The Life and Art of Lynley Dodd

(Paperback)

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Description

The Life and Art of Lynley Dodd is both a tale of remarkable success and a window into a brilliant creative mind. Finlay Macdonald's beautifully told, visually gorgeous biography of Dame Lynley Dodd and her creation, the rascally dog Hairy Maclary. Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy has been read and loved by millions since its 1983 publication. Its protagonist's shaggy face and mischievous eyes are now iconic. But what of his creator 'People don't believe me when I tell them that Hairy Maclary fell out of a book - literally - but he did. It was just a scrap of paper I'd tucked between the pages of my ideas book, as you do. And I picked it up and thought, well, yes, I could do this. So I did.' In The Life and Art of Lynley Dodd, Finlay Macdonald tells the tale of how a small girl raised in Kaingaroa Forest became the illustrator and virtuoso wordsmith behind so many picture books that are living classics. But this is not just a story about a storyteller, it is a book that explores Lynley Dodd's working world. What is the secret behind her stories' linguistic dexterity How does her paintbrush capture the sometimes comic, sometimes tragic expressions of her animal characters with such precision As well as many favourite and familiar book illustrations, this volume contains never-before-seen sketches and cartoons, character roughs and picture-book drafts. The Life and Art of Lynley Dodd is both a tale of remarkable success and a window into a brilliant creative mind. This new paperback edition has been updated to include Lynley's latest story, Scarface Claw, Hold Tight! and the sellout exhibitions of her artwork over the last decade.

Author Bio

Finlay Macdonald is a journalist, editor, publisher and broadcaster with over 30 years' experience in the New Zealand media. He was editor of the New Zealand Listener magazine from 1997 to 2004, and later a publisher at Penguin Books and HarperCollins. He has been an award-winning weekly columnist for the Sunday Star-Times and has written and presented for television and radio. He lives in Auckland with his wife, and despite their children now being grown up, can still recite Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy from memory.