A STUDENT FROM VFU "CHERNORIZETS HRABAR" IS THE AUTHOR OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS FOR A BOOK INCLUDED IN THE AMAZON COLLECTION
16 Април 2024
The third-year student in Graphic design, Vanessa Sabkova, is the author of the illustrations for the book Broken Statues by the author Alexander Kondov, which is distributed by the world's largest online bookstore Amazon.Broken Statues is a collection of short stories inspired by Eastern European myths, legends, and folklore. Each of the stories focuses on a different character and plot, but together they describe a rich world where both ordinary people and gods search for their place. The stories are the fruit of Alexander Kondov’s belief that in order to gather the complete picture, one has to be able to see through different eyes. Each story answers questions from the preceding stories and reveals more about the characters and their experiences. Protagonists who are positive in some narratives may turn out to be villains in others, as even the ideas of good and evil are subjective.
In his desire to give each story a distict identity, the author worked with Vanessa Sabkova, who created the illustrations in the book. Vanessa is a student majoring in Graphic design at Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar". This is one of her first challenging illustration projects, starting as early as 2021. Vanessa's task is not an easy one, as detailed illustrations could take away from the reader's imagination, while overly abstract images leave more questions than answers to the narrative’s point. The author and the young illustrator dwell on minimalist images of the main character from each story in the style of ancient Roman statues.
Alexander Kondov is an engineer by day and a writer at night. He is the author of two technical books. The collection of short stories is his debut in fiction and a dream come true. Broken Statues is the fruit of four years’ work. The book is written in English and distributed by Amazon.
A book, however, is more than words written on pages – it is an experience. From the moment the reader unfolds the cover, through the opening pages and dedication to the title page of each chapter, the story bridges the gap between the readers and the people behind the creation.
