Winter Tales

W

hen Mark Helprin A Veil of Snows, to be published
writes about winter, next year, will be a religious tale.
the reader feels the
Helprin's religion and heritage
arctic blast. Whether are evident in his writings. El-
it's a great white cloud mass sur- lis Island is a novella written in
rounding New York City in the first person about a Jewish im-
novel A Winter's Tale, the flight migrant's arrival in New York.
of arctic loons in a blizzard in the The story "North Light" is about
short story "A Vermont Tale," or the Israeli army, something Hel-
a city veiled in snow in his latest prin himself has experienced.
children's book, A City In Winter, When asked why he served in the
Helprin's imagery is as sharp as Israeli army and air force, Hel-
icicles.
prin responded, "Do you even
"The windows gave out upon have to ask why I served? ... I felt
miasmas of ice and frozen fog, I was protecting the State of Is-
and if I reached to steady myself rael."
when rounding a turn I would
One literary critic, comparing
quickly have to pull my hand Helprin's work to that of Marc
from the stone
Chagall, Isaac
lest the two
Bashevis Singer
would be joined
and Franz Kafka,
by cold," says the
concluded that
young princess
his work is "fero-
in A City in
ciously original."
Winter (Viking,
Helprin teams
$22.50). The
up with Caldecott
young heroine,
Medal-winning il-
driven to avenge
lustrator Chris
the murder of
Van Allsburg for
her royal par-
the trilogy. This
ents, tries to re-
is a dynamite
claim her lost
combination, for
kingdom from
Van Allsburg's il-
the evil conqueror, the Usurper. lustrations add fire to Helprin's
"There is an allusion to the icy tales. Helprin initiated the
Holocaust," said Helprin in a re- partnership, following a visit to
cent telephone interview from up- the bookstore in search of a book
state New York. Throughout the to read to his daughter. He found
book, chimneys bellowing smoke The Polar Express, written and
fill the sky. When the townspeo- illustrated by Van Allsburg. `The
ple hear an explosion to denote a depth and the beauty drew me
curfew, Helprin's description is in," said Helprin, who then wrote
haunting — "A huge red fire be- a letter to Van Allsburg — who
gan to burn in the sky above, col- hails from Grand Rapids — ask-
oring the frozen city with a hue ing if he would illustrate Swan
of blood." (Publishers Weekly rec- Lake. "He is easily the best illus-
ommends the book for ages 10 trator in the country," said Hel-
and up.)
prin.
"The story is about doing the
They work brilliantly togeth-
impossible to fight off tyranny," er and share many common
said Helprin. He makes a politi- threads. Both men are Jewish,
cal statement in this book, which are married to women named
is the second of a trilogy. In the Lisa, have two daughters and re-
first book, Swan Lake, Helprin side,on the East Coast. Most im-
fit the ballet to a personal story. portantly, they have produced
He explains that the third novel, literary treasures. 0

CARLA JEAN SCHWARTZ

SECTION EDITOR

Mark Helprin weaves an adventure tale with a political
statement in his new children's book, A City in Winter.