HENRI ROUSSEAU
A Jungle Expedition
by Susanne Pfleger & translated by Catherine McCreadie
Lush, beautiful reproductions introduce Rousseau’s art work to a young audience, but the text, combining fact and fiction, may confuse those expecting a biography. The first half of this book follows Rousseau’s life; the second half links his jungle paintings together in a narrative as if they were all inspired by one dream. Although it may be true in an abstract sense, it may not be fair to explain away Rousseau’s art with the clichÇ of a dream. Plazy’s A Weekend with Rousseau (1992) offers a more stable forage into the jungles. (Nonfiction. 8-11)