Ahab and the White Whale

“The Spanish artist Manuel Marsol takes the story of Moby-Dick and turns it into something else, something exquisite, that captures the spirit of Melville’s classic while steering us into new and unfamiliar waters… I read it several times, poring over the lush details and scratchy, oily, seaweedy textures on every page … A gorgeous gift for anyone who loves art and literature.”
—Lucy Bannerman, The Times

“’Call me Ahab.’ With that declarative opening (and callback), Marsol establishes a voice both grand and fragile. The first-person narration is spare, rhythmic, and incantatory…Marsol’s illustrations deepen the psychological landscape…A visually arresting, linguistically restrained meditation on obsession that rewards careful readers and invites discussion of voice, perspective, and the slippery nature of truth.” —School Library Journal

“In this lush, meditative retelling of Moby-Dick, Marsol evokes a markedly different vibe than the original, rendering Captain Ahab as more dreamer than diabolical. Ahab himself narrates via spare, conversational text that takes a reckoning tone… This contemplative and elliptical take may not cast a wide net, but it’s still a whale of a tale—one in which obsession opens Ahab to wonder rather than sealing his fate.” —Publishers Weekly

“A rare treasure of stunning artwork, perfectly tuned text, and a huge helping of quiet, subtle humor, Manuel Marsol has worked Herman Melville’s classic, Moby-Dick, into a thrilling picture book for children … In every glorious illustration there is so much to note, and if you look a little harder than Marsol’s Captain Ahab you may find that you capture a glimpse of the great white whale yourself. You just need to look closely – very closely.” —Tracey Corner, Armadillo Magazine

Manuel Marsol is an illustrator and children’s book author, born and based in Madrid. He received the International Edelvives Illustrated Album Award for Ahab and the White Whale.

Chloe Garcia Roberts is a writer and translator of Spanish and Chinese literature based in Cambridge, MA. She translated the poetry of Li Shangyin for the NYRB Poets series and her latest book is an original collection of essays titled Fire Eater.

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