7345-4 Anna and Johanna (Vermeer)_eng_con.indd 2 14.12.17 13:34
7345-4 Anna and Johanna (Vermeer)_eng_con.indd 3 14.12.17 13:34
© for the French edition: L’ Élan vert, Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, 2016Title of the original edition: Anna et Johanna © for the English edition: Prestel Verlag, Munich • London • New York, 2018 A member of Verlagsgruppe Random House GmbHNeumarkter Strasse 28 • 81673 Munich
Prestel Publishing Ltd.14-17 Wells StreetLondon W1T 3PD
Prestel Publishing900 Broadway, Suite 603New York, NY 10003
In respect to links in the book, the Publisher expressly notes that no illegal content was discernible on the linked sites at the time the links were created. The Publisher has no influence at all over the current and future design, content or authorship of the linked sites. For this reason, the Publisher expressly disassociates itself from all content on linked sites that has been altered since the link was created and assumes no liability for such content.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017953132A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Translated from the French by Paul KellyCopyediting: Brad FingerProject management: Melanie SchöniProduction management: Astrid WedemeyerTypesetting: textum GmbH, MünchenPrinting and binding: TBB, a.s.Paper: Condat matt Périgord
Verlagsgruppe Random House FSC® N001967
Printed in Slovakia
ISBN 978-3-7913-7345-4www.prestel.com
To my little Johanna.
G. E.
For Iris and Luna, born on a winter day in the Southern light...
F. K.
7345-4 Anna and Johanna (Vermeer)_eng_con.indd 4 14.12.17 13:34
GÉRALDINE ELSCHNER
FLORENCE KŒNIG
PrestelMunich • London • New York
7345-4 Anna and Johanna (Vermeer)_eng_con.indd 5 14.12.17 13:34
7345-4 Anna and Johanna (Vermeer)_eng_con.indd 6 14.12.17 13:34
Delft, October 12th, 1666
Hippity hop! From left to right and right to left, the spindles
bob up and down on Anna’s cushion, and the yarn seems
to waltz about in the daylight glow. Today, she plans to
give Johanna a birthday present that she has kept secret
for months. It’s a small lace collar, just like the one she is
wearing herself… and it’s one her friend admires very much.
7345-4 Anna and Johanna (Vermeer)_eng_con.indd 7 14.12.17 13:34
Not too far away, in the kitchen, Johanna is busy, too. Today is Anna’s
birthday, and she’s making her friend a breakfast fit for a queen: a pot of
fresh milk with which she hand-fashions the finest of chocolates. Johanna
molds them into a crown for the special occasion. All warm and round, the
sweets glisten in the first rays of the sun.
It’s a strange twist of fate: Anna, the daughter of the master of the house,
was born on the same day as Johanna, the daughter of the housemaid.
Is that why they became friends?
7345-4 Anna and Johanna (Vermeer)_eng_con.indd 8 14.12.17 13:34
7345-4 Anna and Johanna (Vermeer)_eng_con.indd 9 14.12.17 13:34
Mousse and lace: from the bottom of the pitcher
and from the end of the spindles, a thin white mesh
flows like a stream running towards the sea.
Through the cracked tile, the wind from the open sea
pierces the room and comes to a standstill on the old
chalk wall. Johanna shivers. One day, she will come
to treasure the sea breeze. But now is not the time
for dreams. Her friend awaits her. Basket in hand, she
vanishes into the mist ascending from the canals.
7345-4 Anna and Johanna (Vermeer)_eng_con.indd 10 14.12.17 13:34
7345-4 Anna and Johanna (Vermeer)_eng_con.indd 11 14.12.17 13:34
UNVERKÄUFLICHE LESEPROBE
Géraldine Elschner
Anna and JohannaA Children's Book Inspired by Jan Vermeer
Gebundenes Buch, Pappband, 32 Seiten, 24x3232 farbige AbbildungenISBN: 978-3-7913-7345-4
Prestel
Erscheinungstermin: Februar 2018
This delightful tale about two young friends in 17th-century Holland is inspired by Vermeer’s twomasterpieces, "The Milkmaid" and "The Lacemaker." Although one is the daughter of a wealthy Dutch family and the other a household servant, Annaand Johanna become friends. Born on the same day, they celebrate their joint birthdays bymaking gifts for each other. But then a letter arrives that changes their lives forever. Told againstthe backdrop of the 17th-century Dutch city of Delft and its thriving commercial and artisticculture, this story of an unlikely friendship echoes the themes of Vermeer’s luminous depiction ofdomestic life. Florence Koenig’s brightly colored illustrations evoke Vermeer’s style through thecity’s multifaceted landscapes, from misty mornings by the canals to busy households preparingfor a special day. Young readers will be fascinated by this uplifting story of friendship inspired byJan Vermeer.