{"product_id":"9780008340988_short-life-in-a-strange-world-birth-to-death-in-42-panels","title":"Short Life in a Strange World: Birth to Death in 42 Panels","description":"\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003eSure to be hailed alongside \u003cem\u003eH is for Hawk\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Hare with Amber Eyes\u003c\/em\u003e, an exceptional work that is at once an astonishing journey across countries and continents, an immersive examination of a great artist’s work, and a moving and intimate memoir.\u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the age of 42, his father not long dead and his young sons growing fast, Toby Ferris set off on a seemingly quixotic mission to track down each of the 42 surviving paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, who, at the age of 42, had been approaching the end of his own short life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOver the next five years Ferris would travel to 22 galleries in 19 cities in 12 countries across 2 continents: Budapest to San Diego, Detroit to Naples, Berlin to Madrid, ticking off his Bruegels as he went.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe results of his journeying are a revelation: Bruegel’s panels, their landscapes teeming with robust life, become a lens through which Ferris takes stock of the world, informing everything from mortality, fatherhood, and contemporary life, to the bombing of Rotterdam, the extinction of North American megafauna, and how to ward off bears in the forest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eShort Life in a Strange World\u003c\/em\u003e is a dazzlingly original hybrid of art criticism, philosophical reflection and poignant memoir, a book about one man’s obsession with Bruegel’s short life in a strange if familiar world, and the precisely-detailed yet cosmos-encompassing works in ink and oil which sprang from it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd it begins with the story of a boy who fell from the sky.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFerris journey through Europe, tracing the footsteps of a renowned Renaissance artist, is a testament to his individuality and his quest for understanding. His experiences offer a unique perspective on the relationships between artists, their work, and the world they inhabit, making this autobiography a top pick for lovers of art and history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor fans of Katherine Rundell (Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise), Janina Ramirez (Femina), David Grann (The Wager), Julian Barnes (Levels of Life), and Olivia Laing (Everybody).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Toby Ferris","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46889621225621,"sku":"9780008340988","price":35.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/x145_57866ab4-6a7f-4606-9924-718ebe611920.jpg?v=1769475446","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9780008340988_short-life-in-a-strange-world-birth-to-death-in-42-panels","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}