Geburtstag: 1951
Geschlecht: female
Nationalität: Australia
Geburtsort: New England, New South Wales, Australia
Wohnorte: New England, New South Wales, Australia
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
London, England, UK
France
Ausbildung: New England Girl's School (secondary)
Sydney University (BA)
Shillito Design School (diploma)
St. Martin's College of Art, London, England (post graduate diploma)
Berufe: Artist
Book Illustrator
Beziehungen: Farrell, Micheal (husband)
Kurzbiographie: Margert Early is an Australian artist and book illustrator. Born in the New England region of New South Wales, she was educated at the New England Girl’s School; Sydney University (BA); the Shillito Design School (diploma); and at St Martin’s School of Art in London (post-graduate diploma). She was married to the Irish artist Michael Farrell, and has lived for many years in France, in the village of her Huguenot ancestors. She has published six children's books, originally through the Walter McVitty publishing house in Australia, and through Harry N. Abrams in the USA. Since 1976, her paintings, done in a medieval style, have been included in numerous group exhibitions, and she has also had many individual exhibitions, most recently at the Robin Gibson Gallery in Sydney.

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Robin Hood von Margaret Early

Expatriate Australian painter and illustrator Margaret Early, who has also produced such gems as William Tell, Sleeping Beauty and Romeo and Juliet, here turns to the classic English folk hero of Robin Hood, and the result is a lovely picture-book. Covering many of the major events of the Robin Hood story - the dispossession of Robert, son of the Earl of Huntingdon, of his lands, and the creation of the outlaw Robin Hood; the meetings between Robin Hood and Little John, Friar Tuck, Sir Richard of the Lea and Alan A'Dale; the duel and marriage of Robin and Maid Marian; the archery contest in Nottingham; the arrival of King Richard; the death of Robin - the book pairs a full page of text on the left-hand side of each two-page spread with beautiful medieval style illustrations on the right...

I have loved the story of Robin Hood ever since I was a little girl, first encountering it in the pages of Henry Gilbert's Robin Hood, a copy of which belonged to my mother as a child, and was subsequently passed down to me. I first read Margaret Early's retelling back in 1996, when it was published, and for many years I owned my own copy, until an unfortunate flood decimated my personal library. I recall thinking, reading this years ago, that Early's medieval style - somewhat flat, but beautifully ornate, with gorgeous decorative borders - was well-suited to the story. Picking it up today and reading it again, I still feel the same way, and I particularly enjoyed the banquet scene, with its use of red and gold, and the scene in which the outlaws, mounted on horseback in the snow, are giving aid to the impoverished people of the countryside. The story itself is engaging (of course!), although very text-heavy for a picture-book. I'd almost call this an illustrated short story, much like some of Early's other titles. Recommended to Robin Hood fans looking for an illustrated telling, and to fans of the artist's distinctive style.… (mehr)

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AbigailAdams26 | Aug 11, 2020 |

Sleeping Beauty von Margaret Early

Artist and book-illustrator Margaret Early, whose other picture-books include William Tell, Robin Hood and Romeo and Juliet, here turns to the classic French fairy-tale of Sleeping Beauty. The story of a beautiful princess who is given every gift and grace by the good fairies who attend her christening, only to be cursed by a wicked fairy who unexpectedly turns up as well, it is a tale that needs little introduction. The arrival of the prince, after the princess and her entire castle lie asleep for one hundred years, the awakening of the princess, and the happy marriage of the two young royals, are all included in Early's retelling, which is paired with gorgeous, gold-enhanced illustrations...

The fourth picture-book I have read from Early, following upon William Tell, Romeo and Juliet, and Walter McVitty's Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, which she illustrated, Sleeping Beauty is undoubtedly my favorite, of the lot. The retelling doesn't really cover any new ground, but it is engaging, while the artwork simply shines. The text is given on the left-hand side of every two-page spread, and the full-page paintings on the right. Both text and paintings are enclosed in beautifully ornate decorative borders. According to the author's afterword, the story was intended by Charles Perrault to be set at the Château d'Ussé, in the Loire Valley, in France, and that is reflected in the artwork. The ornate interior scenes were inspired by the château that once belonged to Early's French Huguenot ancestors. In the end, the entire book is just lovely, and is one I would recommend to fairy-tale devotees, as well as to fans of the artist.… (mehr)

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AbigailAdams26 | Aug 7, 2020 |

The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo… von Margaret Early

Australian expatriate artist Margaret Early, whose other picture-books include William Tell, Robin Hood and Sleeping Beauty, here turns to the great Bard of Avon, producing a children's retelling of his classic play, Romeo and Juliet. The story itself, in which two star-crossed lovers marry secretly, because their respective families are long-time enemies, requires little description. Early's retelling is in prose, but quotes from the play fairly frequently. It is paired with full-page illustrations - the text is given on the left-hand side of every two-page spread, the artwork on the right - in her own medieval style...

This is the third picture-book I have read from Early, following upon her William Tell, and upon Walter McVitty's Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, which she illustrated. I enjoyed it, and found her retelling quite engaging. The artwork is lovely, although in a very different style to the more popular illustrative trends right now, in the world of picture-books. It is somewhat flat looking, and has the feeling sometimes of a tapestry. There are lovely decorative borders, and the artist makes use of a rich gold tone, in addition to her other colors. According to her brief afterword, she based many of her scenes upon sketches she did in Verona, as well as in other medieval European cities. All in all, the style was appealing to me, with a medieval sensibility that suits the story. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-book adaptations of Shakespeare, although the text-heavy nature of this one means the audience will probably need to be somewhat older (perhaps seven and above?) and have a good attention span.… (mehr)

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AbigailAdams26 | Aug 4, 2020 |

William Tell von Margaret Early

Australian expatriate painter and illustrator Margaret Early, whose small number of picture-books include a retelling of such tales as Robin Hood and the Sleeping Beauty, here turns to the historical legend of William Tell, the hero of Swiss independence. Relating the tale of how the three Swiss countries of Schwytz, Uri and Unterwalden were crushed under the tyrannical heel of the occupying Austrians, the story describes the behavior of Governor Gessler of Altdorf, whose brutality led to the famous incident in which William Tell was forced to shoot an apple off of his own son's head. The narrative also includes the incident in which Tell jumps from the boat carrying Gessler and his soldiers, as well as the killing of Gessler by Tell. The book concludes with the information that William Tell has remained a hero in his native Switzerland to this day...

A symbol of resistance against tyrannical rule, William (Wilhelm) Tell is a legendary figure often associated with the Rütlischwur (the Rütli Oath), an incident said to have occurred in 1307 AD, in which representatives of the three Swiss cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden met and swore an oath of mutual protection and rebellion against outside rule. Although uncorroborated in contemporaneous sources (the first written record dates from 1470), this is widely held to be the foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy, the forerunner of the modern nation of Switzerland. This incident (which is also included in Friedrich Schiller's classic 1804 play, Wilhelm Tell) is incorporated into Early's narrative, which is quite dense for a picture-book, but which makes for an engaging read all the same. The book is divided between pages of text, on the left-hand side of each two-page spread, and full-page illustrations, done in a medieval style, on the right-hand side. Both the textual and illustrative panels are enclosed in gorgeous decorative borders. Although I am no expert in William Tell studies, this seems to be a fairly faithful retelling of the legend, one which is well-written and paired with lovely tapestry-like illustrations. It is (as mentioned) a bit text-heavy for a picture-book, so I'd recommend it to young readers six (or perhaps five) and up, particularly those who are interested in history, or who enjoy legends of rebels and heroes. For my part, I am very curious to see other tellings of this legend, in order to compare them.… (mehr)

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AbigailAdams26 | Aug 2, 2020 |

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