Varjak paw
Encyclopedia
Varjak Paw is a children's novel by the British
author
S. F. Said
and illustrated by Dave McKean
. The illustrations in this book greatly resemble gothic
forms of art. The novel received a Smarties Gold Award
and has been adapted for other media.
Varjak, whose amber eyes shun him from his family (as the color of danger), listens to his grandfather's tales of the Outside. His older brother Julius constantly bullies him. None of his family care to venture into the outside world, for they are happy and contented inside, being fed by the old woman known as the Contessa. One day, a Gentleman appears inside the house with two black cats acting in synchronized
motions. The Contessa had died. He seems to take care of the cats, but when Varjak and his grandfather venture outside and his grandfather tells him stories of the mysterious Jalal the Paw, the Gentleman's two black cats kill him. Varjak runs away into the city, where he meets a black and white cat, Holly, and her best friend, a brown cat named Tam. Varjak learns of the Vanishings, the mysterious disappearances of cats off the streets. He travels with Holly and Tam. In his dreams he is visited by the strange Jalal the Paw, who teaches him of the Way, a lost form of cat martial arts. Varjak runs into a cat gang, Ginger's gang. He is immediately beaten up. When he travels into the evil Sally Bones' territory, he learns of the villain and a bit about the Way. The fight between him and the fierce white cat Sally Bones is interrupted by a dog, Cludge. Cludge knocks Varjak out, but wakes up to find that the dog meant no harm, and is even friendly. He befriends Cludge. Tam disappears and Varjak finds a grotesque toy cat inside a cardboard box, but it has every aspect of a real cat. He and Holly go back to his house, and his family wants Varjak to stay, but soon after Holly gets captured by the Gentleman. Varjak goes upstairs, where he finds dozens of cats inside a large cage, trapped by the Gentleman and his creepy cats. It is found that the Gentleman is taking them into a room and killing them to make toys out of them, although the methods of doing so have never been found (they come back out with glassy fake eyes and collars, with the sound boxes and mechanical movements of a doll, although they look and smell exactly like real cats). Varjak kills one of the black cats by snipping off its collar, the source of the Gentleman's power, and the other falls. The Gentleman is about to kill Varjak when Cludge jumps through the window and scares the Gentleman off. Varjak is named a hero but decides to live on the streets and leave his family at the house and outside he decides to start his own gang and try to defeat Sally Bones and her gang.
Varjak Paw's name is allusion to the film Breakfast at Tiffany's. In the film, one of the main characters, Paul Varjak, has written a book called "Nine Lives". When he and another character look for the book in the library catalog, it is listed as "Nine Lives by Varjak, Paul". S.F. Said is not known to have commented on this connection.
, performed by The Opera Group in September–November.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
S. F. Said
S. F. Said
S. F. Said is a British author. He was born in Beirut in 1967 and spent his first years in Jordan. He grew up in the Iraqi diasporic community in London, moving there with his mother at the age of two. After graduating from the University of Cambridge, he worked as a press attaché and speech writer...
and illustrated by Dave McKean
Dave McKean
David McKean is an English illustrator, photographer, comic book artist, graphic designer, filmmaker and musician....
. The illustrations in this book greatly resemble gothic
Gothic art
Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that developed in France out of Romanesque art in the mid-12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, but took over art more completely north of the Alps, never quite effacing more classical...
forms of art. The novel received a Smarties Gold Award
Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
The Nestlé Children's Book Prize, also known as the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, was an annual award given to children's books written in the previous year by a UK citizen or resident. The prize was administered by Booktrust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading, and sponsored by...
and has been adapted for other media.
Plot summary
Varjak Paw is a small Mesopotamian dark blue kitten who lives with his family in the Contessa's house on the hill. He is always made fun of because he is not a proper Mesopotamian blue. When a large gentlemen and two mysterious black cats enter the house, Varjak and his grandfather, Elder Paw, know something is wrong. The family is split apart, leaving Varjak to embark on a quest to the city for help. Using a form of secret cat martial arts called "The Way of Jalal," handed down from his ancestor, the kitten must make his way through the city and overcome obstacles such as angry dogs, gangs of cats, and the mysterious "Vanishings."Varjak, whose amber eyes shun him from his family (as the color of danger), listens to his grandfather's tales of the Outside. His older brother Julius constantly bullies him. None of his family care to venture into the outside world, for they are happy and contented inside, being fed by the old woman known as the Contessa. One day, a Gentleman appears inside the house with two black cats acting in synchronized
Synchronized
Synchronized can refer to the following definitions:*synchronization , or syncronisation , the coordination of events to operate a system in unison.*Synchronized , a 2002 album by sHeavy....
motions. The Contessa had died. He seems to take care of the cats, but when Varjak and his grandfather venture outside and his grandfather tells him stories of the mysterious Jalal the Paw, the Gentleman's two black cats kill him. Varjak runs away into the city, where he meets a black and white cat, Holly, and her best friend, a brown cat named Tam. Varjak learns of the Vanishings, the mysterious disappearances of cats off the streets. He travels with Holly and Tam. In his dreams he is visited by the strange Jalal the Paw, who teaches him of the Way, a lost form of cat martial arts. Varjak runs into a cat gang, Ginger's gang. He is immediately beaten up. When he travels into the evil Sally Bones' territory, he learns of the villain and a bit about the Way. The fight between him and the fierce white cat Sally Bones is interrupted by a dog, Cludge. Cludge knocks Varjak out, but wakes up to find that the dog meant no harm, and is even friendly. He befriends Cludge. Tam disappears and Varjak finds a grotesque toy cat inside a cardboard box, but it has every aspect of a real cat. He and Holly go back to his house, and his family wants Varjak to stay, but soon after Holly gets captured by the Gentleman. Varjak goes upstairs, where he finds dozens of cats inside a large cage, trapped by the Gentleman and his creepy cats. It is found that the Gentleman is taking them into a room and killing them to make toys out of them, although the methods of doing so have never been found (they come back out with glassy fake eyes and collars, with the sound boxes and mechanical movements of a doll, although they look and smell exactly like real cats). Varjak kills one of the black cats by snipping off its collar, the source of the Gentleman's power, and the other falls. The Gentleman is about to kill Varjak when Cludge jumps through the window and scares the Gentleman off. Varjak is named a hero but decides to live on the streets and leave his family at the house and outside he decides to start his own gang and try to defeat Sally Bones and her gang.
Characters
- Varjak Paw, a young kitten and the main protagonist of the story
- Jalal, Varjak's ancestor and a great warrior that teaches Varjak "The Way"
- Holly, a friend whom Varjak meets Outside
- Tam, Holly's good friend who is constantly preoccupied with food
- Elder Paw, Varjak's grandfather and one of the few who remembers The Way of Jalal
- Sally Bones, the mysterious white cat who lords over the West Side
- Ginger, the ruler of the East Side
- The Contessa, the old woman who owns Varjak's home
- The Gentleman, a mysterious man who appears one day at the Contessa's house
- The Black Cats, two pure black cats that accompany The Gentleman everywhere. They also kill Elder Paw.
- Cludge, a young dog who Varjak meets at the end of the book
Varjak Paw's name is allusion to the film Breakfast at Tiffany's. In the film, one of the main characters, Paul Varjak, has written a book called "Nine Lives". When he and another character look for the book in the library catalog, it is listed as "Nine Lives by Varjak, Paul". S.F. Said is not known to have commented on this connection.
Theatre
In September 2007, Playbox Theatre Company took on S. F. Said's Varjak Paw, in a major multi-media production.Opera
In 2008, composer Julian Philips completed an opera on Varjak Paw, to a libretto by Kit Hesketh-HarveyKit Hesketh-Harvey
Christopher John "Kit" Hesketh Harvey is a British musical comic performer, translator, composer and scriptwriter.Born in Nyasaland , he was educated as senior chorister at Canterbury Cathedral and then Tonbridge School in Kent before moving on as a choral scholar under John Rutter to Clare...
, performed by The Opera Group in September–November.