Glowrushes by Roberto Piumini translated by Leah Janeczko

An entire generation of Italians was raised with his stories and has grown up to read them to their own children. But if you’re from an English-speaking country, chances are you’ve never heard of this award-winning author. World Kid Lit

Madurer is the son of a great lord, with untold wealth, but he is also the victim of a mysterious disease that means he cannot be exposed to sunlight or fresh air. He is confined to three windowless rooms inside a palace, but his doting father summons a famous artist to cover the walls of the rooms with paintings showing the world his son cannot experience for real. As the painter works on his murals, his relationship with the boy begins to deepen until they forge a firm friendship. How can he show this child the beauty of the world with only his paintbrush to work with? Glowrushes is a heartbreakingly beautiful classic of Italian children’s literature, published here in English for the first time. Pushkin Press

This is a big call but this might be my book of the year and by coincidence it is the last day of the year! Philip Pullman has a quote on the wrapper on my book which is perfect:

"I don't think I have read anything like this before - a tale of life, death, love and beauty that by the storyteller's art makes those things true, fresh, real and important. I hope this unforgettable story finds all the readers it deserves."

Thanks to Pushkin Press this book will find lots of readers because they have taken this famous Italian book from 1987 and given us an English translation in 2022. I don't speak Italian but this book does feel very authentic.

“Stralisco” is a strange word, which is not found in the dictionary: it is part of a game between Madurer – a child – and Sakumat – a painter. Madurer is ill and must always be locked up in the dark. Sakumat has the task of showing him the world through his paintings. Their relationship turns into a story of total friendship that unites a child, a man and – in the background – a father, in a very intense adventure. “Lo Stralisco” is a fable about the possible happiness of those who fully accept to look at the world through the eyes of poetry and signs of art. A tale for kids that even the adult public has been able to appreciate. UTE Korner

It is interesting that it has taken so long to produce a version of this story in English because it has already been translated into other languages:

• Netherlands- dutch language (Querido, Amsterdam 1993)
• France- french language (Hachette, Parigi 1992)
• Spain- castillan and catalan language (Edebé, Barcellona 1991)
• Germany- german language (Hanser, Monaco-Vienna)
• Japan- japanese language (Komine Shoren, Tokio)

This is a mature, deeply poignant and beautifully drawn book of love, wonder and life. We recommend this title as a thoughtful gift, and then, a wonderful story to read and know together. Book Wagon

I highly recommend this wonderful book to share with a reader aged 10+. It would be better to share this book rather than just hand it to a reader because it it so very different and there are sure to be so many important issues to talk about as you read. 

Opening sentences: "In the Turkish city of Malatya lived a painter named Sakumat, who was neither young nor even old. He was the age at which wise men know how to be their own friend without risking their friendship with others."

About the boy Madurer: "He suffers from a strange illness: every trace of sunshine and dust is harmful to him: his eyes swell, he grows short of breath, a rash and even sores form on his skin. He cannot go outdoors, and run and play in the palace gardens as my servant's children do. Furthermore, he cannot live in a room like this, with a window that lets the mountain air and sunlight enter freely and abundantly. All the doctors in Turkey who boast science and knowledge have visited this palace ... They all strongly recommend Madurer live in the most sheltered, innermost area of the palace. He can only breathe air filtered through layers of damp gauze ... and so it has been for over five years."

The task: "I would like my son's rooms to be decorated with pictures and colours."

What happens: Sakumat and Madurer work together and create an enormous mural of mountains, fields, the ocean and memorable characters and "soon there is a fabulous world on the walls, a colourful, shifting landscape people by shepherds and lover, criss-crossed by armies and pirate ships. ... Can he show this child the richness and beauty of the world and of life itself with nothing but paints and brushes?" (jacket blurb)

The title: Glowrushes come from the artist's imagination with additional idea from Madurer himself. "This is a plant I have never heard of ... it's a sort of firefly plant ... on clear nights it lights up ... the boy sat up in bed. All around him, in the darkness, hundreds of slender wisps glowed with a golden light. Bending this way and that, they shone throughout the dark meadow and seemed to sway in the wind."

Here are three Italian covers for this book with the title Lo Stralisco:

Roberto Pumini was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award (IBBY) in 2020. Here are some of his books:

The Hans Christian Andersen dossier talks about Glowrushes (the Italian edition) "Sakumat is a painter, and he’s called to do a delicate job: a very rich man’ son has a serious illness that forced him to live inside a room, without ever seeing the light of the sun. The painter will have to paint him some landscapes to make him know the world and distract him. And then, maybe, won’t a contact so unbridled and continuous with creativity and imagination save him from death? The novel doesn’t answer these questions in a negative way, it demolishes them."