Sunday, February 6, 2022

Animal Fable Illustrations by E.M. Rachev


Evgenii (or Yevgeny) Rachev (1906-1997) was an illustrator best known for his images of animal fables from Russian folk tales.


Postcards based on Russian folk tales, 1960, E.M. Rachev.

He used animal characters to tell his stories, but of course the allegories were really about human foibles.


He said: "If my birds and animals help you to fathom that the story is actually about people it means that I reached the same effect as the folk tales did."


His wife Lidya Ivanovna Racheva collaborated with him by compiling stories, researching costumes, and writing texts.


His books are beloved in Russian and French editions, and there is at least one book of his folk tales available in English.

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