My Faraway Country: Myanmar
Written and illustrated by Linda Lewin
Published by Golden Hare, Edinburgh, 2023
Designed by James Brook
ISBN 978 1 8384 0655 4
Soft cover with wraparound jacket | 254 x 203 mm | 256 pages | Printed and bound by Gomer Press, Wales, on 140 gsm Edixion Offset with a cover printed on 300 gsm Edixion Offset and a wraparound jacket printed on 140 gsm Edixion Offset
My Faraway Country: Myanmar is a series of stories, told by a range of real and fictive narrators which lyrically evoke the childhoods and the adult adventures and struggles of a Karen family in Myanmar, through the twentieth and into the twenty first century.
With vivid and beautiful illustrations, drawn from historic photographs and the work of the artist/author, this book is as illuminating about Myanmar as it is a moving account of an admirably adventurous, enterprising and eccentric family.
Linda Lewin is a Scottish artist and jeweller with family roots in Myanmar. This is her first book: in 2021 the author was compelled to begin writing following the double disaster of the coup and Covid in Myanmar. As a designer I am skilled at guiding first-time publishers through the various stages of the book production process; I am experienced in facilitating artists’ ideas within the format of the book, translating ideas into form and articulating the decisions that inform the design process. It was a pleasure to collaborate on this book with Linda Lewin and it was a delight to see the book published to great acclaim. I am very happy that the author is as pleased with the finished book as I am.
Linda Lewin: My Faraway Country: Myanmar is my first book and I couldn’t be more pleased with the result. James is an artist and an expert in all details of his trade but most importantly he cared about My Faraway Country: Myanmar as much as I did. He was always there to listen and advise when I needed help but I never felt rushed or pressured. If you are looking for someone who knows how to collaborate and if you want your book to stand out from the crowd James is your man.