LONG STORY SHORT

A subversive volume that translates a series of complex works of literature into a single-page illustration.

Every picture tells a story, and the pictures in this book invite readers to interpret the story anew. As Mr. Fish notes in the introduction, these artists “capture the meanings and essence—perhaps even to reveal the deeper truths previously neglected by the keenest of readers—of some of the world’s most famous books.” Later, he continues, “the fact is, an image, whether snapped or rendered, does something that the written word cannot: it communicates a version of reality instantaneously, one that informs immediately without first needing to be assembled brick by syntactic brick, then cognitively deciphered and then paired with the appropriate sense memory, moral contrivance, and rote definition before its meaning and intentions can be made clear.” Some of the contributions are comics with captions—often very funny—and a few are more like a comic-strip panel. Others are wordless images that require no explanation or ones that allow readers to actively participate in the interpretive act. Some have the feel of abstract art. Regardless of the specific form, each renders a familiar classic from a fresh perspective. It’s difficult to misinterpret—or improve upon—Mr. Fish’s rendering of A Brief History of Time as the sand in an hourglass, and Ted Rall offers a sardonic modern update on The Scarlet Letter, depicting a man telling Hester Prynne, “Just wait until online slut-shaming!” Mr. Fish is particularly spot-on in his take on Catch-22: A man stands at the base of a giant wall, the shadow of the Grim Reaper washing over him and a noose hanging from the top of the wall, on which three military officials look down and say, “Quick, soldier! Stick your head in and we’ll pull you up!” Other entries include Metamorphosis, War and Peace, Nineteen Eighty-Four, and Infinite Jest.

A variety of artists rise to a unique literary and visual challenge.