Codex Seraphinianus

[timespace]

I first read about this weird book yesterday, and after doing some research on the net I became interested in aquiring a copy. Unfortunately, I will have to save some money, given the price...

The book was originally published in 1981 and is presented like an encyclopedia of a surreal world strangely similar to ours, and was "written" and illustrated by Luigi Serafini. The drawings depict element of this world, including flora, fauna, science, machines etc. and are completed by a bizarre alphabet invented by the author, and which has never been decoded (probably it has no meaning at all). What I love in this work is the overall atmosphere of the "encyclopedia", the feeling it gives me. Very psychedelic indeed. I'm sure at least some of you psychonauts will appreciate his drawings.

Here a review by abebooks:

http://www.abebooks.com/books/RareBooks/serafini-fantasy-art-weird/Codex-Seraphinianus.shtml

Essentially an encyclopedia about an alien world that clearly reflects our own, each chapter appears to deal with key facets of this surreal place, including flora, fauna, science, machines, games and architecture. It’s difficult to be exact because no-one has ever understood the contents page. Elements of today’s world are visible but they are nearly always given some surreal twist – floating flowers, a peeled banana containing pills, a strange car covered in flies, clothing that would seem strange even in the 1970s, a man wearing roller-skates - with a fountain pen’s nib instead of a hand - stabbed through the chest with a pen, and lots of biped creatures with human legs attached to all manner of crazy things.

Some pages from the book attached.


Thoughts?

 

[IJesusChrist]

looks like a crazy dude who loves to doodle

 

[Teonanacapilli]

It's truly a beautiful piece of artwork. I downloaded a copy a couple weeks ago and have really enjoyed flipping through the pages after vaping some good ganga. I read it the same way I read Finnegan's Wake, since I can't understand it I purely appreciate it as beautiful poetry.

 

[aryaman]

I've seen the Codex before... is a 90€ books, but it worths. The codex is still unknown, who knows what's written there, but the images are just wonderful. And he was just a normal engineer from Torino... what a marvellous opera.