Aisha woke up from troubled dreams 2023
Bound by Haein Song | 4.5 x 4.0 x 0.8 cm (book measurement (conservation)) | RCIN 1171617
Elif Shafak (b. 1971)
[The morning before her wedding, my sister Aisha woke up from troubled dreams and found herself transformed into a spider] / [by Elif Shafak] 2023
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This book is part of the Modern-Day Miniature Library, a contemporary collection of miniature handwritten and hand-bound books which has been assembled to celebrate 100 years since Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House was completed in 1924.
Of the nearly 600 books placed on the shelves of the Dolls' House Library in the 1920s, over 170 are tiny manuscripts handwritten by the most notable authors of the time. Together, these create a time capsule of literary culture.
Echoing the process of a century ago, today's writers were again asked to write by hand in miniature format. Their little pages were bound by leading contemporary designer-binders. After being displayed in an exhibition at Windsor Castle during 2024, the new collection of doll-size books will be kept together in the Royal Library.
Elif Shafak's contribution is a handwritten opening to a story about a woman waking up to find she is a spider. It has been bound by Haein Song, a Fellow of Designer Bookbinders.Provenance
Book handwritten by Elif Shafak and sent to the Royal Library in August 2023. Binding hand-bound by Haein Song and received by the Royal Library in November 2023. The manuscript and binding were given in celebration of the centenary of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House.
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Medium and techniques
Bound by Haein Song
Measurements
4.5 x 4.0 x 0.8 cm (book measurement (conservation))
7.4 x 6.1 x 0.6 cm (historic measurement)
Alternative title(s)
[The morning before her wedding, my sister Aisha woke up from troubled dreams and found herself transformed into a spider] / [by Elif Shafak].