Rosemary’s Corner
by Damian Maximus
One story. Five artforms.
Limited edition, ethically produced, and sewn-bound. This is Rosemary’s Corner.
On a sunny, open-sky morning in Colorado, I sit down with my grandmother on the back garden porch, ready to hear her story. She wasn’t special. Not in any historic way. Her life will never be taught in schools. She never changed the world. She was just an ordinary housewife.
And yet, hers is the story of the invisible, of the unspoken strength held within the women of her generation. It is the story of willpower and resilience, of determination and perseverance.
It is also the story of loss and of grief. I guess it’s the story of what it means to be human. Unsure. Imperfect. And complete.
I press record on my dictaphone and set it between us. I’m scared. In some strange way, this is my story too, trying to understand the woman in front of me.
That ordinary, extraordinary housewife.
Please note: we are currently setting up a USA distribution system. If you are interested in purchasing the book in the USA, please email me info[at]damianmaximus.com and I can direct you to the best option. Otherwise please click the appropriate link below.
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This book uses Munken paper and is 212 pages long.
A beautiful collaboration (bringing together five artists)
The goal of Rosemary’s Corner was to tell one story through the medium of several different artforms. The main story, told through the novel itself, follows the narrator as he listens to his grandmother tell her life story. Through a series of flashbacks and present day conversations, he tries to unpack the life he sees unfolding before his eyes and the growing realisation that it will soon end. It is, in some ways, his own story masquerading as his grandmother’s. After all, how often do we get to see our grandmothers as six-year-old children running across the farmlands of England, fleeing their angry mother after accidentally spilling the ink they were told not to play with? How often do we get to hear of life in its entirety? The good. The bad. The painful.
But this is not the only way the story is told. Many of Rosemary’s photos have been brought stunningly to life through the expert work of Georgie Croll. Photos from Rosemary’s wedding, from her adventures with her husband, all turned into beautiful illustrations that scatter throughout the book.
And then we have the photographer/painter duo Skirmante and Martin whose work graces the end pages of the novel. Skirmante’s play of light, depth, and colour in her photo of the Scottish undergrowth, overlaid with Martin’s watercolour flowers that tell the geographical journey of my grandmother’s life together represent a breath-taking collaboration of disciplines (not the mention the secret significance of the photo taken in Scotland, Rosemary’s favourite holiday destination).
And finally the work of Monika Dzikowicz, the cover artist, who somehow managed to capture what I had in my brain and put it to paper. The cover you see above is only the half of what she has done, for the image wraps around the book and, when the dust jacket is removed and spread out, showcases the complete image. Even here, the story is told, as I (the Robin) sit upon the branch and look up at my grandmother (the golden bird) flying into the night sky. I cannot go where she is going, I cannot live her life. But I can watch and learn. We will all at some point spread our wings and fly into the night. The question is whether or not while we sit upon the branch we watch as others do the same, or do we focus entirely on our own lives, worrying about when we too much take flight.
Five artists. One story. This is Rosemary’s Corner.
