Love Letter (Taiwanese / with audio story)

Exquisite love letters written in Taiwanese poetry
Bologna Book Fair Lagaz Prize "Poetry" Jury's Choice Award

A tree becomes the subject of a book's commentary.

“情批” (tsîng-phue) means “love letter” in Taiwanese. In this beautiful poetic picture book, artist Animo Chen writes a love letter to readers, trees and paper books.

In all relationships, the only one that can strike a good balance between respect and possessiveness is the distance between a tree and its reader.

Love Letter is an extremely beautiful illustrated book of poems, or you could say it is a collection of paintings that are paired with poems and texts. The first few paintings in the book were exhibited in the solo exhibition "White Horse Shit" in 2018, and were later selected for the Bologna Children's Book Fair in Italy in 2019.

Starting with these drawings, Animo slowly began to weave a complete narrative in his mind. Those trees, which were both figurative and abstract, with different postures, like fireworks or lingering waves, drew praise from many viewers and fellow artists. Finally, with the addition of words, it became a tender love letter depicting "from tree to book"—

Lagarz Prize judges' praise

"This poem, created by Taiwanese illustrator and writer Animo, is both gentle and powerful, with a touch of mystery, accompanied by exquisitely beautiful illustrations. Before the text begins, the book opens with several stunning double-page spreads of landscapes, featuring mountains, trees, sea, and houses. Each subsequent page of the poem is paired with a captivating and beautiful illustration—the images not merely reflect the text, but also inspire further thought and exploration. The beauty of the illustrations in this book is breathtaking. The entire poem possesses the enigmatic quality of Japanese haiku/tanka, lacking a clear narrative thread. The reader's expectations will be challenged when the book reveals a surprising ending."

About the Author

Animo Chen

"One day, I accidentally swallowed paint instead of a chocolate bar and found it to be a delicious treat. So I ate it every day. The paint layered on my stomach until I vomited out a mold of my internal organs. The intestines, the stomach, the heart were all beautiful. It was a perfect combination of internal and external beauty."

Graduated from the Department of Visual Communication Design at Da-Yeh University and holds a Master's degree in Painting from the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Applied Arts in Prague, Czech Republic. Her work is diverse and prolific; she has worked as a still artist, television and film art director, animation director, and has eighteen years of experience as an illustrator. She excels at using literary imagery to complement text, creating profound meanings. Her work is frequently published in newspaper literary supplements and she has illustrated book covers.