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EllunaThe Library by-nc-nd

Published: 2013-08-10 12:00:03 +0000 UTC; Views: 23707; Favourites: 1102; Downloads: 0
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Description “I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” — Jorge Luis Borges

(My love for Borges is borderline otherworldly.)

While life certainly offers us a great deal of pleasures for us to choose from, I am yet to find one that can compare to reading a good book. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that this piece is one of my personal favorites, if nothing else than for the message it conveys. (And as I could not actually read whilst working on it, and as the execution took considerably longer than I had anticipated, I satisfied myself with listening to an audio book while working on it. The memories it is now inextricably linked with are all the more precious accordingly.)
Dedicated to all the avid readers of the world, who I feel - in sharing in one of my greatest passions - have also an understanding of a very vital part of myself.
A special dedication must be added for three of my best friends, whose birthday presents I was belatedly shopping for, and the nature of which they should have no trouble guessing, given the theme of the piece through which the hint is passed on.
I dream of the libraries of Pemberley still.

(On the more technical side, I am finally working with a tablet, and it makes my work so, so much easlier and more effortless than the alternative.)

Whether this piece is more conceptual or more surreal, I really cannot tell.

"I cannot think it unlikely that there is such a total book on some shelf in the universe. I pray to the unknown gods that some man - even a single man, tens of centuries ago - has perused and read this book. If the honor and wisdom and joy of such a reading are not to be my own, then let them be for others. Let heaven exist, though my own place may be in hell. Let me be tortured and battered and annihilated, but let there be one instant, one creature, wherein thy enormous Library may find its justification." — Jorge Luis Borges, "The Library of Babel" (1941)

Stock
^Elandria elandria.deviantart.com/art/Qu…
~Fluffytheartist fluffytheartist.deviantart.com…
*AbsurdWordPreferred absurdwordpreferred.deviantart…
`faestock faestock.deviantart.com/art/Re…
Rest painted.

© Stop! My work is not to be reproduced, altered, modified or commercially used in any way without my explicit permission. It is under a copyright license and any violation of these terms is a violation of the law.
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Comments: 135

Maruko-Uranai [2013-09-21 13:31:48 +0000 UTC]

Congrats for the well deserved DD

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Elluna In reply to Maruko-Uranai [2013-10-04 16:23:47 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much! You're very kind.

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Maruko-Uranai In reply to Elluna [2013-10-04 17:01:49 +0000 UTC]

Welcome, it's a pleasure ^^

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damilepidus [2013-09-21 13:07:41 +0000 UTC]

Congrats Sweetie!

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Elluna In reply to damilepidus [2013-10-04 16:24:33 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very, very much!

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HermioneFrost [2013-09-21 13:03:34 +0000 UTC]

Magical! There is nothing like a good book, and you capture that wonderfully! Congrats on the DD!

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Elluna In reply to HermioneFrost [2013-10-04 16:24:23 +0000 UTC]

I couldn't agree more! Thank you so much for your kind words, dearest. You're lovely.

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HermioneFrost In reply to Elluna [2013-10-04 20:52:52 +0000 UTC]

Don't mention it!

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Lintu47 [2013-09-21 11:48:14 +0000 UTC]

    Congrats on the DD!
    Have a nice day!

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Elluna In reply to Lintu47 [2013-10-04 16:21:55 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much! I only just found out. I'm beyond honored and astonished.

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Lintu47 In reply to Elluna [2013-10-06 09:26:34 +0000 UTC]

    My pleasure, enjoy it

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a-p-b In reply to ??? [2013-09-21 10:16:05 +0000 UTC]

Love the image ...and the best book of all times is the Bible.

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Elluna In reply to a-p-b [2013-10-04 16:21:30 +0000 UTC]

I believe that everyone who has a favorite book is infinitely richer in a spiritual sense than those who don't. And I'm beyond happy to hear you're one of those who has chosen their favorite and doubtless frequently return to it and reread it with pleasure.

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a-p-b In reply to Elluna [2013-10-05 10:18:52 +0000 UTC]

Excellent answer!

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Elluna In reply to a-p-b [2013-10-07 21:35:52 +0000 UTC]

Why, thank you.

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a-p-b In reply to Elluna [2013-10-08 08:41:25 +0000 UTC]

Welcome! Although I should have wrote: "Excellent reapply!"

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Arcedemius [2013-09-21 09:26:37 +0000 UTC]

i have a reading spot i frequent, a favourite curled position, and a fav beverage myself, and this, your picture and blurb together, speak to me - the only thing i'd change is the lighting! 

how can she read by (wonderful thought they might be) tiny little fledgling-moondust glow lights?!?! 

T^T i remember sneaking out of bed to continue reading my book at the light coming out from under my parents' bedroom door after bedtime (listening in heart-pounding anxiety in case they decided to come out - in which case i skeddadled as fast as i silently could). i remember reading in the car on long drives long after the sun had gone down by the occasional streetlamps winking by - waiting for that light to zip by so i could read another line.. i remember reading one particular night by the light of a particularly bright moon through the window before my brother woke up and told me off for a) still being awake and b) ruining my eyes.

i believe in good lighting while reading...

or at the very least, the best lighting you can muster when you need to continue reading past when you should...and don't want people seeing the light and knowing you're a) still awake and b) still reading.

that's why a genius invented tiny little reading lights that attach to books!


but your picture is beautiful <3


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Elluna In reply to Arcedemius [2013-10-04 16:45:21 +0000 UTC]

I can relate to each and every single one of those instances. The anticipation for an oncoming streetlamp in the backseat of a car struck me particularly forcefully, as it was something of an M.O. when I was younger, and I frequently partook in the act of "ruining my eyes" for the sake of reading on and never ceasing.

Having said that, I was always encouraged to read, even late into the night (if I so desired), so the nerve-racking crippling anxiety that comes with fearing one's parents discovering that they're still reading is quite lost on me. But I sympathize all the same. I can't imagine being prevented from reading, ever. I can only relate to feelings of guilt when one reads late into the night, knowing of an engagement of crucial importance in the morning, but finding themselves incapable of stopping, even for the sake of sleep and proper rest. Mine was always the internal anxiety.


In this particular case, though, I didn't so much picture this girl reading as I did living the book - witnessing the events unfold before her not so much through words as through scenes (which create that strange, strange light), as if witnessing a series of real events from a distance. She's observing more so than reading, because that is what I feel occurs each and every single time I become properly invested in a book. It's no longer letters and words - it's shapes, colors, whole scenes and characters - real, as if I could see them before me.


I do agree about the tiny reading lights. Mine is a bit of a prized possession (never mind that it cost 8$, so "prized" is going a bit far) and it goes wherever I go. I own a Kindle for traveling and that little book light is an absolute salvation. While everyone else sleeps on a bus/plane, it makes it wonderfully easy to read late into the night without disturbing anyone at all. It's a wonder.


Thank you so much for such a wonderful comment, dear.

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Arcedemius In reply to Elluna [2013-10-05 03:14:11 +0000 UTC]

O________O

i know you! - YOU'RE ME!!

XD

yes, that little voice saying 'you must get some sleep before that (exam/work/assignment/deadline) in the morning' is often drowned out mercilessly by the next character's line being spoken in my head.

i now understand why you put those little glowy lights in. genius.

some people don't understand whenever i mention that i don't read books - i see inner movies. ^w^ it's like a completely 3D movie - you can see the scenery around you, but the focus is on the characters.

i hear the character's voices, see what the characters expressions are, and generally become a ghost in booksville for hours on end. i can see them, but i can't interfere, which makes for anxious moments, especially when characters juuuuuuust miss each other in the dark. that really gets me sometimes T^T.

you are an amazing person. thanks for the reply ^^. books really are magic, aren't they?

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CarlosAE [2013-09-14 22:21:10 +0000 UTC]

Nice work! ^_^

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Elluna In reply to CarlosAE [2013-10-04 16:13:37 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much.

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CarlosAE In reply to Elluna [2013-10-04 16:21:10 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome.

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tallouh In reply to ??? [2013-09-01 19:12:03 +0000 UTC]

featured fav.me/d6kmbh8

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Elluna In reply to tallouh [2013-10-04 16:13:25 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so very much.

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little-spacey In reply to ??? [2013-08-29 22:49:00 +0000 UTC]

featured  little-spacey.deviantart.com/j…

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Elluna In reply to little-spacey [2013-10-04 16:13:07 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much for the feature, dear. I'm honored.

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peroni68 In reply to ??? [2013-08-25 22:45:17 +0000 UTC]

So wonderful!!!!

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Elluna In reply to peroni68 [2013-10-04 16:12:36 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much!

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peroni68 In reply to Elluna [2013-10-05 10:10:37 +0000 UTC]

You're very welcome!

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Beholdentolove In reply to ??? [2013-08-25 19:59:03 +0000 UTC]

I featured this work in my journal here: beholdentolove.deviantart.com/…

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Elluna In reply to Beholdentolove [2013-10-04 16:12:27 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much for including me. I'm honored.

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Beholdentolove In reply to Elluna [2013-10-05 20:25:59 +0000 UTC]

You are welcome!

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Wesley-Souza In reply to ??? [2013-08-24 19:41:11 +0000 UTC]

Feature here

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Elluna In reply to Wesley-Souza [2013-10-04 16:12:08 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much, Wesley. I'm beyond honored.

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Wesley-Souza In reply to Elluna [2013-10-05 05:18:58 +0000 UTC]

welcome dear

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TaniaART [2013-08-22 19:24:52 +0000 UTC]

Featured here taniaart.deviantart.com/journa…

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Elluna In reply to TaniaART [2013-10-04 16:11:38 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much, I'm really so honored.

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TaniaART In reply to Elluna [2013-10-09 16:27:18 +0000 UTC]

My pleasure

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saritaangel07 In reply to ??? [2013-08-21 20:30:56 +0000 UTC]

great work !!

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Elluna In reply to saritaangel07 [2013-10-04 16:11:05 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much, dearest.

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saritaangel07 In reply to Elluna [2013-10-04 19:04:08 +0000 UTC]

Most welcome

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Flobelebelebobele In reply to ??? [2013-08-21 19:40:42 +0000 UTC]

You have been featured flobelebelebobele.deviantart.c…

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Elluna In reply to Flobelebelebobele [2013-10-04 16:10:55 +0000 UTC]

Mnogo ti hvala.

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BlueDiamondSnow In reply to ??? [2013-08-21 03:30:21 +0000 UTC]

Aleksandra, I share a part of your soul. I understand. Completely. Thank you for this beautiful, mystical piece of art. Let's put it this way, if we go to heaven and it isn't a library, it will be hell for some of us.  

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Elluna In reply to BlueDiamondSnow [2013-10-04 16:10:41 +0000 UTC]

I couldn't agree more.

Your compliments are always so eloquent and so unique, and it makes me infinitely grateful and honored to be on the receiving end of such praise. Thank you so much.

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BlueDiamondSnow In reply to Elluna [2013-10-04 20:48:20 +0000 UTC]

Wow, that's such a nice compliment. I'm glad they make you happy. Your art makes me happy!

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Elluna In reply to BlueDiamondSnow [2013-10-07 21:25:49 +0000 UTC]

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Notvitruvian In reply to ??? [2013-08-16 17:13:25 +0000 UTC]

Another excellent piece, great lighting and effects

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Elluna In reply to Notvitruvian [2013-08-17 16:13:28 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much, as always, dearest.

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Notvitruvian In reply to Elluna [2013-08-17 17:16:56 +0000 UTC]

You are always welcome my dear !

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