedimburgo.esteri.it/IIC_Edimburgo

• ECA - Edinburgh College of Art

http://www.eca.ac.uk/