An illustrated book of international proverbs, titled “Birds, Beasts, and Blooms,” compiled and illustrated by Dr. Senganglu Thaimei, was launched in an online event hosted by Barkweaver Publications on March 15, 2024. The book is a collection of wise sayings in English translation from various countries worldwide. It is a set of proverbs with plant and animal imagery that succinctly articulate rich insights on common human traits. The wisdom drawn from the natural world is brought to life by the author’s own artworks.
Dr. Senganglu Thaimei is a visual artist and a paremiologist or proverb scholar. All the illustrations in the book were created during her Fulbright year in Vermont, USA, while doing her post-doctoral research on proverbs. She holds a PhD in the oral tradition of the Rongmei, an indigenous community in India. The book launch event was well-attended by people from across the country and folklore scholars from different countries. Among them was Wolfgang Mieder – Professor Emeritus of Folklore and German, University of Vermont, USA – arguably the foremost proverb scholar in the world. In his speech, he talks about the long history of the relationship between art and proverbs. Tracing from the 16th-century proverb-inspired artworks to modern art forms translated from well-known adages, he stated that proverbial metaphors are verbal images. He mentioned that Dr. Thaimei’s work is an important contribution to both proverb studies and art history. He added that the book, with a collection from different cultures and civilizations, is a welcome addition as it brings out the universal humanity in a time when the world is getting increasingly divided.
The author and illustrator, Dr. Thaimei, maintains that there are several aspects to engage with proverbs, but two are foundational in proverb studies – paremiology, which involves defining proverbs, proverb features, origin, collection, etc., and paremiography, a sub-field of paremiology that involves the collection and writing of proverbs. She said the book belongs to the arena of international paremiography.
The book was released by Dr. Veio Pou, the author of the novel “Waiting for the Dust to Settle” (2020), in the presence of Easterine Kire, the well-known author, and poet. The event culminated with the last word from the moderator, Shelmi Sankhil, where he stated that the book could be considered an important text for comparative literature as it contains the idea of wisdom from various nations while it also speaks of a common human condition.
True to Barkweaver Publications’ intention to promote independent book sellers and local bookshops in Northeast India, “Birds, Beasts, and Blooms” is available in the Common Room, White Owl, and on their Instagram handle Barkweaver Online Bookshop [Click HERE] Or reach out to the author to get a copy.”