Glowrushes

A gorgeous modern classic from Italy - a stunning tale of friendship, beauty and mortality

'I don't think I have read anything like this before - a tale of life, death love and beauty that by the storyteller's art makes those things true, fresh, real and important. I hope this unforgettable story finds all the readers it deserves.' Philip Pullman

Madurer is the son of a great lord, with untold wealth, but he is also the victim of a mysterious disease that means he cannot be exposed to sunlight or fresh air. He is confined to three windowless rooms inside a palace, but his doting father summons a famous artist to cover the walls of the rooms with paintings showing the world his son cannot experience for real.

As the painter works on his murals, his relationship with the boy begins to deepen until they forge a firm friendship. How can he show this child the beauty of the world with only his paintbrush to work with? Glowrushes is a heartbreakingly beautiful classic of Italian children's literature, published here in English for the first time.

Auteur

Born in 1947, Roberto Piumini is Italy's foremost living author of children's stories. His books are found in every Italian bookshop and school and have been translated into many languages across the world. He received the Rodari Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, and is nominated for the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award. Glowrushes was first published in 1987 and is considered his masterpiece.