The Book of Imprudent Flora

Claudio Romo is a revelation. Simply the most exciting discovery to come out of Chile since Roberto Bolaño, Alejandro Zambra or Lina Meruane. Though one finds hints of Italo Calvino and a nod to Jules Verne, he deftly combines the narrative arts of literature and illustration to create a form all his own, part graphic novel, part imaginary bestiary. With stunning illustrations throughout, the book is written as a travel diary by Lázaro de Sahagún, eminent naturalist and explorer and concerns his voyage to a mysterious isle and subsequent cataloguing of the astonishing life forms, each with a unique history and mode of existence. Perhaps as Lázaro muses, if the earth is a living organism as he believes, places like this island are necessary for the planet to safeguard these marvelous species from “future periods of global decadence.” The Book of Imprudent Flora is a codex for the new millennium, full of the wonder of discovery and the sorrow of loss.