{"id":444,"date":"2025-08-02T21:03:51","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T13:03:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/?p=444"},"modified":"2025-09-09T19:48:57","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T11:48:57","slug":"georges_lebanc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/2025\/08\/02\/georges_lebanc\/","title":{"rendered":"Bench George\u2019s Rev\u00adel\u00adry and the Mag\u00adic Gar\u00adden of Fork\u00ading Paths"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

French chil\u00addren\u2019s book author and illus\u00adtra\u00adtor Claude Pon\u00adti (born 1948) was twice short\u00adlist\u00aded for the Lind\u00adgren Memo\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal Award and holds a high rep\u00adu\u00adta\u00adtion on the glob\u00adal pic\u00adture book stage. A pro\u00adlif\u00adic writer, Pon\u00adti has over 30 works trans\u00adlat\u00aded and intro\u00adduced into Chi\u00adna, with works relat\u00aded to \u201cBlaze the Chick\u00aden\u201d being the most pop\u00adu\u00adlar. Pon\u00adti\u2019s style is instant\u00adly rec\u00adog\u00adniz\u00adable, blend\u00ading vibrant col\u00adors and fan\u00adtas\u00adti\u00adcal cre\u00adations. His images are intri\u00adcate\u00adly detailed, reveal\u00ading a near\u00adly lim\u00adit\u00adless nar\u00adra\u00adtive poten\u00adtial, humor\u00adous, and rich with metaphor and sym\u00adbol\u00adism. This makes his works par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly well-suit\u00aded for repeat\u00aded read\u00ading, or per\u00adhaps even \u201cnot under\u00adstand\u00ading\u201d after just one or two read\u00adings. His mul\u00adti-lay\u00adered nar\u00adra\u00adtives are par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly appeal\u00ading to read\u00aders of dif\u00adfer\u00adent ages, allow\u00ading them to unrav\u00adel mul\u00adti\u00adple mean\u00adings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, I would like to use Georges the Bench (Georges Lebanc) , orig\u00adi\u00adnal\u00adly pub\u00adlished in 2001, to demon\u00adstrate the unique charm of its mul\u00adti-lay\u00adered nar\u00adra\u00adtive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Chi\u00adnese ver\u00adsion of Georges the Bench (Georges Lebanc)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s quick\u00adly read it first<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The text begins: \u201cGeorge is a bench. For many years, he has lived in the Square Albert-Duron\u00adquar\u00adr\u00e9.\u201d Indeed, the pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnist of this sto\u00adry is not a per\u00adson, but a chair\u2014a chair with a name, mem\u00ado\u00adries, and expe\u00adri\u00adences. The sto\u00adry begins in the square, but it goes far beyond that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P4\u20115<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pont\u00adti uses images to depict the square gar\u00adden where George lives. Pass\u00ading by it for the first time, read\u00aders might per\u00adceive it as just like any oth\u00ader city square: green\u00adery, lawns, rock\u00adery, and seating\u2014a part of the city\u2019s pub\u00adlic space, where peo\u00adple social\u00adize, relax, and unwind. George, on the oth\u00ader hand, is a typ\u00adi\u00adcal park bench\u2014with cast iron legs and a frame, and a long wood\u00aden seat and back. If it weren\u2019t specif\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly men\u00adtioned, read\u00aders might not par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly notice the bench\u2019s exis\u00adtence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly inter\u00adest\u00ading, Pon\u00adtius goes on to explain that George, as a child, was a small stool that grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly grew into a bench. Before the back of his chair had grown, George was a per\u00adformer in an acro\u00adbat\u00adic troupe, expe\u00adri\u00adenc\u00ading both dan\u00adger and laugh\u00adter. Today, George has grown into the fig\u00adure you see in the paint\u00ading. In oth\u00ader words, all mem\u00adbers of George\u2019s fam\u00adi\u00adly are chairs: they are the king\u2019s throne, the giant\u2019s stool, the ejec\u00adtion seat in an air\u00adplane, even the toi\u00adlet seat\u2026 Each chair has its own des\u00adtiny. George, on the oth\u00ader hand, has lived a diverse life: by the sea, under the sea, and in the old port. Today, he has cho\u00adsen to make his home at Square Albert-Duron\u00adquar\u00adr\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P8\u20119<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why this square? Because there is mag\u00adic here.\u201cWhen peo\u00adple come in, they become their favorite stuffed ani\u00admal or doll from child\u00adhood. There are oth\u00ader mag\u00adi\u00adcal things about the square, but this is George\u2019s favorite.\u201d <\/strong>The text con\u00adsists of just a few sim\u00adple sen\u00adtences, but the pic\u00adtures are filled with daz\u00adzling details wait\u00ading for read\u00aders to explore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, the strange crea\u00adtures of all shapes and sizes, with exag\u00adger\u00adat\u00aded forms and pecu\u00adliar expres\u00adsions, yet with authen\u00adtic and vivid per\u00adson\u00adal\u00adi\u00adties, imbue this bizarre world with vital\u00adi\u00adty. Sec\u00adond\u00adly, the book\u2019s unbri\u00addled imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion trans\u00adports the read\u00ader into a world beyond real\u00adi\u00adty. Fur\u00adther\u00admore, the rich details in the images allow read\u00aders to dis\u00adcov\u00ader many hid\u00adden sto\u00adries and char\u00adac\u00adters. Whether it\u2019s the small crea\u00adtures in the back\u00adground, the sub\u00adtle changes in expres\u00adsion, or the unique build\u00adings and objects, all demon\u00adstrate the author\u2019s metic\u00adu\u00adlous pur\u00adsuit of detail. How\u00adev\u00ader, these details require repeat\u00aded read\u00adings to grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly dis\u00adcov\u00ader\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s quick\u00adly flip to the end of the sto\u00adry: from 4:25 a.m. one morn\u00ading to 4:01 a.m. the next, after near\u00adly 24 hours of bizarre and whim\u00adsi\u00adcal rev\u00adel\u00adry, every\u00adthing returns to calm. The end\u00ading is neat and tidy: \u201cThere\u2019s some\u00adthing else about the Place Albert Square: it\u2019s in Paris, but it\u2019s also in oth\u00ader cities, every\u00adwhere in the world, near and far.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What might chil\u00addren read?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you ask me: What is the moral of the sto\u00adry of George the Bench? How can chil\u00addren ben\u00ade\u00adfit from it?\u2014I hon\u00adest\u00adly don\u2019t have an answer. This book does\u00adn\u2019t seem to be try\u00ading to teach a moral; it\u2019s more like a grand game of words and pic\u00adtures, pre\u00adsent\u00ading many fan\u00adtas\u00adtic fan\u00adtasies while vague\u00adly con\u00advey\u00ading a deep\u00ader mean\u00ading. For exam\u00adple, \u201cAt 0:00, the Great Mid\u00adnight God came to bathe in the lake in the square.\u201d Judg\u00ading by the time\u00adline, this must be the moment when the most impor\u00adtant char\u00adac\u00adter appears, but \u201cThe Great Mid\u00adnight God is nei\u00adther good nor bad. He does nei\u00adther evil nor good.\u201d This won\u00adder\u00adful crea\u00adture is mere\u00adly a man\u00adi\u00adfes\u00adta\u00adtion of time, span\u00adning past, present, and future, inher\u00adent\u00adly nei\u00adther good nor evil. If chil\u00addren could under\u00adstand this, would\u00adn\u2019t it ben\u00ade\u00adfit them for the rest of their lives?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P30-31<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From a child\u2019s per\u00adspec\u00adtive, I believe this book\u2019s rich visu\u00adals and whim\u00adsi\u00adcal plot will undoubt\u00aded\u00adly spark their intense curios\u00adi\u00adty. It\u2019s tru\u00adly a feast for the sens\u00ades and imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion. The fan\u00adtas\u00adti\u00adcal char\u00adac\u00adters in this book immerse chil\u00addren in incred\u00adi\u00adble imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtions. From pink birds to anthro\u00adpo\u00admor\u00adphic dolls, from Bar\u00adbi\u00adze Per\u00adsian drag\u00adons to the alien Casablan\u00adca, each char\u00adac\u00adter pos\u00adsess\u00ades a unique form and func\u00adtion. The beau\u00adty lies in the way these unique char\u00adac\u00adters con\u00adnect emo\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adly with young read\u00aders. Emo\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adly, Ana\u00efs P. and her doll Melanie can inspire courage in a lit\u00adtle girl feel\u00ading wronged; the grand dance of life\u2019s giants can bring pro\u00adfound com\u00adfort to a baby feel\u00ading \u201clife isn\u2019t easy\u201d; the pool of tears scene allows chil\u00addren to see that sad\u00adness can be accept\u00aded and released; and every child will res\u00adonate with the scene where George on the bench counts sheep for all the sleep\u00adless chil\u00addren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For young read\u00aders, the play\u00adful, illus\u00adtrat\u00aded sto\u00adries eas\u00adi\u00adly engage them. The Mag\u00adic Square\u2019s ubiq\u00adui\u00adtous nature teems with pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties for adven\u00adture, allow\u00ading chil\u00addren to imag\u00adine them\u00adselves in such a place and par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpat\u00ading in its mag\u00adi\u00adcal activ\u00adi\u00adties. Each page con\u00adtains numer\u00adous intrigu\u00ading details to dis\u00adcov\u00ader, sub\u00adtly cul\u00adti\u00advat\u00ading chil\u00addren\u2019s obser\u00adva\u00adtion and patience. For exam\u00adple, the folio \u201c16:00, Tea Time\u201d (\u201cAfter\u00adnoon Tea Time\u201d) pro\u00advides a detailed index to the image on the left page, allow\u00ading chil\u00addren to play a game by search\u00ading for spe\u00adcif\u00adic ele\u00adments with\u00adin the image. This visu\u00adal play (train\u00ading) recurs through\u00adout the book. The same scene may be repeat\u00aded from dif\u00adfer\u00adent angles, such as before and after \u201c12:00\u2026Mirror Moment.\u201d The square gar\u00adden rotates, and icon\u00adic build\u00adings (such as the glass green\u00adhouse) and the chang\u00ading back\u00adground all offer inter\u00adest\u00ading objects for obser\u00adva\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The sto\u00adry unfolds over a 24-hour peri\u00adod, using time as a thread to present dif\u00adfer\u00adent char\u00adac\u00adters and events at dif\u00adfer\u00adent points in time. There are won\u00addrous hap\u00adpen\u00adings in the mag\u00adic square, and scenes from anoth\u00ader time and space, nar\u00adrat\u00aded through flash\u00adbacks. While read\u00ading, chil\u00addren can con\u00adnect with the rhythms of dai\u00adly life while also expe\u00adri\u00adenc\u00ading the broad\u00ader flow of time. This may help cul\u00adti\u00advate a cer\u00adtain lev\u00adel of time man\u00adage\u00adment, but more impor\u00adtant\u00adly, it enrich\u00ades their life expe\u00adri\u00adence by con\u00advey\u00ading diverse mes\u00adsages from dif\u00adfer\u00adent stages of life. This expe\u00adri\u00adence taps into chil\u00addren\u2019s inher\u00adent imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion, and eclec\u00adtic artists like Pont\u00adti aim to tran\u00adscend con\u00adven\u00adtion\u00adal wis\u00addom, using \u201cimag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtive think\u00ading\u201d to help them break free from stereo\u00adtypes and cul\u00adti\u00advate cre\u00adative think\u00ading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I think the biggest ben\u00ade\u00adfit for chil\u00addren from read\u00ading such books is that they can real\u00adize through the aes\u00adthet\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly pleas\u00ading expe\u00adri\u00adence:Behind every ordi\u00adnary scene, there may be hid\u00adden sto\u00adries and mag\u00adic.<\/strong>The only ques\u00adtion is whether we have the vision to dis\u00adcov\u00ader and the imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion to be cre\u00adative enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What might adults read?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200b<\/strong>Take me for exam\u00adple. After read\u00ading \u201cGeorge the Bench and the Mag\u00adic Square\u201d for the first time, I was actu\u00adal\u00adly inspired to trav\u00adel because I real\u00adized the mag\u00adic square in the book was fly\u00ading all over the world! If you pay atten\u00adtion to the pic\u00adtures, you\u2019ll notice that the icon\u00adic build\u00adings in the back\u00adground are con\u00adstant\u00adly chang\u00ading. Some of these beau\u00adti\u00adful build\u00adings seem famil\u00adiar, while oth\u00aders seem com\u00adplete\u00adly new. I was curi\u00adous to know where they were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this AI-pow\u00adered inter\u00adnet age, with the help of some search tools and trav\u00adel guides with pho\u00adtos, you can eas\u00adi\u00adly find some of the main land\u00admarks in the back\u00adground as fol\u00adlows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P3 Notre Dame Cathe\u00addral<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P5 Notre Dame de la Patroness Church in Mar\u00adseille<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P11 Mont Saint-Michel Abbey in Nor\u00admandy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P17 may be the trop\u00adi\u00adcal green\u00adhouse of the Paris Botan\u00adi\u00adcal Gar\u00adden<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P19 Church of the Res\u00adur\u00adrec\u00adtion in St. Peters\u00adburg, Rus\u00adsia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P23 The Concierg\u00aderie in Paris<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P29 July Col\u00adumn at Place de la Bastille in Paris<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P33 Cathe\u00addral in Stras\u00adbourg<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P35 Notre-Dame de Fourvi\u00e8re Cathe\u00addral in Lyon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P5 Notre Dame de la Patroness Church in Mar\u00adseille<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
P18-19<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
P19 Church of the Res\u00adur\u00adrec\u00adtion in St. Peters\u00adburg, Rus\u00adsia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are also some scenes, per\u00adhaps in the Lux\u00adem\u00adbourg Gar\u00addens, Mont\u00admartre Hill, Ver\u00adsailles Gar\u00addens, or a port in Mar\u00adseille. In short, this mag\u00adic square main\u00adly trav\u00adels around France, and occa\u00adsion\u00adal\u00adly goes to Rus\u00adsia. This echoes the hint at the end of Pon\u00adtius Pierre: \u201cIt is in Paris, but also in oth\u00ader cities, any\u00adwhere in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even more intrigu\u00ading, how\u00adev\u00ader, is the con\u00adnec\u00adtion between the icon\u00adic build\u00adings in the back\u00adground and the sto\u00adry unfold\u00ading on that page. What asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtions emerge? For exam\u00adple, at 1:07 PM, the chub\u00adby Noor Bear, owned by Yasarin Doai and Nanik Swo, meet on a bench with the Res\u00adur\u00adrec\u00adtion Cathe\u00addral in St. Peters\u00adburg as the back\u00addrop. Is this a sym\u00adbol of love and mir\u00ada\u00adcles? Or a life\u00adlong bond? Or a rebirth into whole selves\u2014they final\u00adly find them\u00adselves? Or, for exam\u00adple, the after\u00adnoon tea scene is set against the back\u00addrop of the Concierg\u00aderie. Is this a play\u00adful ref\u00ader\u00adence to the eight wolves steal\u00ading drinks and snacks, hint\u00ading that steal\u00ading could lead to impris\u00adon\u00adment? Even more amus\u00ading, all the sleep\u00adless chil\u00addren and the rest\u00adless sheep appear beneath the July Col\u00adumn in the Bastille, a sym\u00adbol of tur\u00admoil, change, and the spir\u00adit of free\u00addom. Is this a call to action for the chil\u00addren to unleash their free spir\u00adits?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P28-29<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
P29 July Col\u00adumn at Place de la Bastille in Paris<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In short, the mag\u00adic squares fly\u00ading around the world may just be a fun and amus\u00ading visu\u00adal game for young read\u00aders, but for old\u00ader read\u00aders, they pro\u00advide more room for his\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal and cul\u00adtur\u00adal inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adtion, which depends on the read\u00aders\u2019 life expe\u00adri\u00adence and read\u00ading expe\u00adri\u00adence. For exam\u00adple, as a super book\u00adworm, I was deeply moved by the huge library built by the archivist mice on pages 26\u201327. These mice col\u00adlect\u00aded every\u00adthing that hap\u00adpened in the square, includ\u00ading both extreme\u00adly triv\u00adial mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal car\u00adri\u00aders and spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal car\u00adri\u00aders of emo\u00adtions and feel\u00adings. This made me think of Borges\u2019 short sto\u00adry \u201cThe Library of Babel\u201d and his often-quot\u00aded famous say\u00ading: \u201cI have always imag\u00adined thatPar\u00adadise will be a kind of library<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P26-27 The Huge Library of Archivist Rats<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Sequel: Le Mys\u00adt\u00e8re des Nigmes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The bizarre and humor\u00adous under\u00adground library in Pon\u00adtius Pier\u00adre\u2019s nov\u00adel can be said to be a fairy-tale ver\u00adsion of the Library of Babel, also sym\u00adbol\u00adiz\u00ading infi\u00adnite knowl\u00adedge and pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties. Pon\u00adtius Pierre him\u00adself loved this idea so much that he pub\u00adlished a sequel 15 years lat\u00ader (2016).Le Mys\u00adt\u00e8re des Nigmes<\/em>The sto\u00adry is about a mag\u00adi\u00adcal square that has stopped mov\u00ading due to the destruc\u00adtion of a mon\u00adster. Worst of all, the doc\u00adu\u00adments, words, and let\u00adters main\u00adtained by the archivist mice have been mys\u00adte\u00adri\u00adous\u00adly erased. To restore the lost cul\u00adture, the mice must embark on a detec\u00adtive mis\u00adsion to find the miss\u00ading files and clues, while also uncov\u00ader\u00ading who car\u00adried out this destruc\u00adtion and what their motives were. In an inter\u00adview after the sequel was pub\u00adlished, Pon\u00adtius Pierre said:\u201cCul\u00adture is more than just the Mona Lisa.<\/strong>It\u2019s in the expe\u00adri\u00adence we have when we look at it, the rich\u00adness of the object, and the val\u00adue we share with oth\u00aders through it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The maze of mul\u00adti\u00addi\u00admen\u00adsion\u00adal space-time<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fall of Icarus by Johann Bruegel \u2013 Note the fig\u00adure of Icarus falling into the sea in the low\u00ader right cor\u00adner of the paint\u00ading<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When I read it for the fourth time, the word \u201clabyrinth\u201d sud\u00adden\u00adly popped up in my mind. This nat\u00adu\u00adral\u00adly remind\u00aded me of the labyrinth built to trap the half-man, half-bull Mino\u00adtaur in ancient Greek mythol\u00ado\u00adgy, as well as Daedalus, who was respon\u00adsi\u00adble for build\u00ading the labyrinth, and his son Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and fell\u2026 Pon\u00adtius might have thought of it too. If you pay atten\u00adtion,In the upper left cor\u00adner of the pic\u00adture on pages P26-27 , there seems to be an archivist mouse falling into a small pond!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

P26-27 Pay atten\u00adtion to the falling Archivist Mouse in the upper left cor\u00adner of the screen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Of course, you don\u2019t have to make such an asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion. Tech\u00adni\u00adcal\u00adly, how\u00adev\u00ader, this pic\u00adture book does have a maze-like struc\u00adture. As men\u00adtioned ear\u00adli\u00ader, this is a square that con\u00adstant\u00adly shifts spa\u00adtial\u00adly. Take a clos\u00ader look at the front and back cov\u00aders: the pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnist, \u201cGeorge the Bench,\u201d has just com\u00adplet\u00aded a com\u00adplete rota\u00adtion; the per\u00adspec\u00adtives of the front and back end\u00adpa\u00adpers also rotate rough\u00adly 180 degrees. If you try to imag\u00adine this square gar\u00adden scene, the entire book resem\u00adbles a holo\u00adgraph\u00adic struc\u00adture, with the mir\u00adror moment in the mid\u00addle shift\u00ading spa\u00adtial sym\u00adme\u00adtry. Look\u00ading at the cor\u00adre\u00adspond\u00ading time\u00adline, it\u2019s rough\u00adly 24 hours. While the text indi\u00adcates a time inter\u00adval from 4:25 AM to 4:01 AM, the actu\u00adal divid\u00ading time is around 4:00 PM, rough\u00adly the time between the \u201cDance of the Giants of Life\u201d and after\u00adnoon tea. Com\u00adpar\u00ading the first image (P3) and the last image (P40) in the text, you\u2019ll notice that Pon\u00adtius adheres very strict\u00adly to this struc\u00adture. The clock in the first image indi\u00adcates that the sto\u00adry begins between 4:07 and 4:08 AM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s tru\u00adly bizarre is that, despite the clock\u00ad\u2019s time\u00adline, the time in the square belongs to dif\u00adfer\u00adent beings: the time when the sev\u00aden\u00adty birds sing, the time when the note-suck\u00ading Kemeni\u00adno rats live, the time when Fer\u00admin\u2019s goril\u00adla, Krizuye, comes to sleep on the bench, the time when the sev\u00aden sis\u00adters come to con\u00adfide, the time of the Moth\u00ader of Sto\u00adries, the time of the mir\u00adror, the time when the Great Mid\u00adnight God bathes, and so on. These times revolve around George the Bench, or rather, they are based on George the Bench\u2019s obser\u00adva\u00adtions and feel\u00adings. George the Bench also has his own life sto\u00adry, and each of the relat\u00aded beings nat\u00adu\u00adral\u00adly has a time\u00adline out\u00adside the square. Even the alien Casabran\u00addos (plur\u00adal) have a time in anoth\u00ader time and space. Sim\u00adply put, time in this sto\u00adry is mul\u00adti\u00addi\u00admen\u00adsion\u00adal. So, why is it so dif\u00adfi\u00adcult for us to rec\u00adog\u00adnize this? Because it\u2019s like the Great Mid\u00adnight God\u2019s wings: \u201cThose enor\u00admous wings are used to fly through future time and space, from one future to anoth\u00ader. Are there oth\u00ader Great Mid\u00adnight Gods? Of course there are, but we can only see one at a time.\u201d Sim\u00adi\u00adlar\u00adly, in the book, only one Casablan\u00adlan (sin\u00adgu\u00adlar) can be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pon\u00adti\u2019s mag\u00adi\u00adcal set\u00adting for this square adds anoth\u00ader lay\u00ader of mys\u00adtery, a sense of par\u00adal\u00adlel time and space\u2014\u201cWhen peo\u00adple enter, they trans\u00adform into their favorite stuffed ani\u00admals or dolls from child\u00adhood.\u201d This might leave read\u00aders won\u00adder\u00ading whether the peo\u00adple involved are aware of the stuffed ani\u00admals\u2019 secret lives. Some\u00adtimes, they might know. For exam\u00adple, Ana\u00efs P. should know, oth\u00ader\u00adwise she would\u00adn\u2019t always lend her doll to the lit\u00adtle girl who needs to become stronger. But some\u00adtimes, it does\u00adn\u2019t mat\u00adter. For exam\u00adple, at 1:00 a.m., when the rain of tears falls, Mr. Habis\u00adsa Peker\u00adou may not be aware of the stuffed bear weep\u00ading by the pool of tears. He leaves feel\u00ading relieved, and that\u2019s enough, right? And at 10:10 a.m., when the sev\u00aden sis\u00adters are shar\u00ading their sto\u00adry, nei\u00adther they nor their dolls care. Sev\u00aden means the same thing, and their hap\u00adpi\u00adness has been mul\u00adti\u00adplied sev\u00aden\u00adfold. Who cares? How\u00adev\u00ader, the most melan\u00adcholy moment is at 1:07 p.m., when Nuer Bear and Erdo embrace on a bench. Their own\u00aders are unaware: \u201cThe secret of their lives is that they nev\u00ader knew each oth\u00ader, yet they always loved each other.\u201d\u2014What a pity! But per\u00adhaps this is also the regret of many peo\u00adple\u2019s life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does\u00adn\u2019t Fer\u00adm\u00edn T\u00e9r\u00e3o\u2019s (6:48) seem\u00ading\u00adly bril\u00adliant life epit\u00ado\u00admize many mod\u00adern peo\u00adple? He achieved such remark\u00adable suc\u00adcess at such a young age, liv\u00ading an effi\u00adcient life to the point where he could \u201csleep, eat, and pee while run\u00adning\u201d! Yet, he com\u00adplete\u00adly lost his sense of direc\u00adtion. No mat\u00adter how fast he ran, he would always end up back where he start\u00aded. Even his house would fly away out of bore\u00addom\u2026 From a cer\u00adtain per\u00adspec\u00adtive, isn\u2019t life a bit like a maze? Those trapped with\u00adin it can nev\u00ader see the full pic\u00adture, and may not nec\u00ades\u00adsar\u00adi\u00adly find the cen\u00adter or the exit\u2014\u201cI don\u2019t know the true face of Mount Lu because I am with\u00adin it.\u201d Casabran\u00addo, from out\u00ader space, flew even faster, \u201cthe space\u00adcraft mov\u00ading at the same speed as my thoughts.\u201d Yet, they con\u00adstant\u00adly \u201cfor\u00adget\u201d as they \u201cfind\u201d some\u00adthing, which seems to embody a near\u00adly absurd log\u00adic:Too fast a speed is equal to a com\u00adplete stop<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P10-11<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Gar\u00adden of Fork\u00ading Paths<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200b<\/strong>In an inter\u00adview, Pon\u00adtet explained that after the pub\u00adli\u00adca\u00adtion of \u201cGeorge the Bench,\u201d the direc\u00adtor of the land\u00adscap\u00ading depart\u00adment of the city of Nantes, France, was so impressed by the book that he want\u00aded to incor\u00adpo\u00adrate the con\u00adcept of \u201cGeorge the Bench\u201d into the botan\u00adi\u00adcal gar\u00addens of Nantes. Con\u00adse\u00adquent\u00adly, he was invit\u00aded to par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpate in an art project relat\u00aded to the botan\u00adi\u00adcal gar\u00addens, which last\u00aded near\u00adly four years. He cre\u00adat\u00aded a series of sculp\u00adtures, art instal\u00adla\u00adtions, and oth\u00ader small works with\u00adin the gar\u00addens. I can\u2019t help but won\u00adder if a phys\u00adi\u00adcal mag\u00adic square were actu\u00adal\u00adly designed, it would be very pop\u00adu\u00adlar. But from anoth\u00ader per\u00adspec\u00adtive, could this pic\u00adture book be a paper \u201cmaze\u201d game designed by Pon\u00adtet for read\u00aders?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As I read it for the umpteenth time, I sud\u00adden\u00adly remem\u00adbered a short sto\u00adry col\u00adlec\u00adtion I\u2019d read in my youth, \u201cThe Gar\u00adden of Fork\u00ading Paths\u201d by Borges. I don\u2019t know why, but I dug it out and reread it, return\u00ading to \u201cThe Library of Babel,\u201d includ\u00aded in the col\u00adlec\u00adtion, and, of course, the final sto\u00adry, \u201cThe Gar\u00adden of Fork\u00ading Paths.\u201d For me, Pon\u00adti\u2019s enchant\u00aded square is the very embod\u00adi\u00adment of Borges\u2019s fairy\u00adtale-like labyrinth. The abstract, cos\u00admic reflec\u00adtions of Borges\u2019s nov\u00adels are expressed in a visu\u00adal, fan\u00adtas\u00adti\u00adcal way in Pon\u00adti\u2019s pic\u00adture books, evok\u00ading a sim\u00adi\u00adlar sense of \u201cinfin\u00adi\u00adty\u201d and \u201cunknown pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties.\u201d Visu\u00adal\u00adly, \u201cGeorge on the Bench\u201d uses lay\u00adered details and exquis\u00adite com\u00adpo\u00adsi\u00adtion to present a dynam\u00adic, com\u00adplex world, much like Borges\u2019s vision of a \u201clabyrinth of labyrinths.\u201d Togeth\u00ader, they con\u00advey a core idea:The world we live in is mul\u00adti-lay\u00adered, and each lay\u00ader holds end\u00adless pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties.<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Albert, the sinol\u00ado\u00adgist in Borges\u2019s nov\u00adel, said:\u201cThe Gar\u00adden of Fork\u00ading Paths is a vast rid\u00addle, or para\u00adble, the solu\u00adtion of which is time; and this obscure rea\u00adson does not per\u00admit the word time to appear in the man\u00adu\u00adscript.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGeorge the Bench\u201d can also be seen as a huge rid\u00addle or fable. Although it uses time as a clue, if you go back to the front end\u00adpa\u00adpers, you will find that the clock on the clock tow\u00ader in the pic\u00adture has no hands (time has been erased); although the book marks many time points of the day, it nev\u00ader explains what day it is!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pon\u00adti may have been fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00aded by \u201ctime\u201d since he was a child. He always proud\u00adly intro\u00adduces his father as a \u201cchrono-analy\u00adseur\u201d from Italy. In fact, he was a spe\u00adcial posi\u00adtion in the Pom\u00adpeii Steel Plant, respon\u00adsi\u00adble for mea\u00adsur\u00ading the time required for work\u00aders to com\u00adplete tasks in order to opti\u00admize pro\u00adduc\u00adtion process\u00ades and effi\u00adcien\u00adcy. I believe that part of the inspi\u00adra\u00adtion for \u201cGeorge the Bench\u201d must come from Pon\u00adti\u2019s fas\u00adci\u00adna\u00adtion with \u201ctime\u201d. He also has a strange descrip\u00adtion of time in \u201cThe Won\u00adder\u00adful Night of the Elves\u201d pub\u00adlished in 2006. The whole sto\u00adry takes place in \u201cBetween 12:05 am and 12:05 am<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t be sure whether Bon\u00adnie was influ\u00adenced by Borges, but read the imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion of the maze in the nov\u00adel -<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI imag\u00adined it to be vast, not just a col\u00adlec\u00adtion of octag\u00ado\u00adnal pavil\u00adions and wind\u00ading paths, but com\u00adposed of rivers, provinces and king\u00addoms\u2026 I imag\u00adined itA maze of mazes, an intri\u00adcate, ever-evolv\u00ading maze that encom\u00adpass\u00ades the past and the future, and in a sense even involves oth\u00ader plan\u00adets.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the maze revealed in the nov\u00adel is actu\u00adal\u00adly \u201cthat chaot\u00adic nov\u00adel\u201d (claimed to be writ\u00adten by Peng Yu, a retired gov\u00ader\u00adnor of Yun\u00adnan in the Qing Dynasty), the cre\u00adator:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cIt is believed that there are count\u00adless series of time, diverg\u00ading, con\u00adverg\u00ading, and par\u00adal\u00adlel times weav\u00ading an ever-grow\u00ading, intri\u00adcate web. This web of times that con\u00adverge, diverge, inter\u00adtwine, or remain for\u00adev\u00ader undis\u00adturbed encom\u00adpass\u00ades all pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties.Most of the time, we don\u2019t exist; at some times, there is you but not me; at oth\u00ader times, there is me but not you; and at still oth\u00ader times, both you and I exist.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u2014\u2014This seems to be the best philo\u00adsoph\u00adi\u00adcal com\u00admen\u00adtary on \u201cGeorge of the Bench\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, this could be pure coin\u00adci\u00addence: a short sto\u00adry writ\u00adten in 1941 and a pic\u00adture book writ\u00adten and illus\u00adtrat\u00aded 60 years lat\u00ader, sim\u00adply coin\u00adci\u00adden\u00adtal\u00adly shar\u00ading sim\u00adi\u00adlar themes. The plot itself is bizarre. The pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnist, Yu Zhun, is a descen\u00addant of Peng Yu and a Ger\u00adman spy dur\u00ading World War I. He is deeply grate\u00adful for the research and unre\u00adserved shar\u00ading of his ances\u00adtor\u2019s mys\u00adter\u00adies by the sinol\u00ado\u00adgist Albert. How\u00adev\u00ader, in order to prompt\u00adly inform the Ger\u00admans of the loca\u00adtion of a British artillery posi\u00adtion in the north\u00adern French city of Albert, he is forced to shoot the man and allow him\u00adself to be arrest\u00aded so that he can pass the news of the mur\u00adder to head\u00adquar\u00adters via news reports\u2014because the sinol\u00ado\u00adgist\u2019s sur\u00adname hap\u00adpens to be the same as the city\u2019s name (just pro\u00adnounced dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly in French and Eng\u00adlish)! Well, what a des\u00adper\u00adate coin\u00adci\u00addence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But wait, what\u2019s the name of the mag\u00adi\u00adcal square where George the Bench is locat\u00aded? Albert-Duron\u00adquar\u00adr\u00e9. Anoth\u00ader \u201cAlbert\u201d? What a coin\u00adci\u00addence! Is it real\u00adly just a coin\u00adci\u00addence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ajia, Writ\u00adten in Bei\u00adjing on Feb\u00adru\u00adary 15, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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