The Book of Pearl
Page 21
This is what I dreamt as I witnessed old Joshua Pearl next to the dead brother who was a stranger to him. I knew that all this would take time to come true. How was I to tell their story? How was I to make people believe it?
Perhaps Oliå would stay for a while in her tiny house in Venice, and Iliån too in the palace that was being reclaimed by water. He would have to carry his suitcases up to the attic to save them.
Would I have the time and the words to restore them to their realm? That now depended on me.
I left and I set to work. All I had kept of the destroyed manuscript was the title, The Book of Pearl.
The rest is here.
At times, I felt as if the words from my pen were tracing a path from one page to the next; a path that would lead Iliån and Oliå back home. The more I wrote, the further their lantern disappeared into the ink as black as the night sky. I knew that when I wrote the final word, they would no longer be here.
And so I paused for a moment, just before finishing.
I wasn’t sure whether to weep or smile as I imagined them together for ever, so far away from me.
READ OTHER BOOKS BY
TIMOTHÉE DE FOMBELLE…
TOBY ALONE
He’s just one and a half millimetres tall, but Toby Lolness is the most wanted person in the great oak Tree. Pursued across a hazardous terrain of falling leaves, thick moss forests and bark mountains, hunted by an army of angry woodcutters and bloodthirsty soldier ants, Toby faces an epic battle for survival in an unforgettable miniature world.
“To take one tree as emblematic and bring it alive in great detail is imaginatively rich and great fun.” Guardian
TOBY AND THE SECRETS OF THE TREE
The world of the great oak Tree is on the brink of devastation under the control of the power-crazed Leo Blue. Leo is inflicting fear and poverty throughout the Tree, capturing anyone who tries to resist and destroying the very bark on which they live. But Toby has returned – and he will find a way to fight back.
“You’ll never look at a tree in the same way again… An unprecedented success.” Le Figaro
Vango, Book One: Between Sky and Earth
Fleeing from the police and more sinister forces on his trail, Vango must race against time to prove his innocence – a journey that will take him to the farthest reaches of distant lands. Can Vango uncover the secrets of his past before everything is lost?
“Exciting, unusual and beautifully written.” David Almond
Vango, Book Two: A Prince Without a Kingdom
Vango has spent his life abandoning his loved ones to protect them from the demons of his past. But the mystery of his identity has started to unravel, and in the shadows of war and persecution, the truth will finally come to light.
“A distinctive and atmospherically cinematic tale.” Independent
Timothée de Fombelle is a celebrated author and playwright who achieved international success with his stunning debut, Toby Alone, and its sequel, Toby and the Secrets of the Tree. The series was translated into 28 languages and has won numerous awards, including France’s prestigious Prix Sorcières and the Marsh Award for children’s literature in translation. His gripping mystery-adventure series, Vango, Between Sky and Earth and Vango, A Prince Without a Kingdom gained international praise, and the first novel received an English Pen Award for translation. More recently, Timothée wrote a compelling short story called Captain Rosalie, which appeared in the critically acclaimed anthology The Great War: Stories Inspired by Objects from the First World War. In The Book of Pearl, Timothée once again takes the reader on a journey to imaginary worlds in his typically elegant, beautiful and accessible writing style.
Sarah Ardizzone (née Adams) is one of the most sought-after translators working today. She has won several awards for her work, including twice receiving the Marsh Award for children’s literature in translation: in 2009 for Toby Alone by Timothée de Fombelle and in 2005 for Eye of the Wolf by Daniel Pennac. Sarah promotes translation as a creative process in schools and beyond.
Sam Gordon is the translator of Arab Jazz by Karim Miské, which won a 2014 English PEN award and was also shortlisted for a CWA International Dagger in 2015. He recently translated Captain Rosalie, a short story by Timothée de Fombelle, which appeared in The Great War: Stories Inspired by Objects from the First World War. Alongside his literary translation work, Sam teaches French.
ALSO BY TIMOTHÉE DE FOMBELLE:
Toby Alone
Toby and the Secrets of the Tree
Vango: Between Sky and Earth
Vango: A Prince Without a Kingdom
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. All statements, activities, stunts, descriptions, information and material of any other kind contained herein are included for entertainment purposes only and should not be relied on for accuracy or replicated as they may result in injury.
First published in Great Britain 2016 by Walker Books Ltd
87 Vauxhall Walk, London SE11 5HJ
Text © 2014 Gallimard Jeunesse
English Translation © 2016 Sarah Ardizzone and Sam Gordon
Cover illustration © 2016 Mike Bennion
The right of Timothée de Fombelle and Sarah Ardizzone, Sam Gordon to be identified as author and translators respectively of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data: a catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-4063-7051-5 (ePub)
www.walker.co.uk