Christian Morgenstern, Rathna RamanathanAu royaume de la Ponctuation

“First published in 1905, In the Realm of Punctuation is a humorous poem by the German Christian Morgenstern about the cadence of language – and its silences.
Punctuation marks pauses, caesuras, breaks and pauses. But they also express intonation, intention and emotion… which the poet uses brilliantly to make them characters with a will, whom he stages in a drama with an inevitable outcome. This amusing game is accompanied by a serious political statement, which warns of the risks of identity drift.
Taking a unique look at the relationship between sign and meaning, the Indian artist Rathna Ramanathan illustrates this poem by stylising the punctuation marks. Drawing on the art of calligrams and Russian constructivism, she develops a personal, ingenious and very contemporary language. Her visual grammar, a combination of audacity and finesse, gives life to an object of graphic poetry.
This limited edition book has been silk-screen printed on handmade paper and hand-bound in the workshops of Tara Books in Chennai, India, in accordance with fair trade principles.”