#Cyril Satorsky

[lascitasdelashoras]

Cyril Satorsky, ilustraciones para Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

#cyril satorsky #sir gawain #the green knight #ilustraciones

[uwmspeccoll]

Fine Press Friday

A new movie adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was released in theaters today and I’m so excited to see it! I’m not a medievalist by any means, but I’ve always had an interest in Old English and Middle English texts and in grad school took a course in translating Old English. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written in Middle English (though in a different dialect than Chaucer’s Middle English) in the late 14th century by a poet known mainly as the “Gawain Poet,” though there are three other narrative poems in the original manuscript: Peace, Purity, and Patience. We’ll get more into the manuscript it originates from in a later post! A summary of the poem’s plot can be found here (thanks, SparkNotes!).

This edition of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was published by the Limited Editions Club in 1971. The publisher’s announcement describes the book in detail: 

“...twelve full-page 'resist' drawings, a two-page drawing for the title spread, and numerous tailpieces and incidental decorations, all printed in Sepia. Frank Lieberman designed the volume and drew the large initials which open each stanza. He chose Goudy 'Thirty' type for the Middle English text and Poliphilus for the modern English, both in the sixteen-point size... The light tan Arak paper is a rag wove watermarked stock made specially for this edition at the Curtis Paper Mill... The text was set by Westcott & Thomson in Philadelphia... The binding is in natural coarse Irish linen, stamped on the shelf-back with the title and a series of decorations reflecting the medieval text.”

The book was printed by the Meriden Gravure Company.The illustrations are by Cyril Satorsky and we think they’re just wonderful! Today we’re sharing some of the full-page illustrations (including a great one of the Green Knight holding his own severed head!). The book was published in an edition of 1500 copies signed by Satorsky. Ours is copy number 289. 

Check back with us next week for posts on the original manuscript, my review of the movie, and the lovely and monstrous tailpieces designed by Satorsky for this edition! 

View our collection of severed heads from Tumblr posts!!

View more posts on Limited Editions Club productions.

View more Fine Press Friday posts.

- Alice, Special Collections Department Manager

#Fine Press Friday #Fine Pres Fridays #severed heads #Sir Gawain and the Green Knight #Gawain Poet #Medieval #Medieval Poetry #Middle English #Cyril Satorsky #Limited Editions Club #Alice #The Green Knight #Fine Press Fridays #fine press books #illustrations #illustrated books #Arthurian Legend #King Arthur

[anaxerneas]

Illustrations by the late Cyril Satorsky

#cyril satorsky #art #books

[bookpatrol]

The Poet's Vocation: Selections From The Letters Of Holderlin, Rimbaud And Hart Crane

by William Burford and Christopher Middleton. Published by University of Texas, 1962. First edition. Hardcover, cloth. Octavo, 71pp. Illustrated with drawings by Cyril Satorsky, translated by the editors. Fine in Very Good+ dust jacket

One of 750 copies. Design and typography by Kim Taylor.

#poetry books #letters #poets #writing life #books for sale

[rwitch80]

https://www.google.com/search?q=cyril+satorsky&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjqgb-DsP_0AhUbHc0KHSVrD4oQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1467&bih=878&dpr=2#imgrc=7SOVBcEefKnEkM

#printmaking

[mikasavela]

Illustration by Cyril Satorsky, The Alcalde, January 1964.

#Cyril Satorsky #illustration #Alcalde #1964 #city

[uwmspeccoll]

Spotlight: The Green Knight

Last Friday we posted about the Limited Editions Club edition of the Arthurian romance poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Today, I’m reviewing the new movie The Green Knight and sharing some of the grotesques and tailpieces from that edition! 

I actually saw The Green Knight on last Thursday night before my last post was posted, but since I was out of the office on Friday my review had to wait until today! I promise I’ll try not to give away any spoilers! 

The Green Knight was directed by David Lowery and stars Dev Patel as Gawain. Despite the mild distraction I felt when they first said his name out loud (sounded like “Gar-wen”?) I thought the movie was really interesting and it was definitely beautiful to look at. It’s an interesting spin on the original poem without taking too many liberties or making it unrecognizable. Some things are different (for example, Gawain has a little fox friend for awhile), but I feel like they serve the film well in terms of character development and filling in holes in the plot—like where the poem basically says “he faced many other challenges along the way” we actually get to see some of the challenges he faces. The soundtrack is eerie and at times unnerving, and I like the way the movie handles the ending because I find the ending of the poem somewhat anticlimactic. Also, I love Dev Patel (he was in a lovely adaptation of David Copperfield that didn’t get great reviews, but that I really enjoyed!) and he did not disappoint me in this movie.  

This is my first and probably last movie review ever so I hope you will go see The Green Knight and nerd out a bit over some Arthurian legend! 

The initials in this edition of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight were done by the designer of the book, Frank J. Lieberman. The grotesques and creatures shown here are by Cyril Satorsky and are reminiscent of those found in the Luttrell Psalter. My personal favorites are the ones with faces instead of butts and the bird holding a knife. The bird holding a knife reminds me of my favorite Vine ever:  

View my last post about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

View our posts on the Luttrell Psalter.  

- Alice, Special Collections Department Manager

#Sir Gawain and the Green Knight #The Green Knight #Limited Editions Club #Luttrell Psalter #King Arthur #Arthurian Legends #Arthurian Romance #Middle English #grotesques #Cyril Satorsky #Dev Patel #Alice